I'm a sucker for low mileage, odd ball cars. This one is a candidate..
E12 518 de Luxe
- Thread starter Dick Steinkamp
- Start date
I love me some e12
They had to add a surround to hold the tiny 2002 radiator! Big car for only 100hp.
Think how easy it would be to work on that little engine in that big engine compartment.
I like it. I can sell you a low mileage 520/6 engine we have in our Uruguayan 520, the rust is eating the rest.
I have seen this color in person, love it.
Odd car for sure. BMW propagated several earth-and-nature colours then, and Resedagrün was really fashionable. Unfortunately, it yellowed like hell, not for the better. I have to admit it can look good when still fresh. But: Resedagrün still is the least fitting colour on an E3. It was only offered for about six months, sadly lots of buyers ordered it. Things are different for Bracq cars, however, like the E12, E23 or especially the very early E24.
The Farngrün interior is great. Another very fashionable thing back then. Mercedes also had green interiors and a metallic light green on offer which were quite popular.
What I like most is of course the "Deluxe" script on the bootlid.
The Farngrün interior is great. Another very fashionable thing back then. Mercedes also had green interiors and a metallic light green on offer which were quite popular.
What I like most is of course the "Deluxe" script on the bootlid.
Oldbmwcoupes
Well-Known Member
I would be shocked if this wasn’t a Dutchman’s car. Many were purchased by the frugal dutch with the m10. We considered them stripped down cars, while they were pleased to stretch from the e21 to the roomy a far more substantive e12. We had an e12 520i when I grew up in The Netherlands. It was a quick car with a limited slip and some tweaks to the fuel injected m10. Ours was Atlantic blue with the same blue velour interior. It’s the car that kicked off my bmw love. I recall sitting in the drivers seat pretending that I was driving and rowing the smooth trans. My dad would let me shift gears for him when I sat in the front. What a great and simple car, in one of my favorite colors ( it’s the color that I’ll be painting my 2002 goof ball project-I cant wait )
well I just looked at the add and realized it’s an Italian car. Either way it would be a perfect car to use on a vacation and ship back here when you leave…..hmmmm
well I just looked at the add and realized it’s an Italian car. Either way it would be a perfect car to use on a vacation and ship back here when you leave…..hmmmm
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I like the back story on the model. I don't think it adds any to the value but it makes it unique...
BMW 518 DE LUXE was a special model made in South Africa in 3252 examples and offered for export only, upgraded by the 2 litre 4 cylinder engine of the BMW 520/4.
Instead of right hand steering this model had a left hand steering and standard equipment was: metallic colour, light alloy wheels, boxes at the front doors, cloth of the BMW 520 models, bag behind the front seats, single formed rear seat bench, head restraints at the rear and plastic covers at the trunk.
They have two more low mileage E12 520/6 cars...
BMW 518 DE LUXE was a special model made in South Africa in 3252 examples and offered for export only, upgraded by the 2 litre 4 cylinder engine of the BMW 520/4.
Instead of right hand steering this model had a left hand steering and standard equipment was: metallic colour, light alloy wheels, boxes at the front doors, cloth of the BMW 520 models, bag behind the front seats, single formed rear seat bench, head restraints at the rear and plastic covers at the trunk.
They have two more low mileage E12 520/6 cars...
To be precise, these BMWs were "assembled", not really made, in South Africa. The kits were sent from Germany for assembly. The 1.8L skew I think was meant to alleviate the taxes in countries that had big increases at 2L. They even had 315 and 316 skews for some countries.
The earth-nature colors are nice, yet do not have today's green-earth-nature connotations. For that you would paint the car in "gretathungrun" color I guess
.
The earth-nature colors are nice, yet do not have today's green-earth-nature connotations. For that you would paint the car in "gretathungrun" color I guess
.
I had a 1980 518 in 2014. Very different and cool but no fun on the highway with only four forward gears. Bought it from longtime owner in upstate NY. Lots of room to maneuver in that engine compartment with only a 4 cylinder. I replaced rusted fuel lines, exhaust and front brakes. It ran well with original solex carb, but m10 smoked on de-acceleration. Only difference I see between the “deluxe” and the one I owned is fog lights, alloys and tachometer, mine had none of that. I had too many cars at the time and sold it after a year. I should have kept it.
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I remember same color E12 standing for sale few years ago in the city I live.
It has been imported from Germany with the restoration certificate available. Really nice, clean and good looking car.
None was interested in that car for several months (for sure over a year). It was just standing without any protection against sun and rain (which is important for this model).
I was keeping that someone will buy it as it was hard for me to see it standing and I was sometimes considering to buy it just to save it. I was (ans I'm still not) a fan of the interior design.
It has disappeared once. I hope the car is in a "good hands".
These cars have very minor popularity, even between BMW fans here. I have seen more of that models being sold for months. One is for sale few years already. Such a phenomenon.
It has been imported from Germany with the restoration certificate available. Really nice, clean and good looking car.
None was interested in that car for several months (for sure over a year). It was just standing without any protection against sun and rain (which is important for this model).
I was keeping that someone will buy it as it was hard for me to see it standing and I was sometimes considering to buy it just to save it. I was (ans I'm still not) a fan of the interior design.
It has disappeared once. I hope the car is in a "good hands".
These cars have very minor popularity, even between BMW fans here. I have seen more of that models being sold for months. One is for sale few years already. Such a phenomenon.
E12 were assembled nearly everywhere, BMW made nearly 60000 CKD sets. Several thousand more LHD cars were assembled in South Africa. Of course, that would ruin the dealer's story.
Usually there was no need to go smaller than 2 litres. Luxury tax in Italy started exactly there. In the Netherlands it depended on sales prices. Up to a certain sum no luxury tax, more expensive cars hefty taxation based on the whole price. At least that's what a friendly Dutchman explained when I was a boy.
1502, 2.5 CS, 315, 316, 518 and others were all part of the common range in Germany. though some only for a short time. We have special taxes for everything but never for prestigious goods. The only thing BMW did not try to sell here was the 725i E23.
Love the E12, and love Reseda Green. I remember that color from when I worked at the dealership.. It has a classic look, to my eye.
The 1502 is a different matter I think. It was smaller engines in the mid 70s as a response to the 1973 Arab oil embargo and a similar phenomenon happened in US cars. I owned a 1502 and I loved the ride but it was underpowered for the hilly roads I was driving and I had to adjust the distributor angle to get optimal power to make the climbs...
New item by Ariel
photos.app.goo.gl
Several markets had the luxury tax above 1.6L and that is where the 315, 316 went. Again, we had a 315 in the family and it felt like a well finished toy... I got my son an E36 318i while in college, that car is not that common in the US but I hear it was common in Europe. The car is really light, revs easily, and with the 5-speed CR transmission is always in the power band. We still own it, I think Stan has the same model also.
Attached is the Uruguay E12 CKD engine/drivetrain I have to offer. Remarkably low miles for a 1980
.