Highlights

A completely original, unmolested survivor
In single-family ownership from new
MoT with no advisories until November 2023
Featured in the Car & Classic Magazine - Project Profile

The Appeal

BMW got everything right in the 1980s. It was a decade when wedge-shaped styling was fashionable and everyone wanted the latest breakthroughs in automotive electrics and computer technology. Some manufacturers unfortunately produced unexciting, boxy designs plagued by overcomplicated, unreliable electrics. BMW, on the other hand, responded with a range of shark-nosed missiles laden with fancy gadgets which, simply put, worked extremely well.

The 5 Series was BMW’s mid-sized executive saloon since 1972, and the E28 appeared with a fresh new look in 1981. Sharp, crisp and cleanly-styled in the best Teutonic design tradition, the E28 looked superb on anyone’s driveway, but it was brilliantly engineered too and, with so many engine and gearbox options, there was an E28 to suit any need. The 525e used an economy-focussed 2.7-litre fuel-injected straight-six, but it was still no slouch – with a top speed of 118mph, you were much better off than if you’d settled for an Austin Montego. In all its forms, the E28 proved enormously popular in Europe and America and by 1988 over 722,000 had been sold globally, but when did you last see one?

This remarkable original example has had a lucky life. Its first owner bought it as a second car for long journeys and special occasions, and kept it until 2016. Since then, it has been cherished by his grandson, who has only used it sparingly. An E28 is a rare car these days however it comes, but to find one from single-family ownership, all-original and in full working order, almost beggars belief.

The History and Paperwork

Originally sold through BMW dealership First Front Garages Ltd. of Kennington Lane, London SE11
Apart from visits to family in north London and an annual outing to Eastbourne, the BMW received light use
It was given to the Vendors grandson, a BMW employee, who has cherished it and kept it in light use until the present, but the expansion of the London ULEZ sadly forces its sale
The BMW is sold with paperwork including the current V5, the original BMW wallet including the Owner’s Handbook and service record up to 1991, a large collection of MoT certificates from the 1990s to the present, and several recent invoices

The Interior

Wonderful, all-original condition
Lovely leather upholstery with light patina
Numerous luxury fittings, all still in full working order

You can’t beat old leather, it never fails to improve with age and this BMW’s interior is no exception. The dark blue hide has lasted really well over its 36-year life and has mellowed in just the right way, with some light surface cracks and creases and a general patina, but no damage to the material anywhere. The door cards, carpets, headlining, dash and centre console are all in the same splendid, lightly patinated condition. There may be the odd mark picked up here or there at some point over the decades, but it all remains highly presentable.

If old leather is great, old electrics, we freely acknowledge, can sometimes be a cause for concern. In this particular instance, though, we don’t think there’s anything to worry about. It is generally said that German manufacturing is of a very high-quality, and this 525e fully conforms to the rule. It has power windows in the front doors, a heater and air-conditioning and a digital clock. We can confirm that the windows work and the clock tells the right time. As for the heater, the vendor gave us a demonstration, and to call it powerful would be putting it mildly! The radio has been replaced with a more modern unit.

The BMW’s excellent condition is consistent across the rear seats, which have probably been very little-used, and into the boot, which has been kept clean and tidy. Under the carpet is a spare wheel in good condition, and tucked inside the boot lid is that most covetable of accessories, an original toolkit.

The Exterior

Still wearing its original Polaris Metallic paint finish
Totally original in every other respect
Characterful cosmetic patina

Polaris Metallic was a popular BMW colour in the 1980s and for good reason – it looks great on just about every model, and it evokes the German Racing Silver of the famous BMW 328s which scooped up victories in circuit-racing, rallying and the Mille Miglia in the late 1930s. Having been untouched for 36 years, it now looks really quite enchanting, with an accumulated patina which gives the car a special, historic character which it would be a pity to erase.

Once again, the condition is pretty consistent. The chrome, plastic trim and some of the glass all exhibit the lovely patina with which the paint is endowed. If there’s an exception, though, it must be the alloy wheels, which have very few blemishes and barely look like they’ve aged at all.

Aside from the general patination, the only paint defects we noticed were around the front and rear lights, where there are some small chips and cracks. We do not consider patina to be a fault, though, and the only thing the new owner might wish to rectify is the missing 525e badge on the boot lid. Underneath, all appears to us to be wonderfully solid.

Obviously, this is a car for those who appreciate originality, and we think it’s worth mentioning that if the London ULEZ expansion was not forcing the vendor to part with the car, he would be arranging to display it as a historic exhibit in the BMW dealership where he works.

The Mechanics

Economical straight-six/automatic gearbox combination
Starts on the button and drives beautifully
MoT with no advisories until November 2023

We mentioned with regard to the interior fittings how this car is testimony to the excellent build-quality of old BMWs, and we will say it again with regard to its mechanical condition. With light but regular use and sympathetic maintenance when necessary, it is still going strong at almost 40 years old without ever having needed any major work.

It starts on the button, idles quietly and pulls away almost unfelt. A four-speed automatic was standard fitment in British-market 525es, and that combined with the excellent suspension amounts to a car which really glides, traversing the road surface as if it was a magic carpet. All in all, it drives very much like a modern car and, with official figures claiming that the 525e will return 30mpg, it’s just as economical as many modern cars, too.

Invoices show that the vendor has spent several hundred pounds on it over the course of his ownership in the way of maintenance, and the result really speaks for itself. It drives beautifully and was given a clean bill of health by the MoT tester in November, so you can really start using and enjoying this car straight away.

The Summary

So many cars which sold in their thousands in the 1980s have now become as rare as hen’s teeth, and the BMW E28 is no exception. Even so, they were built so well that those which have been maintained and preserved are still going strong, just like this fine example.

Its unspoilt originality and patinated appearance are a big part of its charm, but so is the fact that it’s genuinely usable, being in excellent mechanical order and driving like a much newer car. While it may fall victim to the London ULEZ this year, it’s worth remembering that it will officially be classed as historic (and therefore become exempt) in just three years’ time, and then the world really is your lobster, as another popular star of the 1980s used to say…

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