Arguably, the first generation M5 best suited the the term “Q-car”. What could be more unassuming than a fairly affordable saloon car not unlike that which the majority of the well-heeled find themselves behind the wheel of, but blessed with the engine from a supercar?
CAR tested the M5 in August 1987, calling it “the fastest sedan we’ve ever tested”. But it certainly didn’t look like a member of the 250 km/h club of Porsche and Ferrari. Sure, if you looked closely, you’d notice that its wheels were a little bigger than a 535i, with a discrete bodykit and of course the M5 logos on the front and rear.
Not so subtle was the M5’s performance. Using the revised 3,5-litre M88/3 powerplant that was a descendant of the unit used in the M1 supercar (good for 210 kW at 6 500 r/min and 340 N.m at 4 500 r/min), it rocketed to 100 km/h in 6,75 seconds, ran one kilometre in 26,96 seconds and on to a true 250 km/h.
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