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The Rest of the
Story
The E34 M5 was available in
Germany beginning in September of 1988. The E34 chassis was larger
and sturdier than the E28 chassis that preceded it. The engine capacity was increased to
3535cc and delivered 315 bhp at 6900 rpm and
360 nm (265 lb.ft) of torque from 4750 rpm. Although the E34 M5 was 170 kg
heavier than the E28 M5, acceleration and top speed figures improved
to 0 to 100 kph in 6.2 sec and a limited top speed of 250 km/h.
Like the E28 M5, the E34 M5 was hand built
in German plants. It took 6 weeks to build each M5. The high labor costs
pushed the base
price to just under DM 100,000, a hefty sum at the time. The rest of Europe
did not get the E34 M5 until 1989 and the rest of the world had
to wait until 1990.
For the US and Canadian markets, the
M5's were
technically the same as in Europe, but since North American M5’s came standard
with more luxury features they were heavier, and therefore performance was a bit lower than
the standard European versions.
In 1992, BMW enlarged the S38 engine
in
the E34 M5 to 3795cc to improve
fuel consumption and tractability. The new 3.8 liter engine yielded
347 DIN hp at 6900 rpm and 409 nm (295 lb.ft) from 4750 rpm. Acceleration
for 0 to 100 km/h improved to 5.9 sec and the top speed was more than 270 km/h
(170 mp/h), although electronically limited to 250 km/h. A new style
of alloy wheel was used on the 3.8-liter cars. The new design sends
more cooling air to the oversized brakes. ZR-rated 18-inch wheels were
standard. The 3.8 liter M5 was never sold in
the US or Canada. For these markets BMW continued to make the 3.6
liter variant until 1993.
Another improvement for the 1992 European M5
was a new
adaptive suspension, called the Nurburgring option. The suspension
featured gas-filled Boge shock absorbers. To improve handling, sensors
located at different parts of the car measured the body roll and, when
necessary, the a stiffer setting was selected for the shock absorbers.
The Nürburgring
suspension option added Sportstune steering, a thicker anti-roll bar,
255/40 rear tires, and an adaptive damping 'A-K-P' switch with a green
light that
allows the driver to adjust the stiffness of the suspension manually
for a firmer ride.
"With only 891 cars made from 1992 to 1995, the
E34 M5 Touring is one of the rarest
of the glorious M5 models."
From 1992, BMW also offered the M5
also as a Touring model. The E34 M5 Touring is one of the rarest of
the glorious M5 models. Only 891 cars were made from 1992 to 1995. The
M5 Touring was produced for the German market, and no RHD models were
made. A few models have made it to the USA. The E34 M5 Touring has the
340 hp 3.8-liter inline 6-cylinder twin-cam S38 engine. The M5 Touring
is only 70 kg heavier than the M5. The M5 Touring has a split opening
tailgate, and the rear seats can be folded down.
From July 1994 on (the 1995 model
year) some further improvements were made to the E34 M5. The brakes
were increased in size and for the first time ever a production car
used floating brake discs. Now, the gearbox had six gears, the
Nurburgring package was standard and the wheels and tire size
increased to 18 inches.
In 1995, BMW made 200 E34 M540i's for
the US market and 32 for the Canadian market. The M540i used the
4.0 liter V8 engine. The Canadian
E34 M540i is a very special car because with the exception of the
engine, this car was technically identical to the 1995 E34 M5.
Production of the E34 M5 ceased in
July of 1995, with BMW having built
slightly more than 12,000 E34 M5’s in almost an eight year period. The last E34 M5’s cost a
whopping DM 140,000 in Germany, an increase of 40% over it’s
production period.
Despite the fact that the E34 M5 was
the fastest BMW of its time, Alpina and other tuners made their own
variants. The most famous modified E34 is the
Alpina B10 biturbo. With it’s 360 DIN hp twin turbo charged 3.4 liter
M30 engine, it was capable of accelerating from 0-100 km/h in just 5.6
sec and reaching a top speed of more than 290 km/h. The E34 Alpina B10 biturbo was made
from 1989 until 1993. Only 507 cars were made and they
were only available in Europe.
some info courtesy
Raymond Woertman
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