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Jooles’s car was a red 850i that was painted by its ex owner who lived in Hamilton. The 850csi I mentioned that originated in Singapore resides in Tauranga - and is red with black leather and sits on 17” Throwing stars. Briefly on trademe for $90k 10 years ago. Didn’t sell. Has about 65000 Kms on the clock.

Hey there, very interesting! What colour was your example? I remember 12-15 years ago when there were 3 in the country that people knew of- a ex Singaporean example in hell or brilliant red, a black one that was ex UK. Then we heard about this silver one through the threads here on Bimmersport- with time-warp low mileage. During that time an ex UK purple one arrived in the country that was coated in rust- inhibiting it from achieving compliance. Of course, ‘Mr E31’ Alan Ferguson brought in a batch of E31’s over the last 10 years that included a few special CSI’s. I was not aware of your car. These things are super rare- only 160 made in RHD. A friend of mine owns this car and it is a gem. It has to be one of the best in the world. A worthy addition to a BMW collection!

Great point. A lot of these cars we see for sale today were for sale 8-10 years ago for low 20’s. At $35k for sale now, they probably have broken even with their maintenance costs. A friend of mine in Auckland who had a beautifully maintained 150,000 Km daily driver 10 years ago allocated $4k / year for running costs through an independent. The good thing if you have a fine day example like mine, a lot of the expenses can be spread over a longer period of time— prioritizing the important tasks. For example, I replaced my engine mounts, got new discs/brake pads, and got new hoses fairly soon after purchase. The suspension is my next project- but will wait awhile. However, one I thing I will state again. In my opinion, these cars are an exhilarating drive. What car covers the all round capabilities of a 6 speed E39 M5. Worth every penny!

In my humble opinion, based on purchasing one of these beasts in the last year; cars at this point possibly need some pro-active maintenance. Clutches can rear their ugly head, hoses need replacing, thermostats can deteriorate, and the suspension components such as control arms, bushings, etc need replacing. Just also based on meeting people here in the US who really clock up intergalactic mileage with their cars, as long as you spend the money - these things are sturdy! A mate of mine has a 150,000 mile example in Silverstone. He has done all the pro-active maintenance work on his car through a local independent - and it never misses a beat as a daily driver. I just hope that the current owner of this car has had some big- tickets items done.. otherwise there could be some bills around the corner. Worth spending though- these cars rock!

From what I know, there were 4 in Imola red in Nz, 3 were NZ new, one was a South African model. One of the Imola’s may no longer be on the roads. Shame it is a rare colour. They are beautiful in the flesh.

Ja est is kein a Emm Vier- it is a m funf!!

Obviously because I currently reside in the USA, always studying prices of these things being marketed here. I think based on the mileage, condition, and provenance it wouldn’t be unrealistic to see a vendor marketing a car like this in the USA for $40-$45k USD. If it was in a Uber rare colour combo maybe more.

You know it’s funny I have been on this site regularly for over 10 years (without being a regular contributor) and overtime you notice the absence of people who were regular contributors. He is one of them. Last I heard was that he was selling his M5 to replace it with a X5.

Yep that is Darren Gledhill’s old car. Beautiful. Quite a few after market mods though -which won’t cater for everyone.. Darren was anecdotally the original owner of the highly discussed Lemans Blau example that was the subject of an insurance rebuild - and replaced that car with this black one.... Darren was once a regulator contributor to this site...

I personally think it is very cool. The rear spoiler ‘spoils’ the design aesthetics a little (unlike the E34), but love the decals and interior design that makes it an Alpina. Agreed, the price is not in sync with the Kiwi market, but I bet there must be less than a handful of these in NZ. I still recall driving a friend’s 300,000 km E34 Alpina B10. Handled incredibly and it’s appearance defied its mileage. Great cars- these Alpina’s! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ok0XLDn6w8A. Check this German clip- comparing this Alpina to an E39 M5.

I still remember Mike Hosking driving an immaculate example in Imola red / black leather in the early 00's. Stunning car - I'd see it regularly pottering around Newmarket / Parnell.. Wonder where that car is today. The early 00's seem like yesterday to me - it's extraordinary that we have moved on nearly 20 years. Despite not being a M car, these cars still ooze so much cool. Just like the E34 540is and the E34 535is before them.

The owner is one of our members and is a true enthusiast like more than a few of us here. I remember when Glen presented this car to the site all of those years ago too... Fabulous car that in other car markets would have been snapped up in a flash. There are 80-100k mile examples in the USA selling for $120k. I hope it stays in NZ and becomes part of a special collection. There just aren’t many like that with unicorn, freaky mileage. Very special car.

Seriously cool man!! I love the interior colour. Massive congrats

I still recall my ex boss buying a new silver 540 Motorsport - circa 2001. I thought how incredible that car was one day when he gave me a ride to see a client. I still remember wondering how good a M5 variant of the E39 maybe if the 540 Motorsport was so impressive. What was not so incredible was how my boss tried to convince me it was a M5.!!

On a recent thread about M coupe’s I enquired whether anyone within the BMW community knew this same car - and a fellow member PM’d me to indicate that it was in fact domiciled in Christchurch. https://bmwmregistry.com/detail.php?id=12678 I love the colour.

Could be, but I think the one on trademe had relatively hefty k’s - could be wrong but I think the mileage mentioned back then by the guy in the article was around 30,000.

When I was living in Singapore- 5-6 years ago I read an article in either BMW car or the now defunct Total BMW car mag about another Kiwi who I believe was a banker who mentioned that he had bought a E92 M3 in Singa’s but also had a very low k example of a E39 M5 in storage in NZ... Much to my chagrin, I could never contact him... Does that car ring a bell to anyone here?

Well said!!!

I believe the individual audio system is actually the same as M-Audio. No difference at all. I know what you mean. I have a friend who also had a E34 535is and an E34 M5 prior to owning a LMB E39 M5. He is mega fussy with his car audio and he says the same- the e39 M5, despite being a premium offering from BMW didn’t have an amazing sound system. i agree with you though- I lower the windows and open the sunroof to hear the S62 growl... audio Nirvana!!!

Hi Stu, do you have the m-audio spec stereo? I have to say, I find it rather disappointing. Maybe I am being harsh, but I think my 1990 E34 535is had a better sounding system (despite only having a radio cassette hard unit). My 2008 X3 had a far better stereo too. Your thoughts?

I will do...one thing I have found is that you often make good friends amongst car guys - anywhere in the world!!! He is keen to drive my car (a E39) as it has been tweaked with minor Dinan upgrades... so hopefully if he does I can try out his E60 (in the delightful Interlagos blue).. I have driven a E60 once before with SMG. I had so much fun. The paddle shift was like playing some high velocity Play station game. Driving around the city with the staccato like gear shifts was not so much fun!!!!

Living in Northern California, I try and keep an eye on the M5’s for sale across the USA on a regular basis. I do see manual E60’s pop up for sale from time to time. Usually they have a premium over SMG’s in terms of price. One of the car club members I met here in SF has an e39 M and a manual E60, and he claims the manual E60 is absolutely epic. Said he also loved the feel of the factory e60 short shifter so much that he ordered one for his e39 as well!

Is the ex - David Smail car from Hamilton which sat on M parallels and had 850csi springs??

I know of Phil O’Reilly’s famous Cirrus blue M635csi in Wellington. An almost complete restoration car, and possibly one of the finest examples in NZ. Is that the blue car you talk of? Delphin was a dark metallic grey. The Zinnober red example is an amazing example too. Full m tech body kit, with style 5 wheels. Black leather. One of the finest examples in NZ too... stunning car in that colour. There was a ex UK green one example too that lived in Wellington. Sold to a guy in Huntly, about 6 years ago. Now in Melbourne - where a dealer has been trying to offload it between $60-$100k for the last year. Hasn’t sold.

Very interesting. Delphin is a very rare but nice colour.... I grew up in Cambridge, and after spending 12 years overseas I came home and I set about to buy a M635csi in 2001. Funnily enough one popped up for sale in Hamilton - an ex UK in Delphin grey with cream leather. It was a very early 86’ (number 296 from memory). It was only $30k. I missed out on it - but years later worked for the family in Hamilton who owned that car. They never really drove it for years and when I drove it in 2010 it had lost a lot of power and needed some recommissioning. Was sold to a car dealer in Dunedin. Pretty sure it is the only Delphin example in NZ.