Old Cars Reader Wheels: 1975 BMW E12 528

i first saw “Bernadette”, a stunning 1975 BMW 528 E12 in metallic brown with matching chrome and her alloy shoes sparkling at the European car showroom at Port Melbourne, Australia in the early nineties. My partner at the time told me not to touch her as she’d be too expensive to run. I did the opposite and bought her anyway. I was looking for an old Benz or something European and it had to be from the "old school" smell like leather, wood grain, classic shape, stately looks and of course the bonnet to open the reverse (how sensible) to conventional cars . Bernadette filled the bill. With her long bonnet and short backside (like all good German sports car should be) I fell for her wedge shape so James and Bernadette became an item. My partner also loved her.

In those days the 528 was wholly made at Stuttgart in Germany. The E12 started life in September 1972 as a 4 cylinder and replaced the 1500/200 series. Known as the “new class of cars”. The E12 came to Australia in 1974.

The E12 was designed by French stylist Paul Bracq who joined BMW after leaving Mercedes… the E12 was directly and wholly aimed at the 280 Benz (“First of Fives”). The 528 with its wedge shaped body must have seemed refreshing and youthful against the boxy Benz at that time.

When I finally brought her home Bernadette was my Sunday car, as I always had a run-a-round car, but also would drive her on week days to clients. We spent long weekend drives and picnics in the old girl she never missed a trick and always had a presence when parked.

She loves to eat the highways and feels at home traveling 140 K but hates the cold until warm. She tolerates stop start traffic and loves a bit of a drink with her 1 ton frame. She’s a tough old bird at the best and worst of times. Bernadette was always reliable and never let me down.

In 2003 I came back from being OS for six months. Bernie was being looked after by family members but she was not exercised. While driving merrily down the freeway with the music on a bright sunny day, windows down, I heard a noise. I look at the bonnet and saw steam coming from all directions. I then looked at the temp gauge and to my shock the temperature was on boiling. She coughed, spluttered and chocked. Bernadette died at 29 years old with the original motor.

It was a sad day as the mechanic driver told me the worst “you’ve cooked the engine.” As I was traveling behind her, I was watching her on the back of a truck in all of her classiness, she still looked beautiful even in death. Everybody said “it’s too expensive to get fixed and she’s old, parts are hard to find”, etc etc. The money I needed for her was a problem at the time as I'd just returned from OS, so she stayed at my friends for some months.

Everybody told me the same thing - get rid of her, even the mechanic told me it wasn’t worth it, you’re wasting your money to completely redo the engine from the ground up... so I did it anyway.

I was happy to do it and never regretted it. Bernadette was always a reliable car and besides she's rare and no one has a car like her and that alone was enough.