German Car Forum

These days BMW's M division is pretty busy, cranking out all manner of sport-tuned models in every form. You can get an M3 as a coupe, convertible or sedan, the M5 in sedan or wagon form, and the M6 as either a coupe or a convertible, in addition to M versions of the Z4. But back in the late '80s, the selection of M cars was much more limited. Not that the engineers in the sporting division weren't trying, though. Case in point is this M5 cabrio prototype that almost made it into production, but was canceled at the last minute.
Starting with an E34-generation M5 sedan, engineers in Munich chopped off the roof, strengthened the chassis and replaced the four doors with two longer ones. (If you think the idea is entirely absurd, just look at the Audi A4 cabrio and its quattro GmbH-tuned versions.) The resulting M5 convertible prototype was actually scheduled to debut at the 1989 Geneva Motor Show and even priced at £50k for the British market, but fearing that its addition to the BMW line-up would create demand for a conventional 5-series convertible and subsequently harm sales of the existing 3-series cabrio, BMW executives decided to kill the project. Only one prototype of the M5 convertible was made bearing ZS license plates from the BMW Individual program, as you can see in the gallery below.
autoblog

^ Man ...what a beautiful car.

Oh no if we make this, people might want a regular 5 series convertable which would take away sales of the 3 series convertable. We can't risk people wanting a more expensive car.

Well since they cancelled this they should have given us an 8-Series convertible, that would have been exactly what the 8-Series needed.

M

Exactly.

It's suprisingly beautiful for a car which wasn't designed with "curves and soft lines" in mind. I think the fact that it's 2 doors also just makes it all the more better.

Someone tell BMW to get their butts to this person's car and study it to make a 5er Cabrio. I think there would be enough difference between a 5er Cabrio and the 6er convertible... and better to cannabilise your own product than have your competitor eat into it instead.

Nonetheless, enough dreaming... can anyone find more recent photos of this beauty or others like her?

The coupe Eni posted a while ago is even more sexy.

Definitely a car they should have made. It would have given the Mercedes W126 300CE a good run for its money.

Have a link? I missed that.

Gosh i am impressed! I always considered the E34 to be a very beautiful BMW but this cabrio version, is to die for!

Very handsome car. First time I see it.

BMW needed not worry about taking away 3-Series coupe and cabrio sales, all they had to do is price the 5-Series coupe and cabrio like the 300CE coupe and cabrio, i.e. out of the reach of most 3-Series buyers. It would have been a rare and beautiful car like those Benz coupes/cabrios were. Either that or they should have done an 8-Series cabrio.

M

Wow that is beautiful bet it would have been fun to drive as well A current 5-series convertible would be amazing

The current 6-series is based on the 5er. So basically it's a 5-series coupe/convertible.