The E34-generation BMW M5 is an underappreciated, often forgotten M car among enthusiasts. Despite being a good car overall, there are a few reasons why the E34 M5 flew under the radar for awhile. For starters, its replacement — the E39 M5 — was far better and one of the greatest sport sedans in history. However, its shape also was never that exciting and it was a bit soft for an M5. However, in recent years, appreciation for the E34 M5 has grown and it’s become more popular than almost ever before, especially among young enthusiasts.
In this new video from Misha Charoudin, he took delivery of his very own E34 BMW M5 project car. He last drove the car back in May, when he tested it for the first time and decided to buy it. However, since then, it’s actually stopped running for some reason, potentially a bad fuel pump. That’s not surprising on such an old car but thankfully old BMW fuel pumps are pretty easy fixes (I once replaced my E36 fuel pump in an unlit parking lot of my condo complex at nearly 10PM, so I could get to work the next morning).
Misha is clearly excited about his new car and for good reason. Looking at the E34 M5 now, it looks great; its stance is perfect, its boxy shape is more charming than ever, and it’s the perfect size for a sports sedan. It’s also a history M5.
The E34 BMW M5 was the last M5 to use a six-cylinder engine — having used a 3.5 liter inline-six, then later an upgraded 3.8 liter ‘six — as all M5s since then have been either V8s or one V10 exception. It was also the last M5 to be hand assembled in Garching, Germany. It also has some clever tech for the era, such as electronically adaptive dampers.
While the E34 M5 was mostly forgotten after the introduction of the E39 M5, looking back at it, it’s easy to see its charms. Misha is likely going to be very happy with his new car and get many happy years out of it.
