1994 BMW M5 Touring E34 -
BMW could have quite easily got away without producing the M5 Touring – the 540i was a pretty able performer in its own right – but the M5 should have demonstrated that there was definitely a market for this type of car. For some reason – and one suggests it was down to cost – BMW decided not to produce an E39 M5 Touring, and we had to wait another 12 years before there would be another M Touring when the E61 M5 was launched. The E34 M5 Touring could have launched a dynasty of fast M estates, but it wasn’t to be. In the intervening years, Audi managed to muscle in on the act, and, along with a few contenders from Mercedes AMG, more or less wrapped up the market for high-performance estates. Very much one of those Sliding Doors moments…
BMW could have quite easily got away without producing the M5 Touring – the 540i was a pretty able performer in its own right – but the M5 should have demonstrated that there was definitely a market for this type of car. For some reason – and one suggests it was down to cost – BMW decided not to produce an E39 M5 Touring, and we had to wait another 12 years before there would be another M Touring when the E61 M5 was launched. The E34 M5 Touring could have launched a dynasty of fast M estates, but it wasn’t to be. In the intervening years, Audi managed to muscle in on the act, and, along with a few contenders from Mercedes AMG, more or less wrapped up the market for high-performance estates. Very much one of those Sliding Doors moments…