I can remember back when the E39 M5 was in production. The fact that, since then, the sedan has gone from having a naturally aspirated V8 to a V10 to a twin-turbo V8 makes me feel as if I’ve seen some major changes in the M5’s life as a product. However, I haven’t been alive long enough to have seen all of the changes it’s been through. It turns out the M5 came from the I6-powered M535i of the early 1980s.
That car gave customers something new from BMW – a sporty car that happened to have four doors. Engineers fitted the sedan with a 218-horsepower 3.5-liter I6 that was capable of propelling the M535i to 60 mph in 7.5 seconds.
In the clip below, BMW says the M535i can be seen as the predecessor to the BMW M5. I can buy that. More power than standard, a driving enthusiast’s gearbox, a front airdam, ///M colors, and sport seats? To me, those all sound like the features of an M5, which debuted 5 years after the 1980-1981-only M535i.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
