One of our oldest friends and customer, Richard P, is pretty well known in the BMW world. We found him his dream M1, and typically he became so knowledgeable about the car, and M1s in particular, that we asked for his advice on certain details later, when we were restoring BMW UK’s own press fleet M1. This is typical of our relationship with many of our enthusiast owners – a symbiotic and shared approach to something that goes way beyond just a car. So, when Richard spotted and purchased our superb (and rare) E34 M5 touring for sale, it joined his other M5 – an E39 – and he asked us if we would carry out a nut-and-bolt restoration. We were delighted to say yes.

Everybody has their individual approach to how they want their restoration to unfold, and end up. In this case, Richard wanted to be completely immersed and help solve any challenge that arose – mostly sourcing parts or checking technical specs – and we were more than happy to involve him at every step of the journey. From a full engine rebuild to a complete interior retrim, with every nut and bolt literally re-anodized, all brakes, drivetrain, suspension, pipework, ancillaries… all meticulously photographed with before and after comparisons. The result is an outstanding example of one of BMW M’s best moments – a hand-built estate car with an engine directly derived from a race engine (the M1’s legendary M88) – the likes of which will never be produced again.

For some people, working for an owner as exacting, knowledgeable and particular could be a daunting experience. At Munich Legends, half the fun is sharing that passion, and involving the owner in every decision, working closely together to achieve an outstanding result. In Richard’s case, the best part is that he will use the car. It is in daily service, and is as at home on school runs and dog transport duties as it is in shows and sitting next to the M1 in its heated garage.