One of the rarest 1980s BMWs to find today is not an M car or even an Alpina—both of which have had a strong enthusiast audience from the time they were new. One of the most difficult-to-find 1980s BMWs is not a performance juggernaut either. It is instead the first diesel-powered BMW sold in the U.S.: the 524td. Today’s AutoHunter Spotlight is a 1985 BMW 524td located in Gladstone, Oregon.
The most interesting part of the 524td is, of course, the engine. The 2.4-liter inline-6 turbo-diesel engine called the M21 D24 was the brainchild of Karlheinz Lange from BMW’s engine development department. He saw what Mercedes was doing and found their diesel offerings unacceptable designs for a BMW. He also was convinced Munich engineers could produce something better than those in Stuttgart. A partnership between BMW and Steyr-Daimler-Puch gave BMW a new factory and development center from which the new diesel power plants could be designed and built. This M21 D24 engine utilized indirect “swirl chamber” injection (IDI), whereby fuel is sprayed into a small chamber above the combustion chamber, resulting in a much quieter diesel engine than what was offered by competitor Mercedes.
My dad had one of these cars when they were new. Unlike the clattery Mercedes diesel cars many of my friends’ parents had, the 524td was something different. Not only was it much quieter than almost any other diesel car, it also was equipped with the very sporty BMW E28 chassis. It even offered decent acceleration, with the turbocharged inline-6 diesel engine capable of a 0-60 time of 11 seconds—unheard of for a diesel sedan at the time. In addition, the 524td achieved close to 30 mpg. (An interesting historical note is that the short-lived Lincoln Mark VII diesel was actually powered by this same BMW diesel engine.)
The seller describes this 524td as being powered by the aforementioned 2.4-liter inline-6 turbo-diesel, which is paired to a four-speed automatic transmission. Finished in black over a Pearl Beige cloth interior, this German sedan is offered by the selling dealer with a clean CARFAX report and clear title. It has clocked 121,000 miles, which is low for any diesel.
Many of these cars were literally driven into the ground, but this example looks to have lived a nice life. The exterior appears to be in exceptional condition, with nice paint and no evidence of any dents, rust, or other visible flaws. For a black car, this is kind of amazing—if it is a repaint, it is a good one, and if the car still has original paint, it is miraculous.
The interior is almost as good. The factory Ivory cloth seats are in unbelievable condition, with no rips or tears anywhere. They at best could use a little cleaning. The only interior flaws I could see in the photos were two small dash cracks on the driver’s-side near the windshield, and the sunroof needs new headliner cloth material. Options on this BMW include power seats, power windows, sunroof, cruise control, and air conditioning.
Under the hood everything also looks tidy; not detailed, but just clean. This really looks like a well-kept example. Recent service items include new vacuum hoses, heater fans, and belts in 2023, as well as a timing belt replacement in 2021.
The 524td was one of the lowest-production BMW 5 Series cars in the E28 era. It was not a sales success—not because it was a bad car, as reviewers at the time sang its praises, but largely because BMW was late to the party with diesel power. Fast-forward to today, and diesel-powered BMWs are the most popular models in Europe. This rare car was the one that kicked it all off and is an important footnote in BMW history.
If you think this first-generation BMW diesel is as cool and unique as I do, you will need to act fast and bid, as the auction for this 1985 BMW 524td ends on Friday, August 1, at 12:30 p.m. (PDT).
Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and a photo gallery