**Repeat Visitor** Mugello Red over Black Nappa Leather Interior, Absolutely Remarkable, Fully Documented, Investment-Grade E34 M5!
The BMW M5 is the car that started the now legendary “M” brand in the United States, with the legendary black over tan E28 M5 becoming an icon in its own right. The E39 M5, with its powerful V8 and Autobahn-crushing speed, became the ultimate executive express and remains the gold standard against which even modern sports sedans are compared. But what about the E34 M5 that sits between the two? In many ways, the E34 M5 is the forgotten generation of M-Car, with minimal exterior changes over a standard 535i and essentially the same engine as the E28 M5 that came before it. However, discounting the E34 as just a stopgap is a serious disservice as it may be one of the best M5s of them all. The styling of the E34 M5 has grown into one of the all-time great BMW sedan shapes, devoid of large “diving board” bumpers that came earlier and penned before everything got smooth to slice through the air with maximum efficiency. Offered between the 1989 and 1995 model years, the E34 M5 is also the final hand-built M-car with some of the highest standards of finishing of any BMW.
This 1993 BMW M5 is finished in Mugello Red over Black leather and shows just 46,286 miles at the time of cataloging. Sold new in Texas, this E34 M5 remains in largely original condition, with just a few minor upgrades to enhance the driving experience. Many of BMW M’s most famous wheels debuted on the E34 M5, including the M-Parallels and the Throwing Stars seen on this car. One option that really modernized the look of this car was selecting the blacked out Shadowline trim around the windows - where many E34 M5s featured chrome window trim, the black on this car gives it a much more modern look and was one of the first cars BMW offered this option on.
The service binder retains 24 documented engine oil services and several maintenance inspections. This example has significant provenance including all keys, fobs, books, manuals and 4-inch thick 3-ring binder of service records going back to new in 1993. Speaking of impressive mechanical condition; the compression test results on all six cylinders are within 1% variance across all cylinders which is nearly unheard of. In 2019, EAG completed our Comprehensive Pre-Purchase Inspection and Full Rejuvenation Program investing over $10,000 ensuring this hand-built E34 M5 is ready for the next Enthusiast collection. Service and Proactive Investments Included: 10-year service with all fluids and filters, drive belts, distributor seals, intake manifold seals, flex disc & selector seal, seat cable twist repair, new headliner and new Michelin Pilot Sport Tires. We are performing an updated secondary inspection and will be completing all services to provide a fully turn-key ready to be enjoyed M5.
The interior of the E34 is an enormous step up from the E28 platform and is really the bridge between vintage and modern. That being said, this car still comes from an age before screens were a requirement, and, besides a small orange LCD readout on the gauge cluster, and matching readout on the center stack, screens really aren’t a factor in this car. Up front, a pair of nicely bolstered black sport seats offer power adjustment with extendable thigh bolsters and in the rear, a pair of sculpted chairs for passengers with room for a third in the center. A straightforward dual-zone manual climate control system is fitted, along with a BMW branded AM/FM Cassette stereo system, with a small trip computer that calculates average fuel economy, average speed, and outside temperature.
Sitting under the hood of a US-spec E34 M5 is an inline-6 known as the S38B36, which is a refined version of the S38B35 found in the E28 M5. A host of incremental changes were performed to the S38 that included a forged steel crankshaft, revised cams, variable length intake manifold, Bosch Motronic engine management and a 10:1 compression ratio. Compared to the E28, this combination resulted in an increase of 56 horsepower and 23 lb-ft of torque in the E34, for a total of 311 horsepower and 266 lb-ft of torque. This was run through a mandatory 5-speed manual gearbox that sent power out to the rear wheels via a limited-slip differential. In the engine bay, a Dinan strut brace is fitted, which helps with turn-in, and the rear self-leveling suspension has been swapped out for standard status, but the original units are included.