1975 BMW E12 520i - First Generation 5 Series POV Drive (Binaural Audio)

The BMW E12 was never sold in the United States but this 5 series set the pace for decades to come. Special thanks to The Bond Group for this incredible drive. Find their inventory here: www.bondgroupusa.com
The E12 derives power from a 4 Cylinder M10 Engine mated to a 4 speed manual gearbox to drive the rear wheels. It has no power steering but feels light in the hand unless driving at very low speeds. Power is lacking but the engine makes torque low in the revs allowing for a relaxed driving experience.
Carly OB2 Reader: bit.ly/31e1UUl
www.respectthedrive.com/
Support on Patreon: / tedwarddrives
5% off Corsa Exhaust Orders with Coupon Code: TEDWARD bit.ly/2XV14HS
Logo Hoodie - represent.com/tedward-drives-...
Respect The Drive Tee Shirt - represent.com/respect-the-drive
Email: [e-mail]
Instagram: Tedward_ig
Snapchat: tedcol
Equipment Used:
Battery Tender: amzn.to/3aEcbwO
Phone Mount: amzn.to/3jLZUsE
Podcast Recorder: amzn.to/3jGR67e
Podcast Microphone: amzn.to/2HLDzOC
In Car Audio Recorder amzn.to/315tRxv
Binaural Mics amzn.to/3doOV6P
Camera amzn.to/2STKxn7
Hat Clip amzn.to/2IkJA56
#RespectTheDrive #BMW #E12

[@TheTopher]

All these old 5 series BMWs were just sensational things to drive.

[@IrieFabs]

E23, E24, E38, E34 and E39 are still the most pleasureful things to drive even as a dailydriver (assuming it's not raining or even snowing). With the E28 it's somewhat a different story. To me it doesnt feel "rigdid" as all the previously mentioned ones. Still a nice car they always feel somewhat fragile.

[@creatineenjoyer7345]

@@IrieFabs e39 can handle both rain and snow

[@alf279]

@@IrieFabs Yes I get you on that. Never drove an E12, but drove all other OG 5ers, the E28 is lovely (had a 520i of those for a year myself) but less massive.

[@IrieFabs]

@@creatineenjoyer7345 e38 as well - that wasn't exactly my point though. It rather feels like these were the last cars of the good old era - when cars were designed to last as long as possible.

[@imortaliz]

@@creatineenjoyer7345 for sure i had one for years in Norway the 50/50 weight distribution makes it alot of fun in the snow :D skipped the e60 and have an f10 now :)

[@rene837]

German words in the instruments: Licht=Light; Blinker=Turning signal; Nebel=Fog; Bremse=Brake; Ladung=Charge or Cargo, in this case probably a warning light for a low battery; Fernl=Highbeams, it's just made shorter because in full length it would be "Fernlicht"

[@Rudolphe_]

sie sprechen deutsch!

[@rene837]

@@Rudolphe_ jawohl! xD

[@ehrenbutterbrot9795]

@@rene837 so muss das! xD

[@MrBlackSwarm]

nebelwerfer

[@rene837]

@@MrBlackSwarm Nebelscheinwerfer wohl eher, keine Ahnung ob der schon ne Nebelschlussleuchte hatte.

[@stevenpower3780]

can you imagine that the Alpina Version of the E12 had 330 PS! This was the real deal here in Germany back in the day.

[@henryshu6265]

330PS!?It must be like 650 now!

[@IrieFabs]

Well the turbo version had 300hp. But you can't compare Alpina of that time with stock cars. Alpina changed way more then "just" the engine and drivetrain. These were entirely different cars. When I compare my e24 630cs with the B7 (e24) especially the Turbo, I tend to find more differences than similarities between them. Grüße aus NRW!

[@stevenpower3780]

@@IrieFabs the B7 had 300 PS, but the B7S had 330PS Grüsse zurück aus München

[@marius9171]

My Granddad had a B7S he bought it in 1980 and sold it last year i think it ended up in Canada.. an absolutely stunning car! Greetings from Swabia, Germany

[@kingprone7846]

6:03 that moment when the car accelerates so slowly you can really enjoy flooring it.

[@pierreottoputto1690]

My first car, second hand, a 1977 red e12 520i, nostaligia!!! Drowe it from Stockholm to south of Rome Italy and back several times. Smooth ride, smooth smooth ride!

[@ramsis9136]

Fernl. Means Fernlicht which means high beams ;)

[@Zerbey]

Used to think the older BMWs were ugly but they've gradually grown on me over the years. Beautiful machinery.

[@youngb1ood]

I like how back in the day, luxury didnt mean leather seats. Man the E12 and E9 are probably my favourite BMW's. Look at the A Pillers on that thing. SO THIN!

[@ElliWoelfin]

I love how it sounds seconds from exploding cruising on the highway.

[@ElliWoelfin]

I've pretty much only been in post-2000s cars, that was pretty intense to me.

[@lttsr]

​@@ElliWoelfin I agree. Even cars built in the 90s were probably a mixed bag. My mom had a 93 Suzuki Swift (Geo Metro here in the states i think) and man going over mountains with 4 people in the car was painful. Had to turn off the AC just to get to the end of the range. On the other hand, my aunt still has her VW Golf (no clue what year) that has been around since before I was born and honestly it's a really buttoned up substantial feeling little german car with a beefy engine note. I'd say it was 10 years ahead of its time. 2 sides of the coin.

[@ElliWoelfin]

@@derbigpr500 I know, it's just how hard it sounds like it's trying due to the (for modern standards) high wind noise and high RPM

[@papa_pt]

@@derbigpr500 not with this 4 cyl and 4 speed 😂

[@SMD-si7fm]

First car was a 73' super beetle. Never felt so unsafe at 60mph 😂😂

[@Leprovocateur]

There was a BMW dealer in Sacramento in 1970! Bavaria’s and 2002’s! I remember 535ia being around in the late seventies also! I drove a 535ia in 1979 for the first time at SIR. I now have 1998 540ia and a 2003 530ia, which I maintain by my self!! These are my sixth and seventh BMW’s, I have now owned five 5 series BMW’s!

[@davidcasas3862]

The old 5 series of BMW, e12, e28, E34 and the one I had, the 520i E39 are simply amazing. Those cars were made with a quality standard that even nowadays is very high. Good test, I've enjoyed a lot!!!!

[@callumstandish4782]

One of my favorite looking cars of all time. Simple, clean, and with perfect proportions.

[@tedjohnson64]

Another charm about these older "underpowered" cars is that you get to enjoy the sound of the engine reving up when you floor it. Jay Leno (on a recent Jay Leno’s Garage episode) had a very interesting comment along these lines when he said he thinks modern cars rev too fast to enjoy. He likes the sound cars make when... they’re climbing the rev range, but with modern sports cars (especially with automatics and DCT), the revs climb so fast, shift so fast, and have so many gears it’s like “zip! zip! zip! zip! Now you’re in jail.”

[@GrindhousePerformance]

This thing is mint! It's hilarious how little it took on the on-ramp to get some squeal out of the tires LOL

[@jehl1963]

I wonder if the pressures are low or the tires a bit old?

[@sparkeyjones6261]

Now some of the old movies with car chase scenes back then start to make sense ;)

[@ignacioalvarez1490]

@@jehl1963 at the beggining of the video you can see that the tires are a very old design, they are probably new but "classic" style tires to keep it period correct. which means the tires on this car are absolute garbage

[@DouweBuruma]

I had one, with a 6 cylinder, and they can go corners extremely well! It must be the old tire for this one.

[@schlomoubermann]

My father had a facelift 525 in 1985. This was a great car in Poland.

[@dromedda6810]

growing up as a kid my dad drove an "sand colored" e32 and then got a dark green e36 when i got slightly older. he got these cars eventhough he's an Alfa enthusiast, mainly because of the safety and reliabillity of these older BMW's. Today he drives a Giulia and an old GTJ in the summer. i myself have an e46 CSI

[@stanleychen3298]

Your family sounds like a dream lol

[@dromedda6810]

@@stanleychen3298 you're to kind! Its mostly me and my dad being a pair of nutcases enjoying cars a bit to much.

[@shadowchrome_]

@@dromedda6810 agh i wish i had parents which have interesting cars

[@165324]

Even in Germany I didn't see the BMW E12 for many years. Apart from the BMW 02 the old Mercedes, Volkswagen or Porsche are much more common as a classic over here.

[@johnchurch4705]

Proper BMW, to see these on the road in the U.K.( when these were new) was something special compared to all the Ford/Vauxhall/BL stuff people drove.

[@retroversum]

this E12 is in an amazingly good shape! Very rare! My Grandma had one in 1972 in yellow. She only drove it till '79 because of bad corrosion. The first 5-series was literally very rusty just after a few years. Sad because that's the reason why you don't see those cars anymore.

[@shreehariedamuttath3759]

I love the old car charm. Newer cars are just tech, tech and more tech.

[@04dram04]

I love how minimalistic the interior is. The opposite of modern cars

[@giuseppebenagiano]

The E12 520i kugelfischer Is the best sedan car of the 70’s... this 13k is 🔝

[@MilitaryArmamentsCompany]

I love E12, searched for one while back in U.S., couldn't find one, most of the one's i found in Europe where to far gone, restoration would be tremendously expensive. Now I am a proud owner of 1994 E34 530i, got it with original 38k miles (now 65k), but i still can't get E12 out of my mind:)

[@davidmulenga2085]

Come get mine

[@noelvandeven8295]

As Dutchman I can confirm that these induce nostalgia in me

[@maxnewts]

I’m obsessed with its aesthetic 😂

[@petercollingwood522]

Paul Braq the designer. He came to BMW from Mercedes where he'd designed the Pagoda SL and the /8 cars. Also the 108/109 series I believe.

[@lordbogus6709]

tbh, wish the og 3 series had that boot... Best BMW boot they made after the 70s

[@rustndust7059]

This was very much my dad's ride in Germany, 1978-83, in Saphirblau. 2L manual, with a sunroof. Then, he bought a 79 2L manual in Antracitgrau. Years later, here in Canada, I found myself at the auction and having struck out on the cars I had looked at in the yard, just hung around in the stands. The last car for the evening rolled into the ring, while I was texting my girlfriend and a familiar mechanical fuel injection noise from my past made me look up... And see a Saphirblau 1984 520i roll in. Full euro spec steel bumpers, big and little headlights, radio antenna on the "wrong" side. Rust free, and purring like a kitten. I drove it home for $575. Research proved a Canadian Forces member bought it new while stationed in Germany, and brought it home in the early 90s. Being Canadian he bought an automatic car, which now would be very rare in Germany, and the 2L six cylinder is very rare here. I called for a quote for some parts to Calgary BMW, the guy so much wanted me to bring the car to the dealership, as none of the techs had never seen a euro spec 5 series. That was 2004.

[@Speedy636Germany]

Now, THAT'S a video I've been waiting for! Love the old BMWs and Mercs. All-time classics! Can't wait for more!

[@seankennedy5502]

Don't make them like that anymore !

[@slaWterCH]

I just love these videos of the classic cars! Thanks for making them!

[@stevealexR1]

I loved my last of the E12 line, 1980 528iA in the Eighties - lovely and better shape than the E28 (especially the sloping boot lid and more elegant rear light clusters plus the wonderful and ahead of its time dashboard. The “big” M30 six cylinder 2788cc engine sounded wonderful too.

[@maddywendall2980]

1st and 2nd gen 5 series 2 of the Best sedan designs in history

[@josephvarano9341]

What a start to my day, sick vid!! 🔥

[@MiniOne82]

This bring back some memories, my old man had a UK 518i in red with BBS wheels, then bought a 525i, then bought a M535i. Great cars. I'm currently looking for a E12 518i

[@geroramallo2531]

My grandpa has a 520 just like this one! The only difference is that he has the 1980 model with a carburetor 6 cylinder engine. Things in the interior and the exterior are pretty much the same! Even the signature sound that you commented. Very beautiful car!!!!

[@user-zg9nl8gl2g]

Lovely to hear mate!

[@germantecahd3416]

Super awesome video, love from Spain.

[@dillanmistry]

This is a rare review itself, bravo

[@Franco_Bustos]

I have been following you for a relatively short time and I have to say that the way you do the presentation of each car is really nice. personally I always liked this BMW 520i, that particular unit is in incredible condition, unfortunately I cannot say the same about the units that arrived here in Argentina. Great video!

[@gueli1904]

We had one in fjord blue-:)From year75-80 , A perfekt, modern Car at this time! The Automatic gearboxes at this time where for old peoples!

[@kingrohan11]

Literally the first time those Blinkers have ever been used Lmao!

[@mikkojaatinen4120]

Ted, what a great and respectful review! I am the European who remembers this and has big nostalgia for it. I am from Finland and spent the whole of my childhood in the backseat of the same car - a 1973 deep yellow 520. Not with an “i” in the badge though which means slightly less power having carburetor instead of fuel injection. It was still pretty fast car in the 70s. The dashboard was modern, stylish and full of quality. The seatbelts in the 1973 model were even more different though - there was a bent U shaped bar between the seats and the seatbelt had a buckle that hooked on it. I remember every details of the car. It is fantastic. I wish I had a chance to buy this car!

[@atlantis5574]

Yessss! More classic car! Love your vids!

[@michaelXXLF]

The car I grew up with. Not many were silver, in fact I can not remember ever seeing one in silver. They were mostly baby-blue, sunshine yellow or green. Or bright orange - like my dad's! The 520i always was a rare beast, most were 520 with double Stromberg carburetors. The i had a high-pressure fuel injection and it cost a massive premium - for little gain in HP. But the 525 and 528 (Not i!) 6-cylinder cars were smooth but mainly thirsty. Haven't seen one in years, the sound accelerating brought back memories. Thanks for sharing! I also drive E39, might buy a third one this w/e. Not M5 though, more down to earth. ;-)

[@Banana_bread_]

Hoping for some more classic BMWs in the future. Great vid!

[@timbre7999]

Brilliant video on an equally brilliant car! Great that you mention the fishbowl glass, BMW kept that right up to the turn of the century, the E46 still had incredibly slender posts and quite tall panes of glass, all the while looking sleek. A typical classic BMW balance.

[@ituC1008]

Perfect video and thanks for a comprehensive review of this car. Sometimes I wonder if I'm crazy for buying it and thinking it's a collector's item because I don't see much of them on KZbin or on the streets, especially good-looking ones, it's like a forgotten uncle who raised everyone in the family. So again, you just gave me a thumbs up with this video.

[@pinkjacketvideos8370]

I think the fact you exist keeps me going

[@TedwardDrives]

❤️

[@encompassvideo5429]

Glorious video

[@tabletoppery780]

I love the transition from the OG 2002ish lines to the more modern late 80's models

[@MetalHead1904]

Absolutely beautiful machine!

[@Jauzaah]

A few years ago I had the pleasure of driving my friend's old 1979 E12 518. Great to drive. Light and responsive.

[@DriversSide]

LOVE IT! Such a cool little quirky European car. I love the design! The way the bumpers are shaped is so clean and sensibly styled

[@starsonata321]

i'm about to buy one of those, super excited

[@chubz01]

Ohhh man,what a treat.. Thanks for another great video,Tom. 🤘🏻 Edit: I say "great video" simply because I KNOW its gonna be a great video.😅

[@Berkay-xl4hu]

Old cars look much better. They have the soul and emotion.

[@GentilsGarage]

Love it, it’s in fantastic condition. I have a 1974 E12 in Inca Orange which I’m restoring on my channel. It’s the second time I own this car and I won’t be selling it again.

[@elizabethcherry920]

It's good to see Waltham MA again, I use to live there back in 80 to 82 on exchange Court and later school st.. those were some of the best times for me, I miss my friend Mark Keene, but I am glad that priest got his for what he did my friend. Great videos you have and thanks for doing them.

[@jldigital777]

This is lovely. Would love to see more vintage BMW. Maybe one day we would get to see a POV for an E34 M5 wagon.

[@caddieluck]

Right size car...!!! You are spot on. It manuver nicely... My father had one 1981 bmw 520 e12, 6 cylinders manual 5 speed. Gear box is fenomenal. Then after 10 years i take care it and drove it daily for about 5 years. We sold the car in 1995

[@gregs8685]

E12s are the best! I had a 1980 528i 30 years ago and loved driving. Reliability was not great though. The e12 M535i is a bucket list car for me.

[@2W3X4YZ5]

Very much like the first BMW product I ever drove, except it had a black interior, and it was a 530i. Thanks for the video.

[@davidlotspeich5547]

One of the coolest cars you've ever reviewed!

[@danieleregoli812]

growing up as a kid I remember we had a nearby very tall, very blond and very good looking wife of an Army General who drove a light green metallic 520 for her daily shopping errands. She certainly had the wow factor as she drove off in her bimmer wearing her sunglasses in a sea of unremarkable little Fiats...

[@timcoonvlee7301]

My dad and I have a bmw e12 528i 4 speed manual in the Netherlands and it's a lot of fun

[@urgolf1974]

Beautiful E12. Well done video.

[@liamconley9486]

Amazing👌. Got a 1980 528i e12 myself. Good to see these getting more attention!

[@francoisthailande2440]

How much ?

[@liamconley9486]

@@francoisthailande2440 Picked it up for 3900 a few years back

[@francoisthailande2440]

@@liamconley9486 It seems you made a good deal, it is most likely the price of a 520 nowadays. 528s are much higher.

[@liamconley9486]

@@francoisthailande2440 Indeed I think I did. A little bonus was the 733i M30 swap done by one of the previous owners.

[@Bamsebrakar2011]

The 528i with the slanted double exhaust pipes were just the coolest thing. I also has a 1980 E12, a white 525 (double carburettors rather than injection).

[@lewis72]

I too own an E39 M5 !! However, if it were a 1975 exec saloon I were after, it would have to be a Triumph 2000 or 2500 PI.

[@thevacdude]

We didn't get the E12 until 1975 with the 530i. Fun car, I'd drive one. Thanks for the video.

[@thedriver08]

That's an early E12. The fuel filler cap is in the back. Such an amazing car 👍

[@josephscott2267]

I remember riding in one of these in high school, only car I’ve ever been in with a car phone 😂

[@burntavocado5033]

You are probably thinking of the e34 my friend

[@whiterabbetstudios]

When I was young, I grew up in the e12 528i my mom drove all the time. I remember it fondly and now seeing them today is just a special feeling. Of course I grew up in the American spec model with the huge bumpers and corner lights lol. I am 18 now, always love these old beemers! c:

[@frozenpete788]

Omg this feels like new ! I really like this form of time capsule but also a car that can be driven. I've always wondered how it feels with a little M10 under the hood. My e28 (which is basically an E12 with new looking front and back ends) feels quite natural with the M20. I like the whine of the rear end and gearbox in those cars. I drive mine almost everyday, I don't feel in danger to be honest (false impression, could be but you know)

[@mgtv1505]

Wow that’s a time warp! Amazing.

[@CalebOrvik]

I love this road man! makes me miss the Boston area

[@cannonfodder6299]

We had one back in the 80s. I loved it, was an extremely fun car. It was just like the one in the video silver with the blue interior.

[@jackrose5077]

Wow, I can't believe this thing is out of 1975, amazing.

[@sparkeyjones6261]

I remember seeing these on the highways when I was a kid in the late 70's and thinking they were so sophisticated. Compared to the average car on the road at the time, I guess they were.

[@kingprone7846]

Ladung is State of charge ( for the battery), FERNL. is short for fernlicht or high beams.

[@ggjindrak]

I had a 78 530i and always wanted to keep it for my daughter. So much fun to drive but so many electrical issues. Loved it when it worked. Hated it when it didn't.

[@stephanbode548]

This is the follower of the 1800/2000 and starts the grow of BMW with great designs.They allways had very good manual gear boxes.

[@alebigna]

WOW! My dad had one IDENTICAL to this (except for the right side mirror). I was lucky enough when I got my driving license to be able to drive it. It was a great car, comfortable, with great interior and great interior room. A simple car but able to give a lot of satisfaction. To improve driveability, 195/60 wheels were useful. Two things were missing for making it perfect: air conditioning (but we were used to do without it) and the 5th gear: it was a rare optional on the 520/520i with the dogleg schema (1st gear bottom left). The ZF gearbox was great. Fuel economy it was, as for each of this vintage car, important. At top speed (185 km/h - 120 Mph) it was 3 km/liter... huge :D Anyway, a great car, I would love to have one in my garage. Cheers

[@neptunefly36]

Honestly you drive the coolest cars.

[@peterj5751]

That took me back. My father had a 525 six cylinder of that era in Australia.

[@wernerbloemwagen6878]

"For someone from Germany, Sweden or.. South Africa" I grew up with these : my Dad's nice had the 535i in 1982 and thát car was WILD! Except for the Alfa GTV6, it was the fastest standard production car for its time easily reaching speeds in excess of 220km/h which was SUPER FAST for the 80's!

[@joeseeking3572]

Well hang on, prior to this you could get a Bavaria (Jackie O had one) - specifically developed for the US market in fact. Prior to that the 2800, contemporaneous with it the 3.0, and big Coupes. This was just the first '5'. Always wanted one of these, either the early 530 or maybe better the early 80's 528i. Unfortunately I've never had one older than an 83 533i, but they were all sweet - right up until the F10 (yes, I love my E60, though I may be a minority) which really lost feel at the expense of heft. That may have been the end; aside from slightly crisper styling, I didn't find the G30 compelling enough to buy.

[@TedwardDrives]

the title is "the first 5 series" which it is.. so I don't understand the first statement since you reiterated it

[@MrCarGuy]

@@TedwardDrives He was adding a model that was available since you said all you could really get before was a 2002 or 3 series before BMW had their own US dealerships.

[@teedot1186]

Beautiful.

[@Rudolphe_]

I love those mud flaps, and on a 5'er! Totally a different age.

[@noranekonekomatagi3261]

It's amazing how today's 3 series is larger than the 5 series from old days :D

[@pablocespedes9585]

I always liked that model! They were tough and reliable. In Costa Rica you can still see some of the 5 series on the streets, mostly the 2.5 and 2.8.

[@sergeyyurenev7757]

Damn! Original 520i with Kugefischer injection!

[@connorbasile]

I would kill for this car 😍

[@kuyo_art]

More classics pls ♥

[@CHEVYbarracuda1]

Theres a csi for sale here for about 25k$ in europe, really a collector item

[@haroldgodwinson832]

Love it.

[@Icecube095]

My grandfather had up the e39 every generation of the BMW 5 series and his last one was a 523i. He also had an e12 520i and probably in the same color as he always liked BMW's silver. His best ones however were his e28 528i and e34 525i (M50 not M20). Sadly a lot of these e12s had rusted away over the decades :/ And yes I live in northern Germany :D

[@dw2176]

stunning car.. never seen an 80s bmw with such a steady fuel gauge

[@Jonathan01233]

I would legit want one of these.

[@arkeys74]

Love that gigantic steering wheel in the old beemers 😃👍

[@ogdrummer3826]

Beautiful car

[@Jasongy827]

Wow, I love vintage bmw. I owned a e46 bmw. Jeez, they seat belt is interesting, I wonder why the switch, that is so much convient in a sense. I grew up with BMW my dad had a e30 m3 regret selling it at like 20k way back. Now I owned a e46 3 series.

[@derekp1]

you sould do more of the POV driving videos and talk about different topics. I really enjoyed the types of videos like the one where you talk about speed limits and such

[@TedwardDrives]

I’ve got a few planned soon! Not tomorrow. But soon 😂

[@derekp1]

@@TedwardDrives Awesome

[@adriaanpretorius3411]

Baie mooi ! Greetings from Pretoria South Africa.