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The E28 M5 is the car that taught the world a four-door sedan could be a proper performance machine, and a Jet Black 1988 example with tan leather and a thick stack of service records is now up for auction on Hagerty Marketplace. Listed by RPFMotorcars as part of The RADwood Collection, the sedan sits at a $1,000 high bid with 12 days left, and the auction ends Tuesday, October 27 at 2:10 p.m. EDT.
BMW Motorsport assembled the E28 M5 by hand, dropping the 3.5-liter S38 twin-cam, 24-valve inline-six into the 5 Series body. In U.S. trim it made 256 horsepower and was paired with a Getrag five-speed manual and a limited-slip differential, along with revised suspension and brakes. North American buyers could only get it for the 1988 model year, which makes every U.S.-spec car a one-year-only proposition.
A Sleeper With the Paperwork to Back It Up
This one shows 135,100 miles and wears factory-correct Jet Black over tan leather. It rides on BBS-made BMW Style 19 two-piece wheels, sits on H&R Sport Springs, and has a Nakamichi in-dash CD changer. The front brakes have been upgraded with E31 8 Series components, and it still has the power sunroof, air conditioning, cruise control and on-board computer that made these cars so livable.
The real selling point is the file. Service records date back to 1999, including years of care from Phaedrus Independent BMW in San Francisco through 2014, followed by work at shops around Sacramento. In May 2023 the car received a cosmetic reconditioning at SEA Works in Rancho Cordova, California, covering the front valance, hood, fenders, doors, quarter panels, roof, trunk lid and spoiler. More recent work includes a new crankshaft position sensor in September 2026, when it also passed California smog, plus a refreshed A/C system, new front brake pads and a new drive belt in 2025. A cold compression test in 2022 showed 160 to 175 psi across all six cylinders. The car comes with a CARFAX report and a clean California title.
The Apple Connection
Then there's the backstory. According to the seller, the family of the original owner told the current owner that Steve Jobs of Apple rode in this M5 frequently during the development of the early Macintosh. The story goes that "Steve" was written on the passenger-side floormat, which was taken along the way as a souvenir. It is the seller's account of what the family relayed rather than something documented in the listing, but it is the kind of tale that gives an already desirable car some extra character. The original owner passed away in 2022, and the current owner acquired the car from the estate in May 2023.
Honest About Its Imperfections
The listing is upfront about what a buyer is getting. The head unit powers up without sound, the "CHECK" light occasionally flashes briefly at startup, and there is some headliner sag, dash cracking, wheel corrosion and cracks in a taillight and the front bumper. Those are the sort of cosmetic and comfort items an enthusiast can chase down over time, and the detailed photo gallery of 156 images lets bidders see them up close before they bid.
See It at RADwood
The M5 will be on public display at the Hagerty tent at RADwood in the Gold Bar Hangar on Saturday, October 24 from 4 to 8 p.m. Admission is free, so anyone near the event can check it out in person before the auction closes three days later.
E28 M5 values have been climbing for years, and a documented, well-kept car at a $1,000 opening bid is a chance to get in on the ground floor of the bidding. For another BMW from the same era headed to auction, see our look at the penultimate BMW M1 heading to Zürich, and for another Hagerty Marketplace find, check out the Tangerine 1969 Porsche 912 five-speed.
