It’s been a while since I last posted anything; this car is a great excuse to get back on the horse again.
It’s a 1995 BMW 540i M-Sport. Yes, one of the 200 that not only got the full M package, but it also got the double-overhead cam V8 under the hood, backed up by a 6-speed manual transmission, and lots & lots of other goodies. Over the years, the owners have added a few things to make driving this car a little more fun; here’s the seller’s description from the current eBay ad for it.
Here’s your chance to get into one of the most limited production German super sedans ever.
There were only 200 of these BMW 540i M Sports imported to the US in 1995. One year only. They did not send the 95 M5 to the US, but instead sent the M Sport which is identical to the Euro spec 95 3.8 M5 except that it uses the 4.0 V8 instead of the S3 inline-6 cylinder motor the M5 has.
If you’re looking at my listing you probably know what this car is .
Its Cosmos Black on Black Montana leather. Maple wood trim.
What makes this car a gem compared to other M Sports currently available is that its had almost 5K in recent maintenance done to it. All documented with credit card receipts as well.
In April of this year, the entire front and rear EDS Self Leveling aka Nürburgring suspension got rebuilt to the tune of $3,100.00! Yikes. That hurt, but its now riding on all new springs, spring pads, hydraulic lines, accumulators, Boge OEM self leveling shocks, etc. The ride is simply amazing whether you’re in Comfort mode or Sport Mode. No clunks or thumps whatsoever. As close to the feeling on a new 540i as it gets.
Its also had the cooling system re-done. New water pump, hoses, etc also in April.
In 1999 the problematic Nikasil block was replaced at BMW of Peabody in Massachussetts. The car had 77K on it at the time. So the new Alusil motor has fresher gaskets and appx 53-54K on it and it pulls like a very angry bull !. It had all 4 of BMW’s recalls for this car done at the same shop.
A few years ago the previous owner had Turner Motorsports install the Conforti tune which up’s the stock hp from 282 to 300hp-302 ft tq along with a custom 3in” mandrel bent exhaust which sounds simply glorious at full song ! Very mild and normal below 3500 rpm’s..but once at 4K to the 7K redline it unleashes a sound similar to the V8 German DTM cars that will make the back hair on your neck stand. A very high pitch howl- which is very different than that of the lower toned Supersprint type exhausts.
Mechanically the car is bulletproof with everything from belts to brakes done in the last 14 months. AC blows ice cold, the Heater works almost instantly. It has the optional front heated seats as well. Seat functions on both sides work 100%.
This car always starts, has zero leaks and has no sensor issues.
All power functions work except the driver side rear window. It needs a new switch I believe.
There is also a built in K40 radar detector.
Tires are still great with about 85% tread remaining. Yokohama S drives 235 45 17’s.
In 6th gear I noticed about 23-24 mpg on a recent drive to New Jersey. The car drives like a BMW M car should. Very high sense of visual and aural pleasure. There’s no disconnect like there is in today’s cars. True the car’s of today have more features, stunning interior appointments, but they’ve somehow gotten the driver less involved. In this M Sport you know you’re driving something. I love the aim and shoot quality of this car. You think apex and you’re there. Exit speeds on long bends are nothing short of breathtaking!
You can tell this was designed and tested at the infamous Nürburgring !!!!!!!
The body of the car is very clean for a car over 15 yrs old. The entire driver side was resprayed 2 yrs ago due to a run in with a deer which put a small dent on the hood and ruined the front airdam. A new OEM airdam was sourced and the paint job is very good. Its stated on the Carfax as accident with animal as well. I can provide pictures provided by that owner. You can clearly see that it wasn’t that bad. No breach into the radiator or anything. All the gaps on the hood and the doors line up exactly as the OEM settings. Hood closes very smooth as do the doors. You have to look really hard to see its not factory paint. The passenger side is still OEM paint and has some scratches and one quarter size dent on the rear door. Its got some very small areas of surface rust along the door bottoms, as well as a small section of the very bottom of the trunk….but nothing that’s too bad and again, you have to look real close to see them. Nothing through the metal.
Please email me other questions you may have. Also go to Youtube.com as I will be posting some videos of the car. Search under Vernacular M Sport on the Youtube Search box.
The title is clear and is in my possession signed over already. I can also arrange for good low priced shipping with Steve King Transport. I do a lot of business with him . Usual NY to California rates are about 1100.00. NY where the car is located to the middle of the country is about 7-750.00 . Usually gets delivered 7-9 days after the appt is set.
VIN: WBAHE5322SGA65473
Mileage: 123,600 miles
Title: Clear
Body type: Sedan
Engine: 8 – Cylinder
Transmission: Manual
Exterior color: Black
Interior color: Black
This car would be a blast to own. Powerful and fast enough to humble many of those uppity Porsche miscreants, yet roomy enough to haul four adults around comfortably. It would even be up to the task of playing the part of a poor-man’s ‘Ring Taxi; I’m no Sabine Schmitz, and I don’t have the Nürburgring as a playground, but I’m pretty sure I could make a drive, um, somewhat entertaining!
It’s not a perfect car; it’s been driven, and probably driven hard, has some wear on it and even a few little spots of rust, but it is a rare car, has had few owners who took pride in keeping it up and kept decent maintenance records for it. All that goes a long way to inspiring confidence that this car won’t turn into a money pit. And the non-VANOS M60 V8 under the hood won’t have the high-dollar maintenance requirements the S38, yet it’ll still put out around 300HP
The auction ended with no bids/offers on it; $6,100 starting bid on it there. The seller is also a member on mye28.com and posted an ad there as well with an asking price of $7,150. A few days back he dropped the bombshell that the car isn’t equipped with catalytic converters in the exhaust, which forces an “off road only” classification in many states; that seriously limits his purchasing public. Thankfully, there’s no requirement for an emissions test in the state of South Dakota… I smell a bargain & think this car is fated to come live with me; now I just need to convince Yvonne that having a winter car and a summer car is a good idea. On second thought, maybe that’s a roadblock I smell.