Barn Find 80s Tuner BMW survivor - will it run?

Stunning. I vaguely remember Hartge from the 80s! Walter's reaction is great, reminds me of our dog when faced with a piece of juicy steak... For reference, it's pronounced "Heart-guh". It would be "hurt-guh" if the a had an umlaut (ä). Even if it's not a real barn find, it's still a great video. Thanks Jonny and Team TLBS! And thanks to Matt for sharing a very special and personal car with us all.

Omg the heartache in his voice "you never said that" when he mentioned the short shift kit.... That man has LONGING

As a kid I sent off to Birds Hartge for a brochure. Their Sales rep Alan Sherborne lived less than a mile away so they had him drop them off. They must have been anticipating a real sale enquiry and nor a kid wanting to add to a bulging brochure collection, as he turned up in the Birds silver H5 demonstrator. He was so polite and didn’t show any disappointment, I remember my parents saying what the hell have you asked for! He gave my Dad and I a blast between 2 motorway junctions in it, it was so impressive.
Great to see one again!

I'm 34 years old, a self confessed car addict, been around cars my whole life, worked in franchise automotive retail for almost 18 years, bought, built and sold my own cars and I mean what I'm about to say with every fibre of being, I've never, ever, coveted a car more than this one. The rarity, the story, that era of German performance, my love for old BMW's and although I'll never have the opportunity the way I know it'll drive, that is, for me at least, automotive mecca. You can keep you unattainable 250 GTO's, this will be every bit as joyous to drive and even better to drag out of the garage and live with. Again well done Jonny for unearthing the unearthly weird and niche, and this is totally my niche 👏 👏 👏 ❤

My favourite part of this entire video was when not long after they fired it up and you could see Jonny refrain from revving it at the throttle body, lest the owner clout him. You could see the entire thought process pass across his face. Quality viewing.

He loves his number plates 😳😳😳😳 Bless DVLA for remembering and contacting. Great story

I'm by no means a BMW fan, but this could be one of my favourite Barn Finds ever.
The owner's somewhat reserved demeanor is hilariously contrasted by Walter's enthusiastic geeking out.

As a 45 year old son of a VAG mechanic who grew up on a staple diet of Vee-Dubs and Audis, I'd just like to say how taken a back I am seeing this absolute beauty.
Never been a BM fanboy but seeing a car that's rarer than rocking horse shit and in such fantastic condition fills me with awe of it and respect for its owner.

The man made a special garage for it. It’s being cared for and that makes me happy! What a gorgeous car

As a bmw nut, this video hit the spot. That is what can be truly defined as a unicorn.!!
This era of bmw was when bmw were at their absolute best. The pinnacle really
Hope he gets it out and uses it. Both he and the car deserve it

Gran Turismo 2 backpack. 16:28.
Damn. Relic. My childhood. Right in the feels.

I totally get the family heirloom thing, the connection, and wanting to pass it down.... but pleeeaassee don't give such an irreplaceable and priceless example of a unicorn to a teenager/young man; it will not survive!
Vividly remembering my own youth, and seeing the young people around me (though of course I love them to bits), a beautiful thing like this will definitely not stay that way if placed in their hands...
Thanks so much Matt for sharing...
Love the videos...
Much love from Australia 🙏❤️😋

“This’ll be my oldest son’s first car” - Please, I understand the sentiment, but don’t. Promise it for later in life when he can truly appreciate it

E34 / E39 ‘s, the pinnacle of BMW excellence. I had many. This is an absolute delight

A friend’s deceased husband owned a number of Hartge builds. A e24 6er, a e28 M5 with Hartge conversion and a very special 1 of 6 Hartge H36 based on a e30 M3. This had a 3.6 M5 motor and was used to great effect on track days and ring trips. When it was time to sell it on, she struggled to find much interest in it and was sold for much less than it’s worth. This was maybe 15years ago, things would probably be very different in todays market……
This e34 H5s is a bit of me. I know a number of people in BMW circles who would love a piece of this very special machine.

I used to work for Hartge in Beckingen from 1991 to sometime in 1994. I never saw a H5S, but have had the pleasure of driving the 3-series with this engine and even the 24 valve engine. That was pretty wild.
The Hartge badges on this car are from a later date than the car itself. We changed the font of the letters while I was with Hartge, so after 1989. The Hartge badge in the steering wheel is the original font, so that's likely to be from the original build. So anything with that font is original with the age of the car, but anything with the font as on the center bage on the trunk is from after the early 90's. Also, the rims are of a later date. These three piece rims have the bolts 'sunken'. The originals ones had them raised and were smaller. The 5-series Hartge folder is also from the early 90's as I was there when we did them for all the models. My favorite was the flyer for the 850i. We did a 850CSi with 6.0 liter engine with about 430hp. Anyway, happy memories.

I absolutely love the reaction of Walter to each of the little Hartge pieces!

What a car! Sounds amazing. Walter's reaction was class 🤣

Must say it was rather nice to see a car that is cared for and in great shape for once, it gets a bit depressing seeing once gorgeous cars rotted , on flat tires , piled with debris , a shadow of their former selves . Great episode!

As a teenager i always pronounced it Hartige as Walter does. Walter's reactions are classic and had me in stitches! I hope to God Matt does not give it to his son! That is way too precious a car to let some kid rag it around!

Not a BMW guy but with the passion from Walter you can’t help but fall in love with it. ❤️ Shame Walter didn’t get to go for a spin in it 😔

The sun backlighting as you start out and say the word "brighter" a few seconds in is *chefs kiss*. And I lol'd at the heart icon when Walter was staring at the open engine! I'm not a BMW nerd at all, but it was fun watching poor Walter have almost repeated fainting spells! Thanks for relaxing your BF "rules" to bring us this

What a beautiful car. That’s the best styling of all years of the 5-Series IMO.

I couldn't quite see Walters expression when Matt said he was going to give the car to his son as a first car, but I'm imagining he looked gobsmacked

I am lost for words Jonny, but I will try. I started school in Salisbury in 2006, and to think that this was prowling the streets then is amazing. I have never been a die-hard BMW fan, but I am a die-hard fan of tuning specials. People always misunderstand me and think I hate modified cars. I don't, and I absolutely adore tuning house specials like this as they are officially special in a really subtle way and that speaks to my sense of style completely. Thank you so much to shedding light on this, only wish I had been 23 in 2006 and not, well, 3 - so that I might have been in with even a tiny chance of nabbing it.
But then I'd have probably been a different person had that been the case

Now that is a thing of pure beauty. Matt is a lucky man to own such a beautiful and rare car.

Very interesting for me because I am from the town where Hartge was formed.
First, the name as pronounced at the beginning of the video is correct, with an A as in car.
I can’t remember that there was a H5 with 3.7L, there was a bored up 2.7L based on the BMW e34 525i.
Hartge was quite famous and successful at some point with a European touring car program with the BMW 635CSi. They also had a rally program with e21 320, 323i and e30 M3. These cars were mostly driven by Swedish rally star Ingvar Carlsson, which was significant in an unexpected twist later.
Company founder was Herbert Hartge, at first supported by his two brothers. In the late 1980s his brothers Rolf & Andreas Hartge switched to Mercedes tuning briefly under the same name from the same workshop in Beckingen. But it turned out BMW fans and Mercedes fans were very opposed to each other and the Mercedes arm moved to Merzig and needed a new name as well. As by pure coincidence the Hartge BMW rally star Ingvar Carlsson was a Mercedes works driver in the WRC in 1980, and so the new name for the Mercedes arm was chosen to be Carlsson Mercedes, even though the Hartge brothers remained the bosses with little influence from Ingvar Carlsson himself.
Hartge also did some tuning on Mini models, but they were not as famous as his big engined BMW, and yes the Hartge cars were as far as I know always built from bare BMW chassis from scratch.
Carlsson in turn had some interesting adventures with other manufacturers. They made a tuning kit for a Toyota Camry, converted a Toyota Celica into a Cabriolet and made rather nice work with 2 generations of the Citroen C5 estate.
Sadly because of age (I suspect) the oldest brother Herbert Hartge meanwhile closed the doors on his company. Carlsson Mercedes I understand was sold in good faith to a Chinese company indicating big plans, but as so often with the Chinese, the new owner uses this name for his own products and couldn’t care less of the origins of the company.
It’s a shame really. I liked them both not only for they were from my home, in contrast to other tuners Hartge and Carlsson played with relatively mild tuning but using bigger engines (see i.e. the H5 V12) and the body kits were subtle and elegant. Where i.e. especially Brabus and AMG seem to be right into your face, the Hartge and Carlsson cars were very much sleeper cars. Being as fast as Schnitzer, Alpina, Brabus etc but not showing off too much and being quite reliable too. The Carlsson Citroen C5 i.e. despite having in the area of 240BHP could even be ordered through official Citroen dealers with the full factory warranty.

Really enjoyed that.Walter stood there in stunned silence. Beautiful rare BMW indeed

Another new school day there Jonny. I like you had heard of Alpina but never Hartge! Wow what a beautiful example and with all the paperwork and the big purring lump starting on the button. Thank you for sharing this bit of motoring history.

What a lovely car, and in great condition too, thanks for sharing it with us Matt and Jonny.
I will say one thing though: PLEASE don't give this to your boy as his first car! I wholeheartedly agree with passing it down to your kids, as i shall be doing with my Elise, but i remember my first car - it was only a 1.1 Shitroen Saxo, i loved it (it didn't deserve to be loved!) but that poor thing took some abuse. It got scraped on things, the wheels got scuffed, nearly crashed, driven in winter salt, I practiced handbrake turns and skids in it, all the usual teenage stuff! First cars are for bonking into stuff without having to worry too much - for learning how to drive well without having too many consequences when things do go wrong.
By all means hand it down, but in my opinion it needs to be kept as a second car, for high days and holidays, and cared for properly - not thrashed by the inexperienced hand of a young lad.
Just my opinion, it's your car. Enjoy! :)

There was a Hartge dealer near Holmfirth, West Yorkshire in the early 90's.

Stop apologising for it not being a barn find! This was awesome!

That is simply the best video you have ever put together. So lovely to watch three enthusiasts rave over such a car. Thank you so much.

Work of art. I wish Hartge was still here. Loved there E53 version

I’ve been round Oulton park as a passenger in a Hartge 3 series back in 1989 on a Club 89 track day. Also went out in a 6R-4 Metro that belonged to a friend of mine. The car came from Tony Pond’s garage in Malmesbury. That was a day I’ll never forget
This 5 series is stunning.

The BFF is out, so it's going to be another good episode! And best of all, no rubbish to clear out first, just three big bikes! A 5-series in your back passage 😂

Lovely car but eldest son's first car!! Good luck trying to get that insured

I remember being fascinated as a kid by a Hartge 3 series compact where they managed to squeeze a 750i tuned V12. Absolutely class!

I was amazed when you started off this episode by saying not many people have heard of BMW tuner HARTGE. As I remembered them well!
I remember helping out on a stand at a car show at Earls Court in the 90’s. Not the regular car show though. I think it was called the Performance Tuner Show, and HARTGE had a stand there. I much preferred them to the more common Alpinas and AC Schnitzers! 😂
I came away with a brochure from them, which I think I may still have some where! I can’t remember for sure, but I think they had a full converted white 5 series on their stand too. I wonder if it was this car? I also remember HARTGE being featured in Fast Lane magazine. Which was the predecessor to Performance Car and today’s EVO magazine. Thank you for sharing this special car with us.

Fantastic find .. what a beauty!
Could we have a revisit on the day he gives his 17yr kid a 100k ..1 of only 5 bmw ?

Sometimes I wonder... how high can this show fly? Jonny you are still in the up! This was great!

The engine sound says it all! That's how I remember deprecation, notice how the similar standard 535i's in the surrounding ads were around the same price!

You've made a lot of great videos Jonny but this is right up there. Thoroughly enjoyed watching it. Walter's reaction is priceless and I really feel for him. The pure passion is what makes these old cars such emotional and evocative treasures.

You're getting my first KRplus comment. I really enjoyed watching the video. I grew up in N. New Jersey in the US. I had a neighbor who had several visitors over the summers and they would always have the latest BMW M cars with AC Schnitzer and Hartge add-ons. I was somewhat familiar with Hartage (London pronunciation) but have never had the pleasure of seeing one in such detail. It was nice to correct my pronunciation and learned a bit more about Hartge. In the end, it turned out the neighbors were drug dealers and the fed busted them in 93 or 94, one morning on my way to school. Seeing those cars actually started my appreciation and now enjoyment for BMWs.

I've been interested in some rare BMW's here and there, nothing serious, but I've never ever seen anything like this. Absolutely amazing

Showing my age here but I owned a BMW M535i Hartge E28 in the early '90s. Gorgeous deep Burgundy colour, full body kit but without the side stripes. Big square exhaust outlet in the middle of the rear bumper. THE most amazing BMW Big 6 Sound.

This is stunning car I do remember these very well. Always been a fan of the older BMW's . Thanks for sharing with us. Great content.

Not a bmw fan but you cant help but be impressed with the specification and history and all the brochures and magazine articles for this rare bird built by birds? Excellent find johnny!

This is absolutely fantastic. What a car!!! Great to hear about the back story. Makes it even more special. 👊

Brilliant episode! What an absolute stunner of a BMW. Technical barn find or not a rare fine is a rare find!

That was an awesome video Johnny, a friends dad had a Hartge H5S back in the early 90s, it was actually one of the first BMW’s I’d actually seen, he purchased off a work colleague, he had it for a year or two and sold it on as the same guy that sold him it was selling his AC variant and he had always fancied it a bit more. I love videos like this as it does justice to a beautifully engineered beast that not many people knew about, I read about this very car in total bmw magazine, a back issue I may add, in around 2011 ish after I had an accident in my 328i Msport and replaced it with an E39 535i. Sadly lost all my mags in a house fire as I kept some of the more stand out issues same with performance bmw too.
Love the passion that he has for the car and the story behind it, I really hope we get to see this beauty back on the roads again, thanks to all involved as I’d actually forgotten about that part of life and the beautiful cars that I’d seen. 👍👍👍👍👍

What a fantastic piece of automotive history. My heart sank when I saw the alarm under the bonnet - possibly Scorpion - and thought "that could scupper things. It sounds gorgeous too.

Amazing find. I remember reading about Hartge on maybe Road & Track back in the day.

Hi Jonny, what a find, wow so rare and looking just fantastic. Great guy, who knows what he has and has cherished it. Started on the button, sounded bang on..!! Great video guys... Alex.

Not normally a fan of BMW but this is a beaut. What a gem.

Man, I just love these videos. So relaxing, just to sit and reminisce. I remember reading about Hartge many years ago. Great video!

Loved this. Get Walter on more often, he's gold.

What a top bloke 🤝🏻
Love a Hartge - I’ve fond memories of them stuffing V8s into 1 Series and Z4s, everything they touch is just cool.

Love watching these barn finds because the passion and love for these cars the owners have makes me feel better for being such a nerd myself. Walters reaction is just so pure. Can tell he has a love for these cars. Bet he could fill a few videos with his knowledge… great episode as ever. Love it!

Hartge was one of the companies building the famous Renault Safrane Biturbo, the safrane were buid in France. Then sent to Irmscher and Hartge to be transformed into the biturbo version.

Im thinking Jonny enjoys these "barn finds" episodes more than others.... many of us just enjoy ANY post that he brings us along! Thanx for all the hard work!

That gran turismo 2 bag is so retro! Would love that!

Fantastic episode - love the rarity, but even more, the passion of the owner.

Just wanted to say thank you.
Lost my mam earlier this week and been finding this last week really hard.
I couldn't sleep so click on this video as i love classic bmw and for them 20 mins or so that I watched, and listened to the back story of the car and watched your great reactions, for them few minutes i taken away from my pain and just enjoyed this stunning car.
Thank you.

HARTGE regularly placed advertisements in the BMW CCA ROUNDEL club magazine in the ‘80’s…generally showcasing the E28 5-Series tuned cars- I thought they were absolutely stunning, but I don’t know how many made it to the US or how many exist today.
Great episode…much rarer than an ALPINA..!

As a previous owner of big straight six BMW's they all sound the same on starting, a magic sound. A very special car.

Always remember them as Hartage, lovely thing!

That was like a 5 year old meeting santa for the first time
You absolutely made him speechless, loved it
I bet he asked if he could buy it after the filming stopped about 20 times

Oh wow! Amaaaaaaaazing car! Big thanx and respect to Matt for sharing it and his special story. Also thanx to Jonny and the team for getting it on film. Very special!👏👏👏👏⭐️💥

Fantastic, true example of rare vehicles, plus true car nuts in the best sense.thank you.

My big bro had a white E30 323i stroked to a 2.5, headwork, Straight piped, and spat flames. It was modified and tuned by Hartge. Gorgeous it was

That era of BMW 6cyl. Engine were just sublime - they sounded and felt like they had been hewn from granite.

Lovely car & motorbikes. But the worst Raleigh Burner ever made, Hanging on the wall. The re-pop Curry one 😂😂

Stunning car, thanks everyone involved for sharing it with us!

What a stunning machine! Thank you for sharing it with us. How I miss my 95 e34. Absolute dream to drive but I bet this one would be a heck of a lot more fun!!

Walter needs to be involved in this cars recomissioning. We need a video series on it too.

The E34 has aged so so well. Had a dark green 525i model car as a kid, loved that thing

New at the time in the 80’s $120,000 to be exact I’m blown away, they also did Mini’s and Range Rovers

Great to see walter again. I bought a 2005 bmw X5 from him years ago and his stories were great, as was his garage!

Walters face.....love deep love.

You've done it again Jonny.

I was behind this car in birkenhead 3-4 weeks ago by camel lairds shipyard same reg plate looked amazing!! 😚

What a fantastic vehicle. PLEASE bring it along to BMW Car Club GB's Sommerfest at Thruxton on 15th & 16th of June.

it sounds utterly amazing :D that generation of 5 series were always so pretty.

Worth it as much for Walter's love/envy as for the car itself! Poor lad...

The strut brace is stunning! The look on Walters face when he laid eyes on the strut brace and cam cover was priceless LOL. You can tell his was thinking "I can't believe it"! I had the same look when I saw the cam cover on a BMW M1 Procar. It's the only time I've ever seen BMW M division do the word Motorsport in calligraphy!

Such a special machine. I worked on Alpina PDIs back in the early 2ks and some minor upgrades were done at the dealerships. Amazing episode Jonny.

I had a Racing Dynamics E34 535i with all the bits on. For me the E34 was the last of the proper ones.

Johnny seems a little bit scared of Matt throughout this episode, right from the first scene where it looks like he's got a concealed weapon in his pocket :)

Wow, What a special BMW this is, Thanks for sharing and I do hope it comes out to play again soon. Something quite special here.

I love the start of the video where Jonny is trying to give the illusion the camera has just caught him walking through a wall

Another great video, my parents had a mint white’ 89 525, basically needed the aftermarket alarm removed, they bought a 307 to replace it and my mate bought it for £200, different times.

Nice iconic car. The Buell is cool as well

Another quality film, I think you have hit on a brilliant twist to the ‘barn find’ genre. Spending time with an obvious enthusiast, geeking out on the details and sharing it with us

Matt knew what he was doing the day he was offered that car. Guy knows his stuff. Now sitting on a 6 figure classic. Stunning car. Shrewd investment too.

Jonny, you need to call these episodes "Unicorn Editions"

Be nice too see Walters collection...

If you did get the chance to drive it you should do a back to back with Greg James's M5. That would be an epic video!!

this was great, thanks to all involved .. enjoyed it

Jst walters face never seen someone in so awe smashed it yet again Jonny ❤❤❤❤