BMW M5 Revolution in years

The BMW M5 is a high performance version of the 5 Series executive car built by the Motorsport division of BMW. Beginning production in 1986, the first incarnation of the M5 was hand-built utilizing the 535i chassis and a modifiedBMW M1 engine, being the fastest production sedan in the world at the time of its introduction.Subsequent iterations of the M5 have been built from each generation of the 5-Series platform, including the E34, E39, E60/E61, and most recently, F10, with the first orders delivered in late 2011.

The first BMW M5, based on the E28 5 Series, made its debut at Amsterdam Motor Show in February 1984. It was the product of demand for an automobile with the carrying capacity of a saloon (sedan), but the overall appearance of a sports car. It utilized the 535i chassis and an evolution of the bodykit from the M535i. At its launch, the E28 M5 was the fastest production sedan in the world.

The first generation M5 was hand-built in Preussenstrasse/Munich prior to the 1986 Motorsport factory summer vacation. Thereafter, M5 production was moved to Daimlerstrasse in Garching where the remainder were built by hand. Production of the M5 continued until November 1988, well after production of the E28 chassis ended in Germany in December 1987. This continued production would eventually lead to a class action lawsuit that was settled with vouchers being given to car owners. Chicago Clearing Corporation served as a market maker for these $4,000 vouchers that were officially issued in 1993.

The M5 was produced in four different versions based on intended export locations. These were the left-hand drive (LHD) Euro spec, the right-hand drive (RHD) UK spec, the LHD North American (NA) spec for the United States and Canada, and the RHD South African (ZA) spec.

The European and South African M5s used the M88/3 engine which produced 286 PS (210 kW; 282 hp). North American 1988 models used the S38B35 engine which was equipped with a catalytic converter and produced 256 hp (191 ).With a total production of 2,191 units, the E28 M5 remains among the rarest regular production BMW Motorsport cars – after the BMW M1 (456 units), BMW E34 M5 Touring (891 units), and the BMW 850CSi (1510 Production of North American specification M5s commenced in November 1986 and ended in November 1987. Aside from 96 cars which were assembled in kit form at BMW's Plant in Rosslyn, South Africa, all E28 M5s were assembled by hand at BMW Motorsport in Garching, Germany.

pecification

• DC91: (LHD EURO) => M88/3 engine 286 hp (DIN) 588 Units produced
• DC92: (RHD EURO) => M88/3 engine 286 hp (DIN) 187 Units produced
• DC93: (LHD US) => S38B35 engine 256 hp (SAE) 1,320 Units produced
• DC98: (RHD SA) => M88/3 engine 286 hp (DIN) 96 Units produced (DC98 and DC99)
• DC99: (RHD SA) => M88/3 naucer engine 286 hp (DIN)

Performance

At the time of sale, BMW quoted the following (relatively poor) 0-60 times to give the impression that the E28 M5 did not outperform the more expensive, heavier and top-of-the-range E24 M635csi (BMW M6).

• (Euro) - 286 hp 0-60 mph - 6.2 s. Top Speed: 153 mph
• (USA) - 256 hp 0-60 mph - 6.5 s. Top Speed: 148 mph

Tuners

• Whilst BMW Motorsport did not build any special versions of the E28 M5, the German tuner Hartge produced the Hartge H35S-24, a 330 PS (325 hp/243 kW) version of the E28 M5. Main modifications over and above the standard E28 M5 were revised cams, a modified exhaust, modified Motronic ECU programming and a revised (and lowered) suspension setup.
• Alpina limited their tuning efforts to the older M30 engine powered models.
• Alpina B7 Turbo 330 hp (0-60: 4,7 sec, 168mph)