1988 BMW M5

The term “Q-ship” was created by the British, originally not to describe super sedans – but rather to describe a class of disguised merchant ships that were in fact heavily armored and carrying weapons. They were intended to fool German U-Boat crews into revealing their location – prior to unrestricted submarine warfare, U-Boats operated by a gentleman’s agreement where they would surface, let the crew of the ship know they were going to attack the ship and get off, and then they would sink the ship. However, these “wolves in sheep’s clothing” would later lend their name to an entire group of “unassuming” sedans equipped with larger engines and with sporting intentions. Often, the BMW M5 has been lumped into this category but I feel this is an incorrect name for it. The E28 M5 was anything but unassuming, with deep front and rear spoilers, large and wide BBS wheels, M5 badges front and rear and of course looking quite menacing in all black. To me, the Audi 200 20V is probably the ultimate “Q” ship – from the factory, only the slightly wider and slightly flared arches distinguished it from the normal 200 model; no badges, no spoilers, and sedate colors meant the performance under the hood was more or less completely hidden. Perhaps in 1985, when the M5 launched in Europe, people didn’t know what sedans were capable of – but by the time it hit U.S. shores in 1988, rest assured that every enthusiast knew what those all black E28s were:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1988 BMW M5 on eBay

Year: 1988
Model: M5
Engine: 3.5 liter inline-6
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: 159,001 mi
Price: Reserve Auction

alpina 17″ perfect with tires

throwing star wheels with perfect tires Nurburgring Edition front 8j rear 9j

Dinan suspension including shocks and springs

Upgrade switch for better AC and engine temp cooling. Kicks fan in earlier

Turner performance engine chip

restored w/new glasruit paint 2008

Brembo cross drilled rotors

upgraded to RARE black leather/interior in 2008

EVO M-TECH Steering wheel

In dash CD 43 Business

Upgrade Euro Lights w/day running lights + Xenon 6k

One of the best examples today. Turns heads at every stop. Small dent (1/2 dime size) in rear panel– otherwise only surface swirl marks and any imperfections can be buffed out

if wanted. Had collision at 20 MPH with deer about 2 years ago. Small dent in right fender and scratches resulted in new fender, hood, and needed new windshield. Also chose

to have the airdam painted perfect at the time. It turned out to be a good thing. Runs perfect. Needs nothing. (unless you want a show car)

Another word that this car bring to my mind is “ambitious”; the seller is certainly being a bit ambitious starting the bidding at $28,000 – with the reserve still on. It’s also ambitious to say that this is one of the nicest examples out there; we’ve seen plenty of lower mile, better condition and much more original examples come to market even in the last 6 months only. There are plenty of nits to pick; no mention of important mechanical maintenance is mentioned, for example. The original wheels are gone, replaced by Alpina Softlines. While in general I love Alpina wheels, the E28 M5 is one application where I really don’t think they fit particularly well. The E34 M-System II wheels also included may be a better fit, but for this price the original wheels should be there. Step inside and the car sports an unoriginal interior; for some, that won’t matter at all, but if you’re looking for long term investment as this pricing would suggest, the non-original interior I would think detracts. Then there are the Xenon headlights that are an odd fit, and if you’re going to showcase them with the fog lights on you might as well make sure both fogs are working. Then there’s the non-original paint and panels which appear to need a good buffing to remove some very apparent swirls. Overall the car looks like a good driver quality car, as suggested by the seller – but the pricing is out of line with the driver-quality M5s, likely why this car has received zero bids so far.

-Carter