The BMW 520 (E12) with an inline six-cylinder engine replaced the eponymous version powered by a four-cylinder engine in 1977. Hence, the BMW 520 benefited from the model revision with a modified design, along with a more powerful engine and a higher top speed. The exterior of the BMW 520 six-cylinder automobile was characterised by a "520" designation badge on the radiator grille. By the time the model series was discontinued in 1981, it had been fitted in around 140,000 units. All the models of the BMW 520 powered by a six-cylinder engine were produced at the BMW Plant Dingolfing.