The BMW M5 began life in the mid-1980s as a motorsport-developed version of the 5 Series, created to blend executive-car comfort with serious high-performance capability. The original M5 debuted in Europe for the 1985 model year and established the formula that would define the nameplate: understated styling, a hand-built M engine, and everyday usability wrapped around sports-car levels of pace. In the United States, the first M5 arrived later, as a 1988 model, but the nameplate itself traces back to the 1985 European launch.
The first-generation E28 M5 was followed by the E34 generation, which broadened the concept and helped cement the M5 as one of BMW M’s signature sedans. BMW later expanded the line further with the E39 M5, widely regarded as a benchmark for the modern sports sedan, and then the E60-era car, which introduced a high-revving V10 and gave the model one of its most distinctive chapters. The F10 generation marked a shift to turbocharged V8 power, while the later F90 era brought all-wheel-drive capability to the M5 for the first time and widened its performance envelope without abandoning its sedan mission.
Across all of its generations, the M5 has remained closely tied to the 5 Series but consistently set apart by sharper chassis tuning, unique powertrains, and a more focused driver’s character. It is significant not only as a halo model for BMW’s midsize range, but also as one of the defining cars of the high-performance luxury sedan class.