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In fact it’s even better than that. The E34 is smaller than equivalent modern four-doors and is almost 200kg lighter than the current M5. The way it keeps its 1650kg under control is simply stunning. The Boge electronic dampers that make up the ‘Nürburgring’ suspension package (standard on the LE, an option on other 3.8-litre M5s) have two settings, ‘S’ and ‘P’ (Sport and Performance). The latter is certainly firm, but the M5 always feels fluid and supple, never crashing or skipping over rapid-fire bumps, yet the body stays flat even when tucked hard into a turn.

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There’s just a bit of understeer at the limit, and even when you deliberately provoke it the M5 seems happier to adopt small oversteer angles than mighty power-slides, but it’s immensely satisfying to use the saloon’s competence to good effect. As you get more committed to the throttle, so you learn that the M5 has enormous reserves of grip and seemingly limitless composure. It’s an astonishingly wieldy, nimble car. Only slow steering slightly spoils the picture, but you soon forget about that and revel in the engine’s response and the chassis’ remarkably tweakable balance. If the sign of a truly great chassis is its ability to adapt to the driver’s every whim, then the E34 M5 is from the top drawer.

It takes time to uncover this precise adjustability, though, to learn how to get the best from the big straight-six, but it’s worth the effort. It’s a car you have to show commitment to before it reveals its soul. It’s a car you could spend a great deal of time with and never get bored. Phwoar.

Specifications

Engine	In-line 6-cyl, 3795cc
Max power	340bhp @ 6900rpm
Max torque	295lb ft @ 4750rpm
Weight	1653kg
Power/weight	209bhp/ton
0-60mph	5.9sec
Max speed	155mph (limited)

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