M5 Retro Spin: 1988 BMW M5

[Bartek S.]

"How would you like to drive a 1988 M5 up Highway 1?"

That wasn't a call I was expecting, especially in the late summer of 2010. As far as I was concerned, any car from the 1980s still on the road was sure to be showing a few hundred thousand miles, springs coming through the seats and air conditioning blowing warm.

We all have a short list of favorite vehicles that most will never see, let alone drive.​

However, BMW North America was on the other end of the phone, and the vehicle we were discussing had been pulled out of a factory museum on the East Coast and shipped to California in a covered truck. Not only did it have low miles, but this unique model was in near-mint condition.

The 1988 BMW M5 is special in more ways than one. In addition to being the first-generation M5, its production was extremely limited and each and every copy sold in North America was jet black with blacked-out trim. And there was the powerplant... BMW had essentially dropped the M1's 24-valve 3.5-liter racing engine under the hood.

You can guess what my answer was.

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[vedjo01]

US spec bumpers suck BIG TIME..just an observation..Other than that,a car to wish for IMO