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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:
I know not everyone agrees, but I think that the U.S. mandated 5 m.p.h. bumpers that were fitted to many of the 1970s and ’80s import cars were just horrible. Some manufacturers had sorted it out by the mid 1980s; Mercedes-Benz and Audi, for example, had managed to integrate the new bumper designs well into their updated large and small sedans so that by 1985 there were only minor differences between the ROW models and U.S. models – and importantly, the bumper covers didn’t look like an afterthought. But BMW seemed to stand in defiance, refusing to update any of its models until nearly the end of the decade. The result of that was that by 1987 BMW’s lineup looked quite dated in comparison to the competition. While switching those BMW models to the ROW bumpers doesn’t necessarily update the look, it certainly refreshes all the models and brings them closer to their original design – something I’m personally a big fan of. While all of the 1980s BMWs benefit from this, one of the most popular to swap European trim onto seems to be the E28 5 series. A classic since new, the great package that was the E28 is lightened and tucked in Euro guise, making an already good looking design sportier and more compact in just the right ways:
E30 M3s have been on my mind recently, but I’m thankful that considering the ways to get ahold of one has only served to remind me that the E28 M5 is the car for me. The M3 could only supplement, not replace the 4-door brawler. I just can’t do without the lines, the usability, and most of all the sweet howling fury of the S38. I bought mine with a healthy dose of mileage and a rebuilt engine so that I could explore, learn, and hammer on it without worrying too much about a pristine garage darling. The issues listed are common, but can range from simple (odometer – it’s not frozen, the gears are bad and easily replaced) to potentially complicated (seats not moving can be a simple switch or ridiculously-expensive motors). 120k miles is a nice middle ground where it’s not going to bring a huge premium, but it’s still pretty fresh for an E28. With a $9k starting bid, this could be a great deal on an appreciating classic.
The Euro’d E28 M5 with just 62k miles Carter wrote up last week went for a reasonable $21k, showing that the market for M5s is strong but not skyrocketing. Extra-low mileage examples are few and far between, and today’s 28k-mile example is being sold by the notoriously high-pricing Enthusiast Auto Group. Forum guesses put the price as high as $80k, which may be what EAG is asking but is not what they’re going to get. While it certainly looks like a sheltered, sub-30k mile creampuff, the door-card speakers are a strikingly bad choice. Low mileage is great, but without full originality I don’t see the point.
The E28 M5 is seemingly following in the E30 M3’s footsteps as the next hot commodity in the semi-vintage BMW game. If you want a lot of the M5 look at a discount, a 535i such as this is the next best thing. We featured this car back in November of last year and it is back up for sale at no reserve with a few hundred miles more on the clock.
The below post originally appeared on our site November 29, 2013:
