BMW’s 745i was another homegrown special that usurped a model produced by the parent company. Unlike it’s German namesake, which sported a 3,5-litre turbocharged engine, the locally available 745i raided the parts bin of the much-vaunted M1 supercar. The 3,5-litre, multi-valve twin-cam engine could rev to 7 000 r/min and developed 213 kW and 340 N.m of torque in the process. Power was delivered to the limited slip differential via a close-ratio five-speed gearbox borrowed from the M535i.
BMW claimed that is was South Africa’s fastest car, a promise that it easily delivered on when it notched up a top whack of over 235 km/h… in 1984. CAR’s tests also produced a zero-to-100 km/h sprint time of 7,14 seconds.
745is were successfully campaigned by Tony Viana all over SA in the mid-1980s.
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