Congratulations to Roadrunner Chapter member Christopher Kohler (IG: @phyverindustries), this week’s Shell Fill-Up Friday winner! Christopher’s Instagram shot of his amazing 1985 Euro-market M5 has won him a $25 Shell fuel card!
Aside from preserving the fuel system with Shell V-Power NiTRO+, the E28 itself has an interesting story. A lot of fans on the BMW CCA Instagram were surprised by its specification as both a 1985 and as an M5, but this is no simple badge- or bumper-swapped car. Rather, Christopher’s car is one of the original run of European M5s, built from 1985 to 1987 (prior to the North American M5 in 1988), and came with the M1-derived (but not identical) M88/3 straight-six.
Says Christopher, “It’s the European version of the E28 M5. The M5 in it’s purest form. Powered by the M88/3 engine, also found in the E24 M635CSi, it came with 286hp and 251 lb/ft of torque. 588 of the left-hand-drive, M88-powered M5s were made for the whole world, so it’s an uncommon car, especially in the US as they were not officially imported here. All of the cars came with a 5-speed manual and a limited slip differential. It was hand-built by BMW Motorsport in Munich. It is Diamantschwarz-Metallic with a black leather interior and it has 142,000 miles.”
Anyone who is a member of an E28 or E24 group on Facebook has probably seen at least one of Chris’ cars, as he’s no stranger to E28s. “I have three other E28s and have owned several others, but this is the first M5 I’ve owned and while I have other special cars, this one was for me, the ‘holy grail.’ I’ve driven North-American M5s and even several Euro M635CSi, but what I’ve found with this car is that it just feels special from the moment you start it up. You get this feeling that these crazy German engineers put this amazing engine in the most unlikely place (a midsize 4-door sedan) and it’s just this incredible combination.”
He’s no stranger to the Club lifestyle, either. “I grew up around BMWs and used to attend Roadrunner Chapter events when I was much younger, so between that and reading Roundel every month when it showed up, I didn’t have to go too far out of my way!”
A perusal through the @phyverindustries Instagram produces some other fantastic vintage cars and events, and it makes sense why. “I’ve met tons of great people through the club. People that I likely would have never crossed paths with if it wasn’t for the CCA. Chapter events like drives or Oktoberfest can also be a great source of motivation for projects.”
Check out Christopher’s Instagram feed here (including some amazing Alpina E28 and M Coupe content). Congratulations again, and thanks for entering!
Want to win a $25 Shell Gift Card?
Every Friday, Shell and the BMW CCA will be awarding a BMW CCA member a $25 Shell V-Power NiTRO+ gift card. For a chance to win, all you have to do is post a picture to Instagram of your car being fueled up at Shell with the hashtags #fillupfriday, #bmwccashell, #fuelrewards, and #shell_ontheroad. We’ll announce the winner on Instagram, Facebook, and BimmerLife every Friday. Good luck, everyone!
