A Classic Dream: BMW E28 5 Series

The BMW E28 5 Series is a personal favorite of mine. I’ve been toying with the idea of buying one as a project car for years. Some enthusiasts, however, turn dreams into reality. Dries de Vries is one such enthusiast and he brought his car to Royal Fitment. His BMW 525 is a testament to dedication and passion. After some serious elbow grease to rid the car of rust, it now gleams beautifully.

Many owners opt for air ride suspension to lower their E28s. This allows for either tucking the top of the wheel into the wheel arch or letting the wheel arch sit right on the edge of the wheel. Personally, I prefer the latter look. Dries, however, chose a different route, lowering his car with a BC Racing Extreme Low coilover kit. This setup requires maintaining some space between the wheels and the arches, providing a cleaner look even when driving. It all boils down to personal preference.

BMW 5 Series Touring E34 Wide Body

With the arrival of the new BMW M5 Touring, BMW is poised to break sales records once again. But did you know that BMW introduced an M5 Touring as early as 1992? Based on the E34 platform, BMW launched it with the tagline, “A superlative sports car, packed in sporty but never showy bodywork.” This was certainly true, as there was little on the exterior to indicate it was a true M car, aside from the logos.

While the car spotted at the Royal Fitment event wasn’t an M5, it certainly flaunted showy bodywork. Royal Fitment is all about stance, and for many stance builds, it’s more about style points than what’s under the hood. This BMW earned its style points in spades.

Based on a 518i, this showstopper was transformed by its owner, Niels Popma, in his own garage. The overfenders, supplied by Cliq Tuning, fit perfectly over the 18″ AC Schnitzer wheels (11j in the front and 12.25j in rear) thanks to a custom Mapet Tuning air ride system.

BMW E28 5 series on 17 inch Gotti j55a wheels

During my last round at the Heaven on Wheels event before going home, I decided to take a peek on the upper deck. Not a bad choice, if I say so myself. There, I stumbled upon this BMW E28 5 Series. A stunning specimen from 1981 in Malachite Green Metallic, a color from BMW’s individual program.

The Gotti j55a wheels are true classics and fit perfectly on this E28. The centers are 16 inches, but with the help of a step lip, they now measure 17 inches. The wheels are 8.5 inches wide up front and a beefy 9.5 inches wide at the rear.

What catches my eye are the Alpina stripes on the sides, which seem slightly thicker than the original striping of a genuine Alpina. But it adds a touch of class, and since the Alpina logo isn’t present, it’s not pretending to be a real Alpina. So kudos to the owner for not doing that.