[bremith]

I've just bought a '90 e34 M5, which I really like - the only major improvement for me would be if it was a wagon (touring). They never brought the (M5) wagons to Australia, so just out of interest:

- does anyone know when they first built a M5 touring? Don't suppose they built a M5 touring (or any e 34 M5 for that matter) before 1 January 1989?

- did BMW factory build RHD M5 tourings or are RHD's all converted?

- just as a general guide (without starting an online war!) what would be a reasonable price range of what someone should expect to pay for a very good RHD M5 touring in England (whether converted or factory)?

Thanks

 

[DrSakke]

Hi!!
The M5 touring came as -92 modell and therefore only excists with the 3,8l engine. It was newer built RHD so all of the RHD tourings are conversions. I think there only is one or two RHD tourings in England/great britain and one of them was recently sold to a new owner(he is on this board I think). Price range is therefore hard to say. The car is not original, obviously, so it should be cheaper than regular tourings, but given that it has quite a lot curiosity value, and makes things easier in GB, it could end up being more expensive than usual tourings. At the end it`s down to how eager the seller is and how much the buyer is willing to pay for curiosity....
:cheers:
Sakke

 

[Simonal]

Hi

Just to echo Dr Sakke there is only one rhd Touring i.e. one with Touring chassis number. There are a few that are not "real ones" i.e. M5 saloons that have been transplanted into old Tourings while there may be nothing wrong with that it is still not recognised as an M5 Touring by BMW! The one converted car was the one sold by Sam to Paul both board members.

As to expense I think they run on the same market value as others and it comes down to condition and history.

One thing if you are going to attempt a conversion yourself ....When Munich Legends did the original conversion they finished by stating that they would never ever do another one as it was very very very complicated.

Good luck if you do want to convert one from LHD to RHD there was an article in the UK magizine BMW car in July 2003 regarding this very car and after speaking to Munich Legends. I think I would rather leave it LHD! ( But I do not think you have the choice in Australia as all cars have to be RHD or you cannot drive them there or am |I mistaken?)

Simon

 

[Infinicar]

Hi,

I own what I beleive to be the only genuine RHD Touring (BL0 Chassis Num) - it was converted my Munich legends in 2000 and having spoken to them they remember the car well.......but not fondly! They said they would never do another.

As to value - it all comes down to what someone is willing to pay - E34 M5s are a vastly under-rated car in my opinion and it always surprises me what little money they can be had for - the Tourings, a far rarer car, and a strangely appealing car (I remember thinking when I crashed my black, I will definitely get another) are a bit of an oddball - very limited market in UK due to LHD - I remember trying to sell my black one and every enquirer was moaning about the LHD - be an interesting excercise to put my RHD one up for sale at some point

But for the moment, Im enjoying using it as an everyday car.......

Paul

 

[bremith]

thanks for all that

I am aware that there is a RHD converted car here in Oz too that resulted in a "never again"

just have to live with the sedan, I think.

 

[M540i LE]

I too am a fan of the M5 Touring. down here, the only tourings we got were auto 525i's! We didn't even get the luxury of considering a 540i/6 as you did in other parts of the world.

I saw it mentioned that a LHD to RHD conversion was completed here recently. This is the case. A LHD M5 from Japan was converted by a guy in Brisbane and it did involve a lot of work. But it was done properly and the end result is highyl satisfactory.

There are also many E30 M3's getting around in Australia - all RHD! - and all converted.

Although certainly not as desirable as they would be if they were sold new that way, as we have no choice (other than in Western Australia) but to convert these cars if we want to drive them, there is not too much stigma about owning a converted ex-LHD drive car in Oz.

Cheers

 

[Simonal]

I too am a fan of the M5 Touring. down here, the only tourings we got were auto 525i's! We didn't even get the luxury of considering a 540i/6 as you did in other parts of the world.

I saw it mentioned that a LHD to RHD conversion was completed here recently. This is the case. A LHD M5 from Japan was converted by a guy in Brisbane and it did involve a lot of work. But it was done properly and the end result is highyl satisfactory.

There are also many E30 M3's getting around in Australia - all RHD! - and all converted.

Although certainly not as desirable as they would be if they were sold new that way, as we have no choice (other than in Western Australia) but to convert these cars if we want to drive them, there is not too much stigma about owning a converted ex-LHD drive car in Oz.

Cheers

I am sure that Karl - M5 Touring registry would like to know the chassis number and what went into the conversion sounds like it was as much of a knightmare as ML had converting Pauls car.

The only thing that I would regret with the conversion of an E30 M3 is that you loose that fantastic steering as the E30 M3 rack was only available in LHD configuration. There were several cars converted over in the UK and they all lost power and had to make do with the steering rack from a E30 325i which is not geared the same way but if you have no choice then so be it.

The same of course does not apply to the M5 as it was freely available in RHD format.

 

[bremith]

the converted LHD to RHD I'm referring to is an (ex-Japan) sedan, not a touring

 

[M540i LE]

Likewise. Looking at my post, I see I was a little unclear. Definately a sedan that was converted in Brisbane - but if it is possible for a sedan, it would have been for a touring.

The big problem is that unless the car has belonged to an Australian resident or citizen for at least 12 months, who has been living overseas in the same country as the car is located for the whole of that period, we can't import an M5 touring. It is simply prohibited to personally import a car built after 31 December 1988 - except for the above and a few even more remote exclusions.

The M5 sedan from Japan, was a 1988 model.

Cheers

the converted LHD to RHD I'm referring to is an (ex-Japan) sedan, not a touring

 

[Simonal]

Likewise. Looking at my post, I see I was a little unclear. Definately a sedan that was converted in Brisbane - but if it is possible for a sedan, it would have been for a touring.

The big problem is that unless the car has belonged to an Australian resident or citizen for at least 12 months, who has been living overseas in the same country as the car is located for the whole of that period, we can't import an M5 touring. It is simply prohibited to personally import a car built after 31 December 1988 - except for the above and a few even more remote exclusions.

The M5 sedan from Japan, was a 1988 model.

Cheers

Sorry I must have got the wrong end of the stick my mistake.

Sorry about the rather draconian laws you guys are under it seems a shame that you do not get to have the first fast wagon (premirered before the RS2 at the Frankfurt in 1992).

Good luck in the search.

Simon

 

[M5touring reg]

[email protected] thks for your help or intended assistance :M5thumbs:
RHD M5touring in Australia > "strange that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" it is a great car ok but there are limits, at least for most of us If I remember correctly, the bill for the one and only converted RHD M5touring (except for the nightmare for Tony of ML doing the job grrrrrrr ) was appr. GBP 15.000 !!! :M5launch:

 

[Sam Thake]

I wonder if the reputation of Paul's (my old) car being so difficult to convert is based more on the fact that the job almost certainly took much longer and therefore cost much more than originally budgetted and thus quoted to the PO!

The mechanicals are a straightforward swap, only the need to fabricate handbrake bracket and clutch master cylinder mounting require ingenuity.

The way ML approached the electrics was, I suspect the root of the problem.
As I understand it, they decided to minimise the disturbance of interior trim by splicing RHD specific elements of a new M5 loom into the existing wiring, where necessary. Because this involved virtually all the major electric and electronic systems of the car, most of which communicate via the dash cluster, they ended up with a mammoth cut and join exercise, in turn requiring hundreds of soldered joints to produce a robust solution. To their credit this was achieved and during my tenure, the car had absolutely no problems as a result of their workmanship.

Hindsight isn't much help for ML, but I wonder if they would have been better to have used much more of the RHD loom and just spliced the Touring specific elements, which I guess would have been limited to roof lights, speakers, tailgate and a few sundries. The major joint area would then have been behind the rear seat.
Maybe more trim would have been disturbed, but they ended up having to have the seats and carpets out anyway!
The plus would have been a lot fewer joints to make and avoiding the need to make a dummy passenger side toeboard, (to create space for the mass of loom joints that resulted from their method.)

There is no rocket science to this conversion. The real issue is labour cost, if you employ someone to do it plus the need for RHD M5 specific parts, such as the steering box and exhaust manifolds, which are not cheap, nor always so easy to find.

Like all specialist or classic car spend, there is no financial logic in these matters, just the turn-on factor of having something different!

Sam