Forty years ago, BMW produced its first ‘fast’ 5 Series, the E12 M535i. While the 160 kW developed by its 3.0-litre inline-six engine was respectable, it was not till 1984 and the introduction of the M5 that sedans would really start to offer supercarrivalling performance.
Fitted with a double-overhead camshaft 3.5-litre straightsix engine codenamed M88/3 (a
