1:24 BMW M5 e39 RHD - Conversion Set

The steering wheel on the other side

The powerful sedan of the e39 generation was sold on markets where traffic drives on the left as well, and the cars there had the whole front part of the cabin mirrored. Kits, however, usually offer only the version for continental Europe, so anyone who wants to build a British or Japanese car has to obtain the front part of the cabin elsewhere.

Why collectors care

The position of the steering wheel is not a cosmetic trifle but evidence of where the car came from. On a model built after a particular license plate or after a surviving photograph it is the detail a connoisseur checks first. A collection aimed at the British market therefore cannot exist without conversions of this kind.

A scene that will support it

Right-hand drive offers the chance to build a setting that is rarely seen in display cases: a narrow street with brick houses, parking at the curb on the left-hand side, road markings different from those here. One correctly turned figure at the driver's door is enough and the viewer understands at once where the scene takes place. Combined with cars from the same market a complete group then comes about.

The build

A mirrored cabin means working into the existing part, usually cutting it out and replacing it. It pays to proceed slowly and to keep trying the seating, because reworking it once the glue has dried is difficult. The castings are first washed and degreased, otherwise the paint will not hold on the surface. Before you start, take a photograph of the original arrangement, so that you have something to set the position of the pedals and the steering column against when you come to seat the new part in place.