The 1995 540i M-Sport and 540i

In late 1995, just prior to switching to the E39 5-series body style for the 1997 model year (there is no such thing as a U.S. 1996 model year 5-series), BMW pumped one last breath of life into the V8 powered, E34-bodied, 540i for the U.S. market: The 1995 540i Sport . They did this by using almost all of the parts that went into the European 1995 6-cylinder E34 ///M5, except the engine and transmission. 200 of these 540i Sport models were sold in the U.S. 135 of them had the 6-speed manual transmission and the rest (65) had the automatic.

• Article from 1996 Roundel on the '95 540i M-Sport.
• BMW Brochure for the '95 540i M-Sport.
• How to Tell if you've found a real '95 540i M-Sport (Added February 4, 2002)
• BMW 540i M-Sport Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) (Added March 21, 2003)
• Big Brake Upgrade instructions (Added March 21, 2003)
• M-Sport Group on Yahoo!. The place to discuss these cars. Lots of pics up there too.

Also in 1995, 32 cars wearing ///M540i badges were sold in In Canada. These are almost identical to the U.S. 540i M-Sport cars except they had a few more of the cool ///M components, like the larger floating rotors in the front (see the table at the bottom of this page for details). 

There is a great deal of confusion about these special cars. This website is dedicated to clearing up that confusion. Most of this information comes from other BMW literature, BMW enthusiasts, magazine articles, and my own personal 540i Sport. In particular, a great deal of credit goes to David Chen (mailto:rrhacct@banff.net) who had (as of 10/22/01 I can't find it anymore) a website documenting the Canadian ///M540i.  I plagiarized from many of David's www.bimmer.org postings to create this page.

Notes of Interest

• The U.S. 1995 540i M-Sport and the Canadian ///M540i are not really ///M5s. First of all the 200 540i Sports sold in the U.S. were all manufactured at the "normal" BMW plant at Dingolfing whereas all other ///M cars have been built at the M-Technic factory in Garching. These cars appear to be some of the last E34 cars off the Dingolfing line. The 32 ///M540is sold in Canada were (apparently) "hand-finished" at Garching next to the M5s.
   
• In BMWNA's early 1995 literature the 540i with a 6-speed manual transmission was referred to as the "Sport model" because it had sport seats and an M-Technic (lowered, firmer) suspension. However, in the 1996 literature (published in late 1995) they refer to the 540i with the 6-speed as the "540i manual". The new limited edition car is called the "540i Sport" or "540i M-Sport" .
   
• The 540i Sport package was an around $8000 on top of the regular 540i price. It was Option 812 on the 540i and 813 on the 540iA. The original sticker for my 540i Sport, the Sport option is listed as $7,600 (in addition to the $1,500 ASC+T traction control option). 
   
• Click here to view a copy of the January 1996 BMW web page describing the 540i Sport.
   
• Vol. 2, No. 3 of the M-Driver newsletter says the 540i Sport was one of the 1995 Exclusive Edition series like the 318ti Club Sport. Their description is quoted below. They said they were going to do a full review of both cars in the next issue, although they apparently never did.

  "The 540i Sport will, for all practical purposes, be a reincarnation of the M5. Powered by the torque-rich four-liter V8 engine, it is available with either a six-speed manual gearbox or a five-speed automatic transmission. It also features M5 brakes, the EDC III electronic, cockpit-adjustable sports suspension system, and an M version of Servotronic power steering. This special sedan comes with full M5 bodywork, 17-inch alloy wheels and tires, and sports seats. ASC+T traction control, limited slip differential, heated front seats are optional. BMW will import 200 540i Sport sedans, 135 with stick shift and 65 with automatic transmission."
   

• Car&Driver, in their February 1996 issue had a story on the 1995 540i Sport. I've got a PDF of the article here.

Table Comparing the ///M540i to the 540i Sport

The table below shows the specs the 1995 540i Manual, the 1995 540i Sport, and the Canadian ///M540i. 

NOTE: I'm still nailing down some of the exact specs for the standard 540i.

Copyright © 2008 Charles E. Kindel, Jr.