The early eighties were likely the single most challenging time for car manufacturers ever. In 1980, average oil prices hit their all-time record high of $99 (adjusted) per barrel (will 2011 finally top that?). Even scarier were the (predictable) predictions that oil was headed to $150, $200, even $500 per barrel. Vehicles were generally much less efficient than today. CAFE requirements were tightening. What’s a manufacturer of The Ultimate Driving Machine to do? Make a Decidedly Modest Driving machine; what else.
In retrospect, the BMW 528e is almost incomprehensible: 121 hp from the legendary M20 six cylinder engine, in a 2.7 liter version at that. That’s almost diesel territory, for back then. Well, BMW didn’t have a diesel (yet) when the new E28 5 Series was being readied for its 1982 introduction. So why not build a gasoline powered diesel, sort of?
In Europe where BMW offered a 1.8 L four, but BMW felt that a four was out of the question for the US. Automatics, AC, and stop-light grunt were all part of that reality. So BMW developed a rather unusual solution, specifically targeted at the US. Although the eta engine was nominally available in Europe too, it was decidedly uncommon there.
The eta (Greek for “e” as in efficiency) engine was designed to minimize pumping losses as a result of high manifold vacuum, intrinsic to throttled gasoline engines, especially higher performance ones (Valvetronic and other high tech solutions have substantially mitigated that now). So the eta engine was designed to be rather a lot like the typical lazy American V8 engine of the times: it developed that 121 hp at a very un-BMW like 4,250 rpm, almost exactly the same rpm that diesels develop their maximum power.
The trick was to use a cylinder head with very small ports and valves, and a cam with very low duration. Essentially it was a drastic de-tune one of the most rev-happy and brilliant sports six cylinder engines ever built. Like all engines in a low state of tune, the payoff was a very healthy torque curve. And the efficiency came from the engine requiring relatively large throttle openings, which reduced vacuum and pumping losses.
The EPA numbers were decent, but hardly stellar (1986 MY, adjusted): 18/22 for the 5 speed manual; 16/22 for the automatic. The 535i meanwhile fell into the official guzzler category, with a 15/20 (auto); 14/20 (stick). By 1986, BMW’s new little turbo diesel was available (524 td), and rated at 21/26.
The eta engine was just fine, as long as you had no sporting ambitions whatsoever. It was as if you were given a valet key for one of today’s high performance cars: just when you would expect the engine to really wake up, it fell dead asleep. A bold move for BMW indeed. The reality was that the 5 Series was hugely popular in places like LA, and for the typical first time buyer who was looking more to show off the propeller on the hood more than one under it, it did the trick for the-stop-and go commute.
And the 528e still has a loyal following. These understressed engine seem to run happily for 200 k miles or more. Everything is old-school Germanic: high quality materials and components, and not that hard to fix. And the ambiance is of course classic BMW: compact, great visibility, terrific seats, good ergonomics, great handling; everything except for the MIA rev band from 4200 to 6500 rpm.
The great irony of the 528e is that by the time it arrived in 1982, oil was already dropping like a full barrel. By 1986, it was down to $29, and gas was flirting with 99 cents a gallon. But BMW stubbornly stuck with the 528e; frankly way too long. After its brilliant E12 530i and 528i predecessors, BMW loyalists were none too thrilled to see the greatest sports sedan in its time be so utterly emasculated. BMW grudgingly started offering the bigger six in 533i and 535i versions, but limited the number available, undoubtedly because of their gas guzzler status.
Frankly, that wasn’t the only thing BMW was slow with at the time. As much as a modern classic the E28 may be now, at the time, it was a mighty conservative upright boxy thing indeed. The E28 was really just a refresh of the E12, and was looking distinctly old fashioned in the mid eighties. Compare this car to the W124 Mercedes that had appeared the year before, or the Audi 5000, and the Taurus and Sable. And BMW kept the E28 going right through 1989, a car that looked very little different from when it first appeared in 1972. BMW; the Ultimate Cash Cow Machine.
I’ve largely neglected the rest of the E28 family for a reason: I’ve got more 5 Series CCs to come, both on the 524td diesel and the sportier 533i/535is. But the 528e’s unique engine is quickly fading from awareness, so it came first. Anyway, it needed a head start: with 0-60 times of over 11 seconds with the automatic, it needs all the help it can get. A current 535 takes half that long, and is rated by the EPA at 17/26. Now that’s progress we can believe in.
15 seconds? I’m pretty sure verified test times of the regular eta 528e automatic were in the 11 second range. I’m also very comfortable saying that no BMWs built in the past decade will have the useful lives that E28s did, one of the two best BMWs of all time. I lived in the Netherlands in 1984, and the 525e was by far the most common 5 series variant there. It might not have been the case for other western European nations, but they were the ones to have in Holland. Gasoline was already expensive in Europe, and the 525e was quite a bit more pleasant to drive than the 518. Another popular BMW with the Dutch was the last of the E21 line 315, which had a 1.6 liter engine that had a single carburetor and single headlights like a 2002.
That was from one (unverified) source, and it does seem excessive. I’ve modified that part.
Interesting what you say about the 525e popularity in Holland. My observations come from being an avid reader of auto motor und sport at the time, and the sales stats back then seemed to indicate that in Germany at least, that was not the case. But I can’t properly verify that now.
It has been a while since Chris Bangle ruined my religion, but IIRC the 525e’s competition was the 520/6, which had a carbureted 2 liter M20 that made the same power but used more fuel. Holland did not have unlimited autobahns, so perhaps part throttle fuel efficiency was more important there than in Germany. I had a 1988 325 ‘super eta,’ which was pretty much a run-out model. It had the 2.7 liter crank combined with the big valve head from the 325i and a restrictive intake manifold more like the regular eta one. Redline was 5,500-5,750 rpm, and it responded well to a few light modifications. It had interplanetary gearing, and highway fuel economy never dropped below 30 mpg even when average speeds approached 100 mph. I had a friend who put an i-head, cam, and intake on an eta block, changed the rear axle from a 2.93 to a 3.45, drove like he was in an unseen drift competition, and still claimed 34 mpg on his 150 mile daily commute.
ETAs (525e E28 and 325e E30) were not that uncommon in Switzerland. Of course by now, most of them will have donated their internals to some tuning project. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_M20#Eta-based_2.7 for an overview of the near-endless possibilities of making that lazy engine fast and furious.
Around 1988, my friend’s sister was hit with Beemerlust and bought a 1986 325e used. I drove it and remember being completely underwhelmed. It was like someone had transplanted a Stove Bolt Chevy 6 into the thing. It didn’t strike me as being worth the money, since my 1988 Honda Accord could easily out drag it at half the price.
Said Beemer turned into a money-pit in like three years and said Accord only expired two years ago after my niece hit a pole with it!
Marin County was littered with these things in their day. I’ve test driven a few similar vintage 3 and 5 series cars, but always came away feeling that the interiors were too institutional and cold. Kinda the automotive equivalent of a hospital waiting room. I’d much rather have a Japanese car from the 80s than a German one (unless I was rich enough to have a 635i reupholstered in a decent comfortable fabric).
Hah! BMW = “Basic Marin Wheels”.
Funny, growing up in San Rafael, I seemed as a kid people weren’t too pretentious then (60s/early 70s) like they kind of are now.
Yes, my Dad wanted a BMW, but his tall frame couldn’t fit comfortably in the Bavaria (forget the 1800s, 2000s!). Most people of ‘means’ drove low-key cars, usually Chevelles, maybe Chryslers, Monte Carols later on – there were Jags – Mercedes and lots of Cadillacs and Mark III Lincolns, but I don’t recall those cars as ‘everyday’ except maybe a slough of T-Birds by Loch Lomond Boat Harbor.
Anyhoo . . . as time went on . . . Marin did go “Bimmer Crazy” and 320i’s/528e’s in the early eighties were everwhere.
These E28s were really handsome cars. Genuine classics.
A four-cylinder may have been out of the question for the Fuenfer at the time, but BMW had no issues having a four-banger in the 320i or the replacement 318i….
You learn something new every day. I thought the ‘e’ designation meant ‘einspritzung’ for fuel injection. Pokey engine or not, this is what a BMW should be. I love the clean lines and ample glass area. I’d take one of these over a new 3 or 5-Series. Paul, this was only available as an M5 in ’88 and ’89, correct?
i just purchased a 1985 528e with only 21k original miles! yes its true…. 21k miles truly a time-warp car and like new!
here is a pic
Vladi,
What did you pay? I’m jealous……
I had a 1984 325e, buying it used in 1988. It was a fun little car and I miss it. I Traded it in for a 1987 Mercedes 260e in ’93, guess I went for the detuned versions of these cars!
Almost bought an ’88 with 5 speed…while certainly not the fastest sedan out there, I truly enjoyed it out on the road. Would have made a nice stablemate to my ’74 2002…they look like bulletproof tanks to me (gee, wonder why?) and I smile when I see the occasional E28 out on the road.
I love my 528 e
Hi, Anyone. I am looking for anyone that is wanting to sell their BMW 528E 1986 automatic car or their car parts to me. Please e-mail me at apexnorth@hotmail.com for more details. Thank you and have a nice day.
I got my 528e new in 1983 and you can’t have it. 298,000 miles, great mileage in and out of town, enough power to delight me when I need delighting. Five-speed still butter smooth. Straight six still butter smooth.
Endearing quirks: No cup holders. Front passenger door has no door lock – driver’s permission needed to exit the vehicle. Turn off the engine with the headlights on – the headlights go off and the side lights come on (very European). Clock is visible only to the driver – passengers must ask the driver. Back seat is higher than the front – chauffeur should not be more visible than the dignitaries being chauffeured. And unlike new cars, I can see out of it.
Love it.
I need help on 1983 BMW 5′ 518 e28 Automatict Choke Adjustment
I bought my 1982 BMW 528e 5-speed in April 1996 for $3200 from a couple who were quick to sell as they were leaving for an African mission trip that summer. It had 141,000 miles on it and despite having several owners, it had every bit of maintenance documented from day one.
I had previously owned a 1973 BMW Bavaria with a 3.0 liter engine bored out to 3.3 liters with dual Webers. Unfortunately the carbs had issues, the Bavaria was mostly bondo with a nice Arctic Blue paint job over top of it and it met it’s untimely end during a late winter snow storm. When I saw the 528e in a classified ad in the newspaper, I had to go look at it.
While it was a considerably slower car than the Bavaria (on the few days the Bavaria actually ran correctly) it was more solid, had fuel injection and had 5 speeds compared to the previous cars four. What this car lacked in power, it made up for in torque. I absolutely loved that car and it rarely ever gave me any problems. I ended up selling it in 2002 with over 300,000 miles on the odometer when I replaced it with a 1987 Porsche 944 which ended up being one of the biggest money pits I ever owned.
I have a 1988 528e “Super Eta” which cranks out six more horsepower using a dual exhaust and a couple other modifications. I’ve owned it since 1993.
In “burgunrot” the car looks exactly like this one. 194K and have never done any engine work. Original alternator, radiator, master cylinder, transmission shits like new. All I’ve ever really done to it is tune-ups and suspension work, new exhaust and catalytic converter, other small stuff, hoses, fuel pump, etc. The car has never stranded me.
These cars may be slow but they’re cheap to maintain, easy to work on, safe, cruise smoothly on the highway with great gas mileage. Around town plenty of low-end torque.
If you can find a well-maintained example for $2-3K it’s hard to go wrong.
i have a 528e 1986 selling or parting out
call 801 427 0198
I’m looking for a replacement dash in excellent condition and the rear speaker frames (the black rectangular spacers that lift the speakers off the rear deck) for my 1986 528e 5-speed. Mine has 260,000 miles on it. I bought it used in ’88 and have used it almost daily ever since in old-car friendly SoCal. In spite of being almost totalled in a rear ender in ’95 I plan on keeping this car forever so I want to spruce up the interior a little more. A dash with no cracks would do the trick. If I knew where to get a brand new dash I’d go as far as Germany to buy it. Call me if you know where to get a new one or a used one in top shape and/or the rear speaker spacers. Thanks.
Call 949 422-7177
Again, regarding my ’86 528e, I couldn’t find decent tires anymore for the original 14-inch wheels so I bought a set of 16-inch BBS wheels off of a ’99 528. Lots of choices now. 205/55-16′s fit perfectly. I had to use 74.1mm to 72.56mm aluminum hubcentric rings to take out the wheel vibration. Best $5 I ever spent. Along with new solid front & rear anti-sway bars the car now handles like its 20 years newer. The 528e looks a lot like a mid-80′s Alpina now….get lots of compliments.
Al
949 422-7177
I just gave my 1983 528e a 300,000 mile birthday present. Fixed all the scratches and dents, new clutch, fixed the odds and ends of seal leaks, new timing belt, etc. It looks and drives like new. I bought it new and as I said before, you can’t have it.