The First M5! A Wolf in Sheeps Clothing!

"An Exceptional Car For A Selected Few"

i "The M5 is available on individual order as a special model from BMW Motorsport Gmbh. The M5 combines the understated styling and sedan practicality of the BMW 5-series with all the potency and luxury BMW Motorsport knows how to build into a car" Quote from BMW M5 Brochure, 1987. The M5 E28 was based on the second generation of the 5-series. It shares its engine with the M635 CSi (M6) and the BMW M1. It has Bosch motronic fuel injection, an aluminium crossflow head, four valves per cylinder, machined intake and exhaust ports, a 9.8:1 compression ratio, an oilcooler and a double pipes at the end of the exhausts. It has a Getrag five-speed gearbox and there is no automatic transmission as an option. The M5 covers the quarter mile in 14,6 seconds.

The M5 exterior is very discreet, its the red, blue and purple M5 badges on the grille and the tail which shows that this not an ordinary 535i. The M-Package with spoilers was available as a no-cost option.

Car and Driver tested the brake ability on the M5 and it stopped from 70 mph in only 166 feet. This ranks second by only two feet to the modern C/D record set by Corvette and Porsche 928 S4.

"Of course, the M5 is outrageously expensive. But then, it wasn´t designed to lead the price brigade.The M5 is a no-comromises, foot-to-the-floor screamer built for those who demand the ultimate in speed and refinement. The few who can afford it are going to have a ball." Arthur St. Antoine, Car and Driver, 1987

The first BMW M5: Taking the concept one step further

With the introduction of the BMW M635 CSi (M6 "Over There") and with the knowledge that BMW had installed that same 24-valve engine in the previous E-12 5-series (test purposes only) speculation began as to installation in the new sedan.
When the BMW M5 did arrive in Europe no one was disappointed. Unlike the production M535i, the new M5 had no aggressive spoilers ar air damns suggesting its performance potential. It was hard not to mix it up with usual 5-series. In fact this was the fastest BMW (short of the M1) ever made.
The M5 potency came from the same 3,5 litre, 24-valve dual overhead cam fitted to the M635 CSi. With 286 hp and as installed in the lighter 5-series the M5 proved to be a remarkable performer; acceleration to 0-100 km/h was achieved in only 6,5 s and reaching a top speed over 245 km/h. The US E-28 M5 In the US BMW Enthusiasts had to wait until three years after the European introduction. BMW North America made several changes to the E28 M5, most which served to bring it into conformity with US safety and emission standards. Some changes were larger ugly US bumpers and with additional side reflectors. The US M5 buyers had no choice whatsoever with respect to their specifications of their car. All US bound M5 were supplied with identical black paintwork and with luxorious tan leather. It has been suggested that a very small nuber of cars (perhaps a dozen) were fitted with black interiour.

A note on the American legal system The BMW factory originally planned that only 500 copies of their highest performance 5-series sedan would be omported to US shores advertisement made mention of the fact in describing the car. When it later turned out that more than the original 500 cars were built for the US (in fact 1235 cars were imported totally) several customers organized a class action lawsuit against BMW claiming false advertisment. The case was eventually settled with every US M5 prchaser given credit towards the purchase of a new BMW. Do not forget to read the Auto Motor Sport test article about the M5