1988 BMW M5

Our friends over at Autoblog were part of a small faction of the media that had the honor of driving a pristine example of the original ///M5. If you are a fan of classic BMWs or stand by the belief that the feel of the drive is something only 20 year old BMWs have you should definitely click the above link and read the review in its entirety. We are a bit partial to the E28 here at BF and hold it on a pedestal of sorts, so the reviewers opinion came no surprise to us.

To wet the palate here is a small excerpt:

Twenty-three years after it left the factory floor, I ‘m sitting behind the wheel of a 1988 BMW M5 cruising up Pacific Coast Highway. Unlike most cars with two decades under their floor pan (and the mileage to accompany it), this particular example is in pristine condition having just over 12,000 miles on its odometer. Owned by BMW Classic, the division tasked with restoring and maintaining historic BMW vehicles, and on loan to BMW ‘s press fleet, we ‘ve been handed the keys of this museum piece to partake in a caravan heading up the coast from Santa Monica to Monterey.

Full disclosure insists that I admit to having a serious soft spot for the E28 and the M5 in particular, so bear with me. As a teenager, my father had a 1984 E28 533i with a five-speed manual transmission. I learned how to drive stick shift on that car – and I took it to more than a few high school formals. The 533i was quick (181 horsepower), but it was no M5. When the M5 debuted, the posters went up on my wall, but I never had the chance to sit behind the wheel or take one for a spin. Until now…

Inserted into the door slot, a twist of the M5 ‘s illuminated key activates all four of the loud servo-driven door locks. The driver door opens smoothly, and I settle my six-foot two-inch frame into the front seat. Immediately, I am overwhelmed by the smell – older BMW ‘s have a very characteristic rustic leathery odor. It ‘s not offensive, but it brings back a flood of old memories that catch me off guard. I like it already.

Photo: Autoblog