Currently reading: BMW M5 history in pics

BMW's supercar-baiting saloon is 25-years-old.

BMW’s M division is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the iconic M5 super saloon, which was first introduced at the Amsterdam Motor Show in 1984.

The first incarnation of the car was a E28 535i fitted with a modified version of the six-pot engine in the M1, creating what BMW claimed was the world’s fastest production saloon.

See the history of the BMW M5 in hi-res pics

From then BMW has created an M5 version of all of its 5-series models, totaling four generations so far. An estate version of the E34 was the first load-lugging M5 to be introduced. The M5 had six-cylinder engines until the introduction of a V8 in the E39 models but the latest E60 went one step further and introduced a 5-litre V10 with 507bhp.

This doesn’t mean the next M5 will be fitted with a V12 however, with BMW choosing to downsize to a twin-turbo V8.

Twitter - follow autocar.co.uk

Join the debate

Comments
13
Add a comment…
BriMarsh 6 November 2009

Re: BMW M5 history in pics

Ah the M5, the only BMW worth having; most sublime. All other BMWs are asperational nonsense basking in its halo (can you bask in a halo?).

leg30r 5 November 2009

Re: BMW M5 history in pics

Impressive, but summarises what's going wrong with modern car design. How much larger and heavier is the M5 going to get? Is the aim to get it over 3.5 te, re-classify as a truck, then duck under any corporate emissions targets?

AlexF512 2 November 2009

Re: BMW M5 history in pics

I guess you're missing the fact that it's the M division's 25 Anniversary so there are bound to be quite a few posts around this time about the M division's history? Autocar obviously went and got a fair bit of content around a very popular line of cars and are publishing it at regular intervals. Isn't that what the magazine/site is supposed to do? As people have outlined above, lots of other brands get lots of coverage, plus BMW is one of the most popular car brands in the world...