As BMW prepares for this month's world premiere of the all-new BMW 5 Series Sedan at the North American International Auto Show In Detroit, the company is whetting the appetite for the new 5 Series by releasing a series of videos featuring the previous generations of its mid-size standard bearer.
The first-generation E12 BMW 5 Series was the first BMW model to use the new numbering system in which the first number indicated the series and the second and third numbers denoted the engine size. Letters were added after the numbers, for example, when engines became fuel-injected, an "i" was tacked on to make it clear the model was injected.
The first 5 Series was given a sharper, wedgier shape to differentiate it from the more rounded designs of the Neue Klasse of the 1960s and early 70s. The E12s were introduced in 1972 and produced through 1981.
The E12 5 Series did not have an actual M5 version as we would know it today, but BMW did produce a Motorsport-tuned and accessorized model called the M535i. It set the 5 Series on a path that would eventually lead in future 5 Series generations to the what many enthusiasts would call the ultimate sports sedan: the BMW M5.
The second generation of the BMW 5 Series Sedan was given the factory code E28 and it was a huge success. Produced from 1981 to 1988, it had a model lifespan similar to most of the BMW series sold today.
The E28 saw the introduction into the 5 Series of the BMW cockpit design interior, where the controls and instrument were oriented toward the driver instead of being displayed on flat surfaces. First seen in the E21 3 Series, the BMW cockpit design made it clear—both functionally and psychologically—that the car wanted the driver to be involved and in control.
The second-generation 5 Series was obviously an evolutionary design from the E12, but it was safer. More work had been done with crumple zones and anti-lock brakes were available.
For the first time in a 5 Series, enthusiasts could get a true M car with M engine and M suspension. The E28 BMW M5 demonstrated that four doors could be fun and fast and while the 5 Series was perhaps the best combination of comfort, luxury, performance and value in the BMW catalog, the M5 was the 5 Series top dog.
Stay tuned for more BMW films featuring subsequent generations of the BMW 5 Series.—Scott Blazey
[Photos and videos courtesy of BMW AG.]
