A Brief History of the BMW 5 Series

One of the more renowned and recognised cars in the world, the BMW 5 Series has a long and storied history, beginning in 1972.

The first generation BMW 5 Series was produced in 1972 and ran till 1981. Not nearly as popular as they are today, the car of 1972 had a much smaller engine and was predominantly found across Europe; the USA had yet to buy into this new German saloon. The first BMW 5 Series featured a 1.8 or 2.0 litre engines, with the USA importing 2.8 or 3.0 litre engines with six cylinders a small engine by today’s standards.

The E28, the next generation of BMW 5 Series, was produced from 1982-1988. Featuring a more evolved exterior look that included revised headlights, bumpers and taillights, the new 5 Series featured more rounded edges, reminiscent of the 5 Series that we know of today. The E28 featured enhanced engine sizes from 2.7 to 3.5 litres, depending on the model purchased and which part of the world it was purchased in.

The evolution of the 5 Series came in the form of the E34 and was very popular with executives and consumers in general the world over. Today BMW aficionados rate this as one of the more aesthetically pleasing 5 Series’ ever produced. The elegance of the car was cemented by the fact that it won numerous awards for luxury, safety and reliability.

In E39 was released in 1995, and was produced until 2003. The car had the traditional square front, similar to previous models. Fairly popular in the USA, the car soared in popularity in Europe, and today eagle eyed motorists will still be able to see these models on the road.

The E60, E61 and F10 models have been sold in forecourts across Europe and the US over the last decades. The E60 and E61 weren’t as popular with consumers given the complete revamp of the exterior. However, the M5 was revered by petrol heads thanks to its incredible power and performance.

The F10 saw a return to sleek aesthetic styling with a more prominent upright split kidney grille and rear end styling. The F10 was a welcomed return to form for the 5 Series, after briefly losing its market dominance to Audi and, to a lesser extent, Mercedes throughout the run of the E60 and E61.

Despite stiff competition from Audi and Mercedes, today the BMW 5 Series is considered to be the ultimate driving machine for consumers with executives believing the car to be the best option for them.