E28 BMW 5 Series Ad: "The Car that blurs the distinction between racing machines and luxury sedans"

Classic car ads are always nice, because they were made in times when people weren't so wound up and actually had the time to read something. So, there's plenty of information in them, some of which is quite entertaining today, almost thirty years later.

This here ad depicts the E28 BMW 5-Series, built between 1981 and 1988, claiming that it's both a sports car and luxury sedan.

BMW is showing off the 535i here and it throws in the big guns right from the start: "It eats up the road – any road – at ungodly speed without a hiccup - Car and Driver wrote". And wait, not about this one, but its predecessor, the E12. You can only imagine, then, that the E28 535i must / should have been a better car.

And it was, because this is the generation that spawned the first M5 (or M535i), which you can admire in the gallery below, and started a new dynasty of sports saloons.

Nevertheless, the 535i was no slouch either. The ad doesn't say it, but the 3.4-liter engine had 182 hp (136 kW). However, it does brag about the "0-60mph time" – just 7.4 seconds –, the "communicative power assisted steering" and the "fully independent suspension".

And that's not all: BMW also claimed that the engine management was computer-controlled to "ensure peak engine performance".

The standard equipment list wasn't exactly long, as the E28 owner only got leather seats, air con, a sunroof and on-board computer. Even the description in the ad was short.

And I'll tell you why: because up until the current generation (F10/11), the BMW 5 Series was always a driver's car first and a luxury vehicle after. Not the other way around.

By Csaba Daradics

[Ad photo source: Tumblr]

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BMW Gains UK Police Approval, Announces 330d Saloon Interceptor

Good news for police officers bad news for tax-payers in the UK; Hyundai (see here) is not the only maker to be approved as a key supplier for all 52 Police forces around the country by the National Policing Improvement Agency. BMW has also received the agency's blessings, which means the Bavarian firm's cars and motorcycles will become standard issue to the UK's Policemen and women as part of the four-year deal.

Crime fighters in blue will be able to get behind the wheel of cars such as BMW 330d Saloon and Touring, 530d Saloon and Touring, all variants of X1, X3 xDrive20d, X5 xDrive30d and xDrive40d, while the R1200 RF-P Police bike is also on the menu.

Aside from the latest 5 Series models, which are an all-new addition to Police fleets, BMW also announced a specially modified 330d Saloon Interceptor as its High Performance Pursuit Vehicle.

In civilian form, the 330d comes with a 3.0-liter turbocharged straight-six diesel delivering 245HP, which accelerates the sedan from 0 to 62mph [100km/h] in 6.1 seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 155mph [250km/h].

According to BMW, the UK Police force-spec 330d Saloon Interceptor features special upgrades but the company said it couldn't reveal full technical details of the car "for security reasons".

Tim Abbott, Managing Director of BMW UK, said: "This is excellent news for BMW and shows the breadth of appeal of the products we sell. We have a very strong commitment to the 'Authorities market' throughout the world and have a very close relationship with the UK's Police forces. Orders for BMW Police vehicles started as long ago as the mid 1970s in the UK. This latest news reaffirms our commitment to 21st Century policing."

And just so you know, the Bavarian firm said that some of the BMW police vehicles will be unmarked and perform "less visible policing roles."

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Rare Find: 1984 Lincoln Continental with Factory Installed BMW Straight-Six Turbo Diesel

Did you know that Lincoln offered its mid-1980s Continental sedan and Mark VII coupe models with a factory-installed BMW straight-six turbo diesel? It may sound bizarre -to say the least- but it is true.

The BMW-sourced 2.4-liter inline-six turbo diesel engine, which was used in the shark-nosed 1980s 524TD, delivered an output of 115HP and was backed by a ZF four-speed automatic transmission. It was available optionally in 1984 and 1985 on the Continental sedan and Mark VII coupe models instead of the standard 140HP 4.9-liter gasoline-fed V8.

One of these extremely rare [since few buyers opted for the diesel] BMW-powered Lincolns has been found for sale on Craigslist with the asking price set at $2,800.

Here's the seller's description:

"This is a limited edition from Lincoln, it is only 1 of 2500 ever made. It has a 2.4 liter BMW turbo diesel form the factory. This car is in very good condition, It has always been stored for the winters and has no rust. The mileage is unknown because the odometer is digital in it dosen't work. It runs and drive great. It was purchased from an estate sale about 5-7 years ago. This car is all original. Seats are NOT ripped but worn a bit. This is a Rare car you will not find another one of these for a long time."

Via: VWvortex , Source: Craigslist

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US Trying to Perfect its Safety Rating System; Can't we Just Meet EU Standards and Call it a Day?

US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood has announced a new and improved 5-star safety rating system for 2011 vehicles. If you're interested about your new car, scroll on down for some of the vehicles tested. As of now, the BMW 5-Series (RWD) and Hyundai Sonata are the only vehicles to be top-rated (33 of the 55 models to be tested have been graded thus far).

The NHTSA says the new protocols will also test "side-pole" accidents and crash-prevention systems, as well as using new dummies (hopefully these will be set up properly). One new addition will be the use of a smaller "female" dummy to gauge accidents involving women. Also, new "injury criteria" will be implemented, as well as the use of an Overall Vehicle Score.

NHTSA Administrator David Strickland says, "We want consumers to embrace these new safety technologies as a way to make vehicles safer. We believe electronic stability control, lane departure warning, and forward collision warning offer significant safety benefits and consumers should consider them when buying a new car." Well, yeah.

By Phil Alex

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