1992 LHD E34 M5 3.8 78K miles
Granite silver with rare all black leather interior. The car was imported from Germany in 1995 and has had 2 long owners since. I purchased it in 2000 from a friend whilst I was living in the U.S. with the intentions of exporting it there. Before exporting it I wanted to make sure the car was in pristine condition as parts would be even more expensive in the U.S.
The first thing to be done was the engine as emission restrictions in the U.S. were very strict at the time. This is one of the main reasons the 3.8 never made it over there unlike the 3.6. As I was out of the country at the time I left it with Sandal BMW main dealer in Yorkshire. While they had it they fitted a new engine and ALL ancillaries. This included a new engine wiring loom and ECU. Also while it was there I had a new flywheel and clutch fitted.
After the work was done it went into dry storage. I then came back for a while and despite all the running gear being new the handling left a lot to be desired. Next job was the suspension. If you are reading this you probably know that the EDC systems for the Nurburgring suspension are quite complex. All 4 EDC suspension struts were changed and the springs at the same time. This cured the suspension issues and the handling was fantastic but it was stuck in sport mode. This turned out to be the EDC ECU which was replaced.
Over the next couple of years it was in dry storage and only used during my U.K. visits. During this time it had a subtle stereo installation which includes a Becker MP3 CD player, a discreet Genesis amplifier, top of the range audiophile separates and a subtle subwoofer install in the ski hatch. I did try to keep the install as subtle as possible but being somewhat of an audiophile I did want to improve on the original stereo. I can however remove all the system components and have it put back to factory if requested, including the boot trim which is now black instead of the original grey. This is the only part of the car that isn't OEM.
Also within this time period I had the exhaust changed (OEM). It was also getting to the point where the stone chips needed dealing with so I had the front end painted and the windscreen replaced as that was becoming pitted.
Over the next year I applied to get the car federalized to take to the U.S. and acquired all the parts needed to accomplish this only to realize that all this was in vain as I had to come back to the U.K.
When I first got back I drove the car quite regularly and ironed out any bugs from it sitting for so long. This included some front end bushings, fuel tank, fuel lines and brake lines.
Since then I have rebuilt the brake callipers and replaced the brake discs and pads and these have less than 200 miles on them. I also managed to find some genuine 1995 E34 M5 M5 Parallel wheels. I had these stripped and refinished in OEM finish.
I tried a variety of different tyres on these wheels in different sizes, 275s on the rear looked great but it understeered horribly. Through trial and error I ended up going back to the factory sizes, 245.40.18. It currently has Pirelli P Zero's which have about 100 miles on them. The car now handles perfectly and is very neutral. The spare is also a genuine M Parallel front wheel with a Continental Sport Contact 2 on it.
I have only made a couple of modifications to the car, the clear rear lights and indicators which I think suite the colour and a very mild custom ECU remap. The remap does not have the rev limiter removed but does have the speed limiter removed.
In the several years I have owned it I have only averaged 1000 miles a year and very few of these have been over the last two which is why I have decide to sell it. The E34 M5 is the last hand built production car built by BMW M GmbH and will only increase in value in the future especially in this condition but I really can't justify keeping it. It is much better than my E39 in so many ways but the E39 is better for being used daily and long journeys.
I think I have priced it very fairly considering the work that has been done to it. You can buy them cheaper but you can also spend a lot of money on them. I know a couple of people that have spent the same as the purchase price in the first year of ownership. The only thing this M5 needs is driving...
Specifications: 1992 LHD EURO. 24 V S38 B38 3.8L, GETRAG 5 SPEED - 250kW/340HP.
0-60 - 5.9s. TOP SPEED 170 MPH WITHOUT LIMITER (GPS VERIFIED IN 2003 @ VW TEST TRACK).
2,676 LHD 3.8's BUILT FROM 12/91 THRU 7/95.
I WILL ASSIST IN SHIPPING TO OTHER COUNTRIES. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO E-MAIL WITH ANY QUESTIONS.
MOTIV UK.
Comments