BMW’s mid-size executive saloon, on sale continuously since 1972 and, for most of that time, the car cross-shopped against the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Audi A6.[1] It also carries the lineage of the M5: the E12’s M535i of 1980 was the first M-badged 5 Series, built before BMW Motorsport gave the performance flagship its own separate name.
This entry covers the original E12 of 1972 and the fourth-generation E39 of 1995, widely considered, in enthusiast circles, the last 5 Series built without electrically assisted steering and one of BMW’s most complete chassis. The E28, E34 and every generation since the E39 are gaps in this catalogue, not omissions from the car’s history.