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Hagerty has this car listed under BMW E28 M5s, but its origin as a 525is and ensuing plethora of modifications make it a difficult car to classify. It recently received a Euro exterior conversion after a huge modification list of aftermarket E28 parts and OEM M5 parts, creating a FrankenE28 that is truly impressive. Bored and stroked S38s in any chassis are the stuff dreams are made of, with this custom build’s 350hp usurping even the almighty S38B38. A Wilwood big brake kit and Dinan/Koni/Bilstein suspension set up deviate from staying too true to the M5, but a full M5 interior and trunk, including battery relocation, are classy and expensive conversions. While not a fully dedicated M5 tribute/conversion, this ticks all the boxes in the outstanding E28 category.
Recently, one of our our posts on a Dakar Yellow M3 sedan prompted reader Ry to ask if there were any E39 M5s that were built in the shade. Well, today’s car isn’t one of those, but it’s interesting that so close to when the question was raised an M5 this rare to see shade pops up for sale. Like it or not, the E34 M5 painted by BMW Individual in Dakar Yellow certainly stands out. It’s no surprise, though, that the listing is nearly as eccentric as the person who ordered it’s tastes must have been:
It’s a bit of a Euro-spec day here at GCFSB, and both of the featured cars are rare to see on this side of the pond. In the case of the earlier 420SEC, it’s rare to see them because there weren’t many produced and stateside we have the 560SEC that ran at the same time; in many respects, the smaller motor is a curiosity and a neat side note, but offers no real advantage to U.S. buyers. However, this example is very different; a Euro-spec 1994 M5. While the M5 left U.S. shores in 1993, it soldiered on for a few years in Europe with a revised and enlarged motor. Dubbed the S38B38, the new motor gained 25 horsepower but importantly 30 lb.ft of torque – it was now only 17 horsepower shy of 100 more than the U.S. spec E28 M5’s S38B35. That made up for some extra pounds that adorned the E34 chassis versus the earlier M cars and the M5 was even more of a flyer once again. A few of these 3.8 cars and motors have made their way stateside but they’re still quite rare to find. Usually, they have some neat oddities that we didn’t get here, such as this example’s Hurricane cloth interior. All in all, it makes for one tidy performance package that’s still quite discrete:
One of the more interesting E34 M5s we’ve seen has once again popped up on eBay. This is the third time this lovely Japanese market, European-spec M5 has graced these pages. With a little under 116,000 miles on the clock, the car sold in the teens, traveled across the country to Wisconsin, and then reappeared on eBay with only a few more miles in January, 2014. After a few relistings, it finally sold for only an indicated $12,500. Well, now it has returned back across the country with what appears to be a thorough detailing and some much better photographs than the first two times. Still, this is the third different seller in a very short period of time, making me wonder why no one is keeping it. The new seller has raised the price substantially to nearly $22,000. Compared to what that amount buys you in other makes and other cars, I really don’t feel like the asking price is incredibly outrageous – except that you could have had it for half that amount 10 months ago and detailed it yourself. What do you think?
-Carter
We saw this stellar looking Daytona Violet European-spec M5 here in the U.S. last September. We loved the 3.8 motor, rare color and M-cloth interior – items not found on U.S. versions in general. Interestingly the car has moved to Wisconsin and has re-appeared on Ebay from a new seller with a new description, now at $15,990 “Buy It Now”. It’s about on par with good examples of the E34 chassis in terms of pricing, but this car has an interesting history; it makes me wonder why the new owner is flipping it so quickly and having added only a few miles. Second time’s the charm?
-Carter
