BMW

M5

The BMW M5 invented an entire genre, the super-saloon, when the first-generation E28 model arrived in 1984. Built by BMW Motorsport and unveiled at the Amsterdam Motor Show in February 1985, the BMW M5 took the unassuming three-box body of the 535i and transformed it into the fastest production sedan in the world. The secret was under the bonnet: the hand-assembled M88/3, a 3.5-litre straight-six with four valves per cylinder and individual throttle bodies, essentially the engine of the mid-engined BMW M1 supercar, also shared with the M635CSi coupe. In the E28 M5 it produced 286 PS, enough for a sub-six-second sprint to 100 km/h and a top speed beyond 245 km/h, all while carrying four passengers in restrained, almost anonymous comfort. Every first-generation BMW M5 was hand-built, and with just 2,241 cars made between October 1984 and June 1988 it remains one of the rarest regular-production M cars. The recipe of a discreet body, a motorsport-derived engine and genuine driver focus made the BMW M5 an instant icon and set the template that every subsequent generation, from the E34 to today's models, has followed. The original E28 BMW M5 is now a sought-after modern classic, prized precisely because it started it all.