BMW's supercar-baiting saloon is 25-years-old.

BMW’s M division is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the iconic M5 super saloon, which was first introduced at the Amsterdam Motor Show in 1984.

The first incarnation of the car was a E28 535i fitted with a modified version of the six-pot engine in the M1, creating what BMW claimed was the world’s fastest production saloon.

See the history of the BMW M5 in hi-res pics

From then BMW has created an M5 version of all of its 5-series models, totaling four generations so far. An estate version of the E34 was the first load-lugging M5 to be introduced. The M5 had six-cylinder engines until the introduction of a V8 in the E39 models but the latest E60 went one step further and introduced a 5-litre V10 with 507bhp.

This doesn’t mean the next M5 will be fitted with a V12 however, with BMW choosing to downsize to a twin-turbo V8.

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