its a 1985 M745i ex SA . only 249rhd made . only about 5 or 6 in NZ .(i know and seen of 4 of them) and heard of a couple more about that had there motors plucked from them .
planning on fitting it to my (maybe i souldn't say ) .
still have my hartge 1988 e34 535i and my 86 M535i and another 1990 535ia .
just brought a plate to for the car .
I 545 I
heres some info from the website of the guy who i brought it off.::::::
This is the E23 bodyshape. This body shape was built between 1977 and 1986 I think.
My M745i was manufactured in South Africa in 1985. This model was unique to the South African market and not exported. The M745i has the same motor as the M5 or M6/M635csi ie a 3.5 litre in line
6 cylinder with 4 valves per cylinder. Although the manual quotes power output at 290bhp whereas the power output for the M5 & M6 is 286bhp. The South African have a RHD market.
The other markets world wide had the 745i - a LHD turbo charged 3.2 or 3.5 litre motor. I think the 745i 3.5 had an output of 252bhp. The 745i appears to have been mainly limited to the German market with it being a "gray" market car in the States from what I have read - both markets being LHD. I assume none were made for the British market but I stand to be corrected if anyone can tell me.
There appears to be very little known about the M745i. It is barely mentioned in any of the texts I have read. This together with the fact it was not available in other markets appear to having resulted in it not being considered a classic along side the M5 and M6.
My research indicates there were 249 manufactured which makes it a rare car indeed. And I'm sure a substantially lower number survive today. I am told at least 4 made their way to New Zealand.
The M745i was made in both auto and manual transmissions. Apparently factory manual ones are extremely rare a dozen or so made. Mine is the auto - the same used in the 745i for the other markets. It is a 4 speed with switchable Sports and Economy modes.
The auto has a top speed of 234kph or 146mph. The manual has a top speed of 241kph or 150mph.
My M745i appears to be considered a "highline" model indicated by the hand stitched leather dashboard.
The features of my M745i includes leather throughout (apparently water buffalo according to a texbook I read), ABS brakes, central locking, power steering, power mirrors, climate control/air conditioning, self levelling suspension, limited slip diff, power seats front and rear with memory for the fronts seats, and the headrests are powered as well. Other little features, which I don't know how common they are, include the Active Check-Control system. rear reading lights and a pull-up blind to cover the rear windscreen window, child safety locks on the rears doors and it has the Onboard Computer.The onboard computer is quite neat in that in features an inbuilt anti-theft mechanism. It is also fitted with 16' BBS wheels with 225/50/16 Bridgestone G Grid tyres all round - 8" wide at the rear and 7" wide at the front. Mine doesnt come with a sunroof but you dont really need one when you have climate control I guess.
However, the engine is by far the highlight of the car.
My M745i is painted Ice White and dark blue leather.
The only thing not working properly is the air conditioning. It blows cold air but the heater doesnt seem to work too well. Recently, hot air was blown on to the windscreen when cold air was blown everywhere else.
The paintwork is in pretty good condition and so is the leather. However there is a bit of surface rust in a few tiny areas which I will attend to as funds become available. The leather seats are in remarkably good condition given the age and mileage of the car but I'd like to get the leather recoloured at some stage.
It has travelled 133,000 miles so far, and it feels like it could travel a lot more as long as the rest holds together.
According to the limited documented service records, it was manufactured and sold in South Africa in 1985 and made its way to Houston, Texas in the late 80's. The service manual shows it was first serviced at Taussig's Auto Service Inc in Houston, Texas in Feb '87 with 21,793 miles on the clock. It then came to New Zealand in the mid 90's. The red parking lights on the rear quarter panels are via the US gov't regulations. All 745i's imported to the US have to have 1.an O2 sensor, 2.rear side marker lights, 3. a catalytic converter, and is some cases front side marker lights. However, I am aware that the catalytic converter has since been removed.
The major maintenance I have had done to the car include replacing the timing chain and having the air conditioning fixed - previously not working at all.
I originally bought the car with the thought of transplanting the engine to another model's body - perhaps a 6 series or a 5 series. The M5 or M6 are also rare and accordingly command high prices still - usually the equivalent of US$20,000 I guess. So far (as at 31/07/2001) I have spent approximately US$6000 on it included the original purchase price. However after spending a lot of time polishing and waxing the car the paintwork looks extremely good and a quick drive reminded me how good the car really is. So I think I will just slowly restore the car as funds permit.
I have just learned that there is a South African mechanic which worked for BMW SA currently working in Auckland. So I will get him to give my car an overall assessment as a starting point.
Anyone who has any helpful info on the SA M745i - I'd love to hear from you.
Dec 2000 - I had all the rust removed and the car largely repainted at a cost of approx NZ$1800 or US$700.
June 2001 - I had the air conditioning fixed, Pioneer CD/radio installed, and gearbox rebuilt at a cost of NZ$2800 or about US$1200.
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11/30/2001 - I had the engine tuned, fuel filter changed, and front brake rotors and pads replaced. Total cost about $US400. It's now running smoother and feels a tad more powerful. I had the car serviced by Porsche specialists but they provided a great service. They confirm that upgrading the exhaust system will add up to 15% more HP hmmmmm....
12/02/2001 - I have scanned a BMW E23 733i Sales Brochure I bought on Ebay earlier this year. I have uploaded the pics and you can now visit it on the link to the left. I have also fixed the guestbook (I think) after someone finally told me it wasnt working! I was wondering why no one was leaving a message lol.
And I have a photocopy of a fax copy of a article from a South African car magazine about the 745i and other South African BMW models. Due to a deterioration of the copy I plan to re-type the article and post it here in the near future. Interesting reading and mentions the turbo 745i as well.
