With eight years separating them, these two icons of BMW performance saloons are ageing like the finest of fine wines. Built from an era where b-pillars were narrow, tyres were chunky, and touchscreens where non-existent, these mightily powerful saloons were the pinnacle of the BMW brand during the 1980s into the new decade. Whether you’re a lover of the shark nosed E28, or effortlessly stylish E34, C.O.G Classics have two highly original examples fresh into stock, and we just had to take a closer look.
We’ll start with the newer of the pair, this discreet M-powered saloon was first delivered to Yokohama, Japan, before coming Germany in February of 2017. The E34-generation M5 arrived in 1988, ten years after the birth of the road-going M cars with the M1, marking a new era in performance machines for BMW, all of which having their own personality and potency both on the road and the racetrack. Nowadays, it is rare to find any example of the E34 M5, thanks to a worldwide admiration for the car’s simplistic styling, refined and spacious interior, and glorious soundtrack from its 3.5-litre straight six. It is, then, even rarer to find an example boasting just 61,000 kilometres from new, and has meticulously maintained throughout its life, making for a fine candidate as an extremely useable classic which is undoubtably going to increase in its value as fewer and fewer stay on the road.
Skipping back to 1984 is another super saloon that was fantastic in BMW’s guise, but given enhanced further when Alpina’s wizards had worked their magic. This example holds real significance too, originally a demonstrator vehicle in a BMW branch in Essen during mid-1980s, meaning it boasts almost every possible upgrade available from BMW at the time, even before it was given the Alpina treatment. The lucky custodian of this E28 was an older gentleman, who had saved for many years to finally purchase the car, and subsequently owned it for 30 years, ensuring it was kept at its peak, and remains an incredible driver’s car even to this day. So many BMWs of this era were fettled with, either in period or later in their lives, but this Alpina B8 was kept true to its roots, and can still hold its own against far sportier and aerodynamic rivals. Perhaps the most difficult decision now, is which one do you go for a drive in first? We’ll leave that for you to decide!
