Yahoo Autos 1993 BMW M5 Is Today's Temptation at Bring a Trailer
With BMW introducing a new M5, here's one of the best of the past models.
There are quicker M5 variants, but not many that are this engaging to drive.
This example has a Euro-spec 3.8-liter inline-six, a fantastic interior, and it's purple.
BMW's M5 is now entering its seventh generation, which means that M5 fans have a choice of many sides to take when arguing over which one is best. Whether it's the all-engine first generation or the howling V-10 of the E60 chassis cars, everybody gets to pick a favorite Bavarian performance sedan to pine for. We'd like to make a case for the second-generation, E34-series car, as featured in the greatest car chase of the modern era, 1998's Ronin?
Gleaming in Daytona Violet Metallic, this 1993 M5 ticks all the boxes for an executive express par excellence. It has the Euro-spec 3.8-liter S38 straight six, good for 335 horsepower at 6900 rpm, paired with a stick shift. It also features the ultra-rare Nurburgring package and an upgraded interior with fantastically patterned cloth and suede upholstery. And we did mention it's purple, right? It's up for auction right now on Bring A Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos).
Many M5 enthusiasts will have stampeded past the E34 to the V-8–powered E39 M5 as a pick for best of breed, and you can't really blame them. That car is like a cross between a German aristocrat and a Chevy Camaro. The E34 M5 built between 1988 and 1995, however, is arguably truer to BMW's original spirit because of its inline-six engine. And whereas the original E28 M5 took the engine out of the M1 and stuffed it into a four-door sedan, creating a lairy goon that was happiest sideways, the E34 gave that mighty six the chassis it deserved. Testing a U.S.-spec model in 1990, Car and Driver's Kevin Smith wrote:
“And transparent power may not even be the M5's best quality. Its true best quality may be just that: its pure best-ness. Given some perfectly reasonable criteria, BMW's new-generation M5 just might be the best car in the world.”
Wouldn't you like to own the best car in the world?
Being a Euro-spec car, this example has a few more Lipizzaner stallions under the hood, and the Nurburgring package specifies a few tasty suspension upgrades. This car also has lovely dished 18-inch wheels, and the electronically adjustable suspension has been replaced with fuss-free Bilstein dampers and H&R springs. A host of maintenance items have been addressed this year, including fluid changes, a rebuilt A/C compressor, and even changing out the engine wiring harness.
Originally delivered into Japan, this car has been stateside since 2001. If you're wondering what a left-hand-drive car was doing in Japan, pretty much every M, Audi RS, and AMG product sold in Japan was left-hooker until the early 2000s. Even today, left-hand-drive vintage 911s are preferred over there. The enthusiast market prefers Euro performance to be "correct," as it would be in its home market.
Leaving that aside, with just over 110K miles showing on its odometer (true mileage unknown), this M5 is the opposite of a garage queen. Despite presenting well, it needs a driver, not someone who is just going to sit around looking at it. Even if it is purple.
Should you place the E34 atop the M5 podium of greats, then make your bid and bring this trophy winner home. The new one may have twice the horsepower, but this 1990s hero has double the charisma.
The auction ends on November 6.
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