BMW is dead set on pushing the limits of what the brand can build — from hybrid city cars and mid-engine sports cars to massive luxury super coupes. That strategy is proving fairly polarizing, not to mention it’s coupled to an evolving design language that’s just as divisive. BMW has dabbled in some of those territories before with the 850Ci and M1 sports car, but the foundation of the brand’s reputation is rooted firmly in sports sedans. Case in point: the first generation M5.
The BMW M1 and M635CSi were the first road cars to leave the factory with the specialized M badges, but the E28 M5 was the first sedan, meaning the first practical car to get the magical BMW Motorsport touch. Instead of a svelte two-door with a useless back seat or a high strung, low-slung mid-engine supercar, BMW’s M5 architecture was built as an everyday family car — it just happened to have a 252 horsepower 3.5L inline-Six pulling everything along.
This 1988 example up for auction comes with a few tweaks to sweeten the deal. To bring this North American market M5 more on par with its higher horsepower European siblings, the owner installed a Conforti chip to add some grunt as well as aftermarket shocks and springs, aftermarket sway bars and stainless steel brake lines to keep it all under control.
It’s not Concours-material, but this 133,000 mile M5 looks to have the makings of a wildly entertaining daily driver. School runs, grocery shopping and canyon carving all fall perfectly within this sedan’s purvue. You’ll be hard pressed to find any other car at a $15,000 price point able to inject as much excitement into your day-to-day as effectively as this four-door can.
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