The E12 is the chassis description for the first 5-series that BMW produced. An offspring of the 3.0 Bavaria, the E12 was produced from the late 70's to early 80's, with powerplants ranging from 1.8 liters to 3.5 liters (the rare M engine). Its successor is the E28, produced from '82 onward. The E12's are reliable (mine has 300,000+ miles on it), fast (original 2.8 l engine with a 5 speed Getrag tranny will do 150 Mph plus), and stick to the road like glue (safe emergency lane-change maneuver at 70 mph+). They're rare, beautiful, and aggressive. To anyone with a brand-new Honda Civic: Come get some.