The BMW 518 with a 1.8 litre four-cylinder engine was the basic model for the second generation of the BMW 5 Series (E28) presented during the first half of 1981. As a carburettor model, it had virtually the same series equipment but already offered the high-end engineering, quality and driving characteristics of the more powerful yet also more expensive injection models. Nearly 41,000 customers opted to purchase the only carburettor model in the BMW 5 Series.