11 never-driven E34 BMW 5 Series revealed in Bulgarian “barn find”

Say you and your punk friends are looking for a sweet new clubhouse to mess around in, and you stumble into a warehouse in Bulgaria thinking this’ll finally be the place. But lo and behold, you’ve been beaten to the punch. By a weird collection of 11 old BMWs that were never driven and never registered. Tough break, kid.

OK, so we’re not sure that’s exactly how it shook out when this pile of E34-generation BMW 5 Series cars were discovered in southwestern Bulgaria. But what we do know is that this is a pretty odd find.

So how do 10 brand-new 1994 luxury sedans and one wagon (mostly 520s and a few 525s) end up languishing in a building for 25 years? According to Motor1, the BMWs were originally destined to be used by a car rental company when they were new in 1994, but for whatever reason the company never acquired registration or plates.

Given that these cars weren’t stored with the intention of preservation—they were simply covered—there is some visible cosmetic damage on several vehicles, aside from the expected dirt and corrosion. But take a look inside and it’s obvious these Bimmers were never driven, and in many of the cars there is still original plastic wrapping on seats and such.

What the future holds for these vintage 5 Series isn’t clear, as there are apparently no concrete plans to list the cars for sale yet. On the Facebook group where this find was posted, some claim a ballpark figure of $17,000 (U.S.) for each car, depending on condition. Others point out that because the cars don’t meet current emissions regulations they can’t be registered as new vehicles, so export to another country where they’re eligible for vintage or historic registration is the most likely solution.

If you somehow get a hold of one, make sure to change all of the hoses and fluids before firing it up. And give me a call, because I want to drive it. Especially the wagon.