M5 For Sale Soon on BaT - Two Year Restoration of a Barn Find

[gsidman]

This is a heads-up that within a few weeks I will be posting my '88 M5 for auction on BaT. It has gone through a complete restoration, short of an engine rebuild. I am a former Pebble Beach Concours judge and would now rate this car concours ready – exterior and interior rating at least 96 points.

I discovered this car in a garage North of the SF Bay area where it had been parked in 2004. When found, it showed no body rust or damage visible anywhere and the leather, carpets and trunk upholstery were close to perfect, but the dash had multiple cracks. It showed in remarkably good condition overall for its 245,000 miles. The PO had installed oversize E31 850csi front rotors and calipers and the front lowered by 1/2" with oversized adjustable sway bars. The self leveling system had been removed and Bilsteins installed. The PO also installed a 300W ten speaker sound system (Boston Acoustics) with two trunk mounted 15" Fosgate speakers, which have been replaced with new units and crossovers.

Just before the car was parked in 2004, the service records show that it got a new in-tank fuel pump and pump relays, all new water and air hoses, new power steering hoses, a new prop shaft, new clutch and flywheel, rear main seal, and a new starter motor. The prior year the parts replacement included the front control arm bushings, rear sub frame mounts and new motor, transmission and differential mounts.

It has now gone through a complete restoration with a new paint job, new Continental radio, detailing of the engine room, new front rotors, new tires, dry-ice blasting of the undercarriage revealing no leaks or body rust, new parcel shelf upholstery, and installation of the Holy Grail Labs blade fuse kit. The car just came home from a complete evaluation by Bavarian Professionals in Berkeley, CA to repair minor electrical gremlins, install the new windshield with OEM rubber, install the new French stitched German vinyl dash cover, new belts, do a valve adjustment and hot compression test (210,210,205,185,195,215) and replace various suspension bushings and rod ends. The tool kit is complete and rust free. The wheels have been newly restored with Wurth factory silver and the car has all new wheel and body badges. When the valve cover and plenum were removed for the valve adjustment and painting, we noted that the inside of the valve cover, and the valve tray, were pristine with none of the usual old yellow oil shellac. This, and the compression test, leads us to believe that the head was rebuilt before the car was parked, but do not have a confirming invoice.

We have the complete service records up to 2004. I will soon be photographing the car and will post pictures before the BaT listing.

[gsidman]

The M5 restoration web site is now up and running. It contains more than forty photos and the whole story behind the car.
You can view it at: http://m5barnfind.info

[gsidman]

The M5 restoration web site is now up and running. It contains more than forty photos and the whole story behind the car.

You can view it at: http://m5barnfind.info

This '88 M5 has gone through a complete restoration, short of an engine rebuild and undercarriage cosmetics. I am a former Pebble Beach Concours judge and would now rate this car concours ready – exterior and interior rating at least 96 points.

I will post the BaT listing when it goes live.......

[Etip]

Looks great,

Since I don't know the Pebble Beach concourse scene, how is this a 96pt car with an aftermarket stereo (eq, speakers, etc), aftermarket sway bar and strut bar, incorrect tires, Holy Grail fuse box, SLS delete/Bilstein, lowered. What else ? VDO gauges instead of ash tray.
Your ad says the carburetors are pristine, but I'm sure you're aware it's fuel injected.

Again, VERY nice car but bold statement to say Pebble Beach 96pt car.

[muleskinner]

"needing perhaps – sometime in the future – piston rings and big end bearings."

'perhaps - sometime in the future'....sounds like these issues have already been diagnosed. When is "sometime in the future", and what happens if it doesn't get done in the near term? Also, any estimate (M5 owners please chime in) as to how much that little repair will set you back?

[gsidman]

Gents....
Thanks for the good observations. I guess I'll have to back off on the 96 point claim. It was meant to refer to the overall cosmetics, not an attempt at factory originality.

Given the mileage on this car, and despite the fairly good compression numbers, one may safely presume that the block may need attention sometime. However, the bottom end of this engine is notoriously strong but rings do wear. Meanwhile, this car is a hoot to drive and can be enjoyed for some time. I would hope that bidders prefer a rust-free high mileage car that may need engine work in the future, as opposed to a rust bucket with a low mileage engine.

[reesesboot]

Looks like a nice car, but it's a bit pretentious and misleading to hear you try to prop the car up higher than it is by saying you were a 'pebble beach concours' judge, state the car went through "a complete restoration", then throw a vinyl dash cover on it, list 20 year old maintenance items, and suggest those poor leak down numbers are OK without further inspection (I noticed the marketing language is different in this post compared to your website...). Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think those readings suggest a recent (or quality) rebuild.

[milarsky]

Really nice car! Love the paint. As far as the inside goes, the leather needs a complete deep clean, the rugs have 40 years of dirt trapped in them. How in the world is this a 96-point concours car? If it is, my M5 with a full top-end rebuild and slight modifications is a Pebble Beach Concours gold medalist.

I don't mean to come across as harsh, but just wanted to get these points across.

Great luck with the sale!

[Mark40]

Sorry, but in my opinion the word "restoration" is way over used. What you have listed above is NOT a restoration. Refurbishment maybe, but not a restoration. A true concours judge would know the difference.

[V33]

Good luck with the sale...

BTW...I am curious about anyone with "Before and After" pics/videos about interior leather/carpet restoration...mine needs it...I will be scouting previous forum posts...

[milarsky]

Sorry, but in my opinion the word "restoration" is way over used. What you have listed above is NOT a restoration. Refurbishment maybe, but not a restoration. A true concours judge would know the difference.

Agreed. What he has there is a driver refurbishment car. No way on earth is this a full restoration. That said, nice example...

[Etip]

Yeah, he has another post down below (so at least 3) for this car.
I was able to at a glance point out a number of non-stock items that prevent this from being anywhere near a "96 point car".

I agree. It's very presumptuous to try to throw your title around. It also makes me question how good those Pebble Beach judges are if he thinks this is 96 pt

[kojo96]

BAT will determine the value on the car. Fear not, it won't be looked at as a 96 point car...

[gsidman]

The BaT auction on this CA barn find restoration will close at 10:15 this morning. The bidding is heating up and we expect a flurry of exciting activity at the last minute.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1988-bmw-m5-121/

[Mark40]

Yup, true value found..

[Spen]

I'd be disappointed at 36k too but the economy is not good! Sell into strength and buy weakness. I'd say we're neither strong nor weak as hell. So amid grade price was gotten.