This super rare BMW car spent years in an unexpected place

An extremely rare BMW car made exclusively for South Africa was uncovered in the most unlikely of places – a small town in the north of England.

Johnny Smith, host of the Late Brake Show, took a closer look at the BMW M535i, stored in a garage in Chorley, Lancashire.

The car belonged to Peter Harris, who reached out to Smith and invited him to take a look.

Only seven of these cars were ever built.

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The backstory to this very rare sports car

Harris picked up the car in the late 1980s as a young engineer working in South Africa.

It was going for sale at an auction, where he picked it up and used it for two years before having it shipped off to the UK.

Since then, it has spent its time dormant, with the ignition last being turned on sometime around the time Nelson Mandela became president of South Africa.

Speaking of his car, Harris said: “It was an E12, but with an E28 interior.

“I have so many good memories of blasting down South Africa in it. For a weekend, I went to Cape Town – a thousand miles there, and a thousand miles back.”

With a 3.5-liter M90 engine, the car can reach heights of 215hp and 229lb-ft of torque.

Given that the ignition hadn’t been touched since the 1990s and the car hadn’t been seen since 2011, it’s not looking good that it’d run again.

But stranger things have happened.

Bringing the BMW out of hibernation

With the help of BMW E12 expert Tony Chamberlain, Smith takes a closer look at the car.

When I say this car really is a 80s throwback, I mean it – it’s up there with the DeLorean, which has popped up in many a barn find over the years.

I mean that in the best way possible.

Fortunately, a closer inspection showed that the car had held up remarkably well despite its hibernation period.

The exterior was showing some sign of wear and there was a bit of mold on the door, but there were no mice to be seen – unlike this Honda Acura NSX.

When it came time to try the M535i’s ignition, it didn’t exactly get off to a flying start, with a strange sound being heard.

I can only describe it as somewhere between a witch’s cackle and a hyena’s laugh. Make of that what you will.

But with some persistence and patience, the engine soon began making more desirable sounds – like an actual car.

“Fire in the hole!” Smith exclaimed, as the car came back to life.

To watch the remarkable resurrection in full, head over to the Late Brake Show’s channel.