Restoring an icon: The BMW 530 MLE
South Africa has a reputation for producing rather special homologation vehicles, particularly BMWs, the E30 333i and 325is are potentially the most famous of these local projects.
However, before the iconic ‘Gusheshe’ became popular, BMW South Africa produced what many consider to be the forebear of the M5, the 530 Motorsport Limited Edition (MLE).
A history of Motorsport
Back in 1973, BMW Group Plant Rosslyn was the first BMW plant established outside of Germany. This facility has produced many models over the years, some incredibly rare and special, leading the brand to create the “Legends of Rosslyn” restoration project. The programme has already seen ground-up restorations of an E30 333i and 325is. The brand has now undertaken the restoration of a 1976 BMW 530 MLE.
The birth of a legend
BMW South Africa wanted to go racing in the 70s, and in order to compete in a Modified Production, a minimum of 100 road-going vehicles had to be produced and sold. After three seasons and three championship titles on the trot, the MLE had cemented itself as a local racing legend, making the road-going cars instant classics.
The project
When BMW took on the restoration project in April of this year, the car in question was in a sorry state, with a rusted body, perished rubber, an engine that hadn’t been started in 20 years and an interior that required many new parts. Luis Malhou of Custom Restorations is the man responsible for bringing the MLE back to life, claiming that he now has just about every part that he needs to complete the job.
The MLE
There were only 110 Type 1 models produced, the car being restored is number 100. There were 117 Type 2 versions made, making these right-hand drive-only cars exceeding special. MLE number 100 has now been painted to its original Chamonix White metallic paint and, in addition to having its suspension mated to its body, the car’s engine is also ready to be installed. The MLE features the famous M30 straight-six motor, producing 147 kW and 277 N.m, weighing in at 1233kg. Zero to 100 km/h comes up in 9.3 seconds and the top speed is 208 km/h. There’s a five-speed manual gearbox too, but the figures aren’t significant, it’s what these cars stand for that is significant, South African ingenuity and engineering prowess.
The holes seen in the body were cut-outs to reduce weight, before the carbon fibre era. The engine plaque pictured suggests the car’s performance pretensions, with the “M” following its model designation. This car is a highly sought after matching numbers machine, meaning that its chassis and engine numbers match. At a small workshop south of Johannesburg, I was one of a privileged few to watch the engine fire-up, while on the floor. The two gentlemen entrusted with the honour were Mr Tim Abbott, CEO of BMW Group South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, and Mr William Mokwape, a retired former employee of BMW Group Plant Rosslyn who built the car in 1976.
The team at Custom Restorations is set to have the project completed in the final quarter of 2019.
