Four iconic BMW performance models engineered right here in South Africa

BMW South Africa’s factory in Rosslyn, outside Pretoria, today serves as an export hub for the latest X3 model, but decades ago it produced sedans for the local market only. With the motorsport-obsessed local division becoming a firm believer in “what wins Sunday, sells Monday”, it wasn’t long before several highly iconic performance models were born.

While the E30 generation 333i and ‘Gusheshe’ 325i S are perhaps the best-known local creations today, there are at least two other unsung heroes with histories that are arguably even more fascinating. Enter the BMW 745i and 530 MLE.

1984 BMW 745i

Although BMW SA was the only facility outside of Germany to assemble the first-generation 7-Series sedan, the flagship 745i could not be offered locally as the positioning of its turbocharger was not compatible with the right-hand drive configuration.

Fear not, the local division created its own 745i by installing the M88 six-cylinder engine from the iconic BMW M1 sports car. This free-revving motor produced 213kW and 340Nm, catapulting the manual version to a top speed of 241km/h, which made it the world’s fastest luxury saloon at the time.

Just 278 units were produced, making it ultra rare and exclusive, but the local 745i also served as a homologation mule for the world’s first 7-Series race car. With power bumped up to 340kW at the flywheel, the famous Winfield-branded racing saloon went on to win the 1985 Group One Championship with the legendary Tony Viana at the wheel.

1976 BMW 530 MLE

An even lesser-known icon is the BMW 530 Motorsport Limited Edition (MLE), which some say provided the very genesis of BMW’s modern M Division.

Like the 745i, the 530 MLE was developed as a homologation special, in this case for South Africa’s Modified Production Series. It became the most successful BMW 5 Series race car in history, clinching 15 consecutive race wins in the first year alone.

The road going version features a 3-litre, six-cylinder engine that produces 147kW and 277Nm, enabling a 0-100km/h sprint time of 9.3 seconds - which was extremely fast at the time.

Weight-saving innovations abounded, including the fitment of hand-perforated body panels and pedals, while air conditioning and electric windows were dropped from the spec sheet to save further weight.

Of course, this model was exclusive to the South African market and remains ultra-rare, with just 117 units rolling off the production line. The example seen in the pictures was meticulously restored by BMW SA.

BMW 333i

Necessity is the mother of invention, they say, and the BMW 333i was created because the first-generation M3 was only engineered for left-hand drive production, thus making it unavailable to South Africans.

Undeterred, BMW SA teamed up with Alpina of Germany to create a local solution, and the end result saw the 3.2-litre straight-six engine from the BMW 733i being shoehorned into the engine bay of the E30-generation 3 Series.

The engine took up so much space that customers were forced to choose between air conditioning and power steering. Only 210 examples of the BMW 333i were ever produced.

So iconic has this car become that a red two-door 333i from 1987 recently went under the hammer for R3 million at a Creative Rides auction in Joburg.

BMW 325i ‘Gusheshe

An absolute legend in South African spinning circles is the 325is, affectionately known as the “Gusheshe”.

Originally built as a homologation car for Group N production car racing, only 500 of these were ever built.

The locally developed model had a 2.7-litre straight-six engine, featuring Alpina modifications, and it was available in 145kW and 155kW guises. The 325i S also sported a limited-slip differential and M Sport suspension.

According to BMW, the 325iS could sprint from 0-100km/h in 7.5 seconds, which was truly impressive back in the day, and the top speed was listed at 225km/h.

Gusheshe is widely believed to mean ‘panty dropper’, although the late actor Papa G said the word may have been derived from Akusheshe, which is an African slang word for ‘quick’.

Creative Rides CEO Kevin Derrick regards the 325iS as one of the great South African collector cult classics of all time.

“Driving an E30 325iS EVO2 in this country is surreal,” Derrick enthused. “It turns more heads than any Italian supercar, and a chorus of ‘Gusheshe, Gusheshe’ from fellow motorists and pedestrians follows you down the road."

Which is your favourite BMW classic? We’re honestly struggling to choose.

IOL Motoring