What distinguishes the South African-built E12 530 Motorsport Limited Edition?
The Motorsport Limited Edition E12 530 was jointly developed by BMW of South Africa and BMW Motorsport GmbH in order to homologate the 3.0-liter 5 Series sedan for competition in the South African Modified Production class. The production of at least 100 road cars was required under the homologation rules, though it is thought that around 216 street-legal examples of the Motorsport Limited Edition 530 were ultimately produced, all in 1976. At the time, the largest engine available in a standard production E12 5 Series was the 2.8-liter inline-six. However, the Motorsport Special Edition 530 was equipped with a larger 3.0-liter M30 motor based on the unit from the E3 sedan and E9 coupe but fitted with twin Zenith carburetors, a special camshaft, lightened flywheel and an engine oil cooler. It was rated at 197 hp (DIN) at 6,000 rpm and 204 lb/ft of torque at 4,300 rpm. This was mated to the close-ratio Getrag five-speed manual gearbox featuring a “dogleg” shift pattern and a Borg-Warner
