Rosslyn, Pretoria – After a year of painstaking
restoration, BMW South Africa unveiled its latest restoration project
– the track-inspired BMW 530 MLE – at the “Home of BMW Legends”, BMW
Group Plant Rosslyn on Tuesday, 8 October.
Just after a year of restoration, BMW South Africa revealed its
latest classic project car as a limited edition “homologation” special
developed especially by BMW Motorsport for South Africa.
Now, the meticulously prepared BMW 530 MLE has enjoyed its first
showing at BMW Group Plant Rosslyn in the company of four BMW Group
South Africa employees who were on hand to built the original more
than four decades ago. Restored by Luis Malhou of Custom Restorations,
William Mokwape, Walter Mahlangu, Jacob Matabane and Cassie Calaca
selflessly provided their input during the extraordinary vehicle’s
entire restoration process.
“It is not only the 530 MLE that was exclusively produced at this
plant,” said Johan Mouton, Director: Technical and Logistics at BMW
Group Plant Rosslyn, speaking at the unveiling event. “Legendary cars
such as the Gusheshe – the second generation BMW 3 Series (also known
as the E30) – in particular the 325iS and the South Africa-only 333i,
rolled off the assembly line at this plant more than 30 years ago.
“We are a future oriented company, but we take immense pride in where
we come from,” Mouton adds.
Tim Abbott, CEO of BMW Group South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa,
adds: “The BMW 530 MLE at the time demonstrated how competitive
sporting events were the ideal setting to impress the motoring public
with the performance of new vehicles.
“The success of the 530 MLE was a pure example of ‘What wins on
Saturday sells on Monday’, and it paved the way for BMW South Africa
as a sporty brand and a serious motorsport contender in the country.
To this day, M remains the most powerful letter in the world!”
The long road back to recognition
When BMW South Africa wanted to go racing in the mid-1970s, the
company sought out famous racing driver and Head of BMW Motorsport
Jochen Neerpasch. Shortly thereafter, two of the first generation BMW
5 Series (E12) race cars were prepared to compete in the flagship
Modified Production Series in South Africa.
The BMW 530 Motorsport Limited Edition (MLE) rolled up to the
starting line in the Modified Production Series in 1976. Fifteen wins
from 15 consecutive starts followed, and BMW stamped its authority on
the racing series with three championship titles in three years. The
BMW 530 MLE was the most successful racing BMW 5 Series in history
when it was retired in 1985.
To qualify for entry, however, BMW South Africa had to sell 100
road-going versions of this first generation BMW 5 Series, known as
the 530 Motorsport Limited Edition (MLE), to the public. Developed by
BMW Motorsport as a limited edition “homologation” model for South
Africa, 110 units of the Type 1 were produced in 1976, while 117
versions of the Type 2 rolled off the production line at BMW Group
Plant Rosslyn in 1977. The six cylinder engine was a factory tweaked
version of the same motor found in the 3.0L, boasting figures such as
147kW, 277Nm, a 208km/h top speed and a 0 – 100km/h sprint time of 9.3
seconds. It proved to be an early step of BMW’s ventures into track
oriented cars for the road.
Car number 100
After years of searching, BMW South Africa in 2018 acquired one of
the only BMW 530 MLEs known to have endured beyond its 70s heyday. Car
number 100 came with a particular pedigree – it was owned by race
driver and the racing 530 MLE’s team manager Peter Kaye-Eddie, and its
engine and chassis numbers are a matching set.
Unique in the world, the Rosslyn-produced vehicles saw
weight-reduction measures that included bodywork and pedals drilled by
hand, manual windows with no air conditioning, and Mahle wheels.
South Africa enjoys a long history of rare and storied BMW special
editions. In 1973, BMW Group Plant Rosslyn was the very first BMW
plant established outside of Germany and several models were specially
built for the local market until 1990. A growing list of these have
been methodically restored by BMW South Africa in later years,
including the cult classic BMW 333i.
Follow #BMW530MLE on social media.
For media queries, contact:
Diederik
Reitsma
General Manager: Group Communications
BMW Group
South Africa
Tel: +27-71-666-2525
Email: Diederik.Reitsma@bmw.co.za
Edward Makwana
Manager: Group Product Communications
BMW
Group South Africa
Tel: +27-71-666-2227
Email: Edward.Makwana@bmw.co.za
Hailey Philander
Specialist: Product Communications
BMW
Group South Africa
Tel: +27-71-666-2070
Email: Hailey.Philander@bmw.co.za
BMW Group websites:
www.bmwgroup.com
www.bmw.co.za
www.mini.co.za
www.bmwmotorrad.co.za
www.bmwdrivertraining.co.za
Social Media Pages:
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South Africa, BMW Motorrad SA, MINISouthAfrica).
http://twitter.com/BMWGroup (@BMW_SA,
@BMWMotorradSA and @MINISouthAfrica).
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South Africa and BMW Motorrad SA).