The BMW M5 has always stood for the sportiest that a sedan can be. We take a glimpse back in history at how the series began. The kick-off: a wolf in sheep’s clothing, the first real BMW M5 (1985–1987).
That’s how BMW advertised the new M535i in 1984, three years after the second BMW 5 Series began. The near-standard BMW was upgraded with M technology, making it the best 5 Series car at the time: 3.5 litre displacement, a six-cylinder engine with 218 hp and 310 Nm at 4,000 rpm. In 7.2 seconds the M535i accelerated to 100 km/h and the needle on the tachometer didn’t stop until 230 km/h. All in all, the BMW M535i was a harmoniously tuned, high-performance sports sedan for high-end demands. If you like: it was the M Performance automobile of the 1980s. Yet although M was in the name, the engineers at BMW Motorsports didn’t consider the M535i a pure-bred M vehicle yet.
The first real BMW M5 saw the light of day in 1985, without any great fanfare or unveiling. No big spoilers, no stripes. Just a discreet M5 emblem decorating the radiator grille and the tailgate. The most important modification: the digital engine electronics of Bosch Motronic instead of the mechanical Kugelfischer petrol injection. The result: 286 hp at 6,500 rpm and 245 km/h when the accelerator was fully engaged. For the BMW M5, the world’s fastest four-door sports sedan in 1985 was available for 80,000 DM (German Marks). To reach 100 km/h it just needed a racing-fit 6.5 seconds.
” An "über" car, no weakling. ”
With this concept, the handcrafted, by order only BMW M5 conquered a new market. By May 1986, more than 1,000 BMW M5 with exclusive features came off the production line. By the end of 1987, there were 2,145 cars that found new, ecstatic owners. Although in the mid-1980s it was frowned upon to brag about their “über” cars, today the first owners can boast of having owned the very first real BMW M5 – or maybe they’re still driving them today.
Further information about the official fuel consumption and the official specific CO2 emissions for new passenger automobiles can be found in the 'New Passenger Vehicle Fuel Consumption and CO2 Emission Guidelines', which are available free of charge at all sales outlets, from Deutsche Automobil Treuhand GmbH (DAT), Hellmuth-Hirth-Str. 1, 73760 Ostfildern, Germany, or under http://www.dat.de/en/offers/publications/guideline-for-fuel-consumption.html. The figures are not based on an individual vehicle and do not constitute part of the product offer; they are provided solely for the purposes of comparison between different vehicle types. CO2 emissions caused by the production and provision of fuel or other energy sources are not taken into account in the determination of CO2 emissions pursuant to Directive 1999/94/EC.
All vehicles, equipment, combination possibilities and varieties shown here are examples and can differ in your country. In no way do they constitute a binding offer by the BMW M GmbH. Visit your local BMW website or see your authorised BMW M Retailer for accurate details on the offers in your country.
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