1992 BMW M5 Touring Photos, engines & full specs

BMW surprised its customers when it introduced the M5 version of the Touring in 1992, challenging its competitors to create similar go-fast station wagons.

The German automaker introduced the 5 Series (the E12) on the market in 1972 as a sedan and kept it that way up until the third generation, which it released in 1988. But then, in 1992, BMW refreshed the lineup, and besides the sedan, it also introduced the station wagon, which was named Touring, according to the carmaker’s naming system. If that was not enough, then the addition of a hand-built M5 Touring was even more surprising. But customers were not prepared for such a vehicle. As a result, the automaker managed to sell less than 1,000 units of it. The good side of the story was that all of them came with the enhanced S38B38 inline-six engine, which was more potent than its predecessor.

At the front, the E34 M5 Touring had a slightly different look than its non-M siblings. While it still had the same four-headlight design as the rest of the range, the black grille between them was adorned by a small M5 badge with the classic red/dark-blue/light-blue colors of the BMW Motorsport. In addition, the motorsports specialist installed a new apron with two rectangular foglamps and a gray lip spoiler underneath.

The M5 Touring shared its bodywork with the rest of the range. After it was painted, it was delivered to BMW M, in Garching near Munich, to be completed. There, it was hand-assembled to a large extent, resulting in superior finishing and alignment of the body panels. Up to the B-post, it was similar to its sedan sibling. Behind, up to the D-pillars, it was a different story. It featured an extended roof behind the rear passengers, up to the mid-section of the trunk space. A chromed twin exhaust peaked out underneath the M-specific rear bumper.

Inside, the M5 Touring boasted a leather-wrapped cabin and a few M details. The lower spoke of the steering wheel and the instrument panel were adorned by M badges. Furthermore, the tri-color motif of the car manufacturer was applied to the gear-knob and the upholstery. An LED display installed at the bottom of the instrument panel showed information from the car’s onboard computer, which could be accessed via a small button placed on the turn-signal stalk. Vehicles with electronically controlled dampers were fitted with a switch mounted on the instrument cluster’s visor edge. In the back, customers could sit on a split-folding (60/40) bench seat that could expand the trunk space from 420 liters (14.8 cu-ft) to 1,670 liters (59 cu-ft).

Under the hood, BMW installed the new S38B38 engine that produced 340 PS (335 hp) and paired it with a five-speed manual gearbox that sent all the oomph to the rear wheels. But that was not the only upgrade to the vehicle. BMW Motorsport also installed a stiffer suspension and a limited-slip differential. As a result, with all the upgrades, the 1992 M5 Touring could go from 0 to 100 kph (0-62 mph) in 5.9 seconds on its way to a capped top speed of 250 kph (155 mph).