both performance

Over the years, the 5 Series advanced in both performance and prestige. A 218-horsepower M version entertained European drivers in 1979, and while it never made it to the U.S. market, it set the stage for the great BMW M versions to come. The second version of the 5 Series platform featured a refined suspension system, and the 533i, which landed in America with 181 horsepower, took advantage of it. The M5 came to America in the final year of the second-generation in 1988 and earned fame as one of the fastest street-legal sedans in America. The third-generation introduced a multilink rear suspension that further advanced the car's roadworthiness, and a pavement-toasting M5 arrived in 1991.