E28S M5’s are like a good glass of whine. For the right occasion that is. I had one for last Sunday when I had to travel to Wittlich in Rheinland-Pfalz, a state in the West of Germany. Also the Nurburgring is part of this state that has long since been governed by leftist politicians. Left does not necessarily mean green, especially not with the smell of money.
My main goal were the returning participants of the Europarit who have to follow a strict route during which they have to carry out tasks that determine the overall classifications. This event is not about speed, but more about regularity, precise navigation and a sharp eye for objects that have to be recognized. Since 1994 I have been an official for this event, up until 2001 for the full five days and after 2002 for the first or the last day only. I have used my E34S M5 for my Europarit related trips since 1999, but this year, I preferred the E28S provided the weather is stable and dry. One doesn’t want to mix a good whine with water after all.
With the weather forecast all showing green lights I drove off at around half past seven. The first forty kilometers over the speed limited Dutch highway were used for a gentle warming up before entering Germany where I filled the empty fuel tank in Gronau, just across the border near Enschede. With a working water-temperature gauge, I drove off towards the Oberhausen straight (A31) towards Bottrop. Traffic on this Sunday morning was low, and I could cruise easily between 190km/h and 200km/h. A Dutch registered Volvo V70 tried to follow me during the last few kilometers on the A31, but lost on acceleration.
The A3 towards Cologne went rather uneventful; a few small surprised faces in a Swiss registered Audi A6 3.2FSI when they discovered that they could not shake off that old BMW behind them, but that was about it. For the rest, I cruised between 4500RPM and 5000RPM until closing in on Leverkussen were I turned southwest towards Koblenz. I took it easy up until passing Cologne after which the speed limits were lifted and I entered a lovely highway section were I could cruise at roughly 200km/h for a prolonged period of time. Just before Euslichen, I approached an E46 320d from behind and we both had to brake for another car that changed lane with 140km/h. The driver in the 320d apparently thought that he could shake of that old E28, but he probably missed the M5 badge in the grille as he kept driving in front of me. When the 320d finally reached 180km/h, it moved to the right, after which I passed him with an intimidating soundtrack from the screaming M88/3. I just had enough time to see a glimpse of three very surprised occupants in the E46.
I had a rendez vouz with member Stevie on the B258 between 10:00 and 10:30 so I turned west on the A1 towards Blankenheim and Trier near Bliesheim. Up until now, I just took it easy with two or three full throttle bursts into the 200km/h range. Unlike the E34S, the E28S has a longer diff with a 3,73:1 ratio, and thus does not have the need to rev as high as many S38 engines with the 3,91:1 differential. When I drove through the long right autobahn curve towards the A1, I suddenly noticed a small surge in power at roughly 3200RM. It quickly disappeared once accelerating towards cruising speed of 180km/h till 200km/h when I approached another Audi A6 from behind. Its driver didn’t fancy an old E28 tailing him, but he had no choice other then moving to the right in the end.
Up until so far, everything went well and I almost forgot about the small power surge at Bliesheim. When I left the A1 and entered the B258, the engine still ran fine with the water-temperature gauge just a little left from the middle. But when I approached the rendez-vouz point on the B258, I noticed a slight hesitation between 2000RPM and 3000RPM.
To be continued.
My main goal were the returning participants of the Europarit who have to follow a strict route during which they have to carry out tasks that determine the overall classifications. This event is not about speed, but more about regularity, precise navigation and a sharp eye for objects that have to be recognized. Since 1994 I have been an official for this event, up until 2001 for the full five days and after 2002 for the first or the last day only. I have used my E34S M5 for my Europarit related trips since 1999, but this year, I preferred the E28S provided the weather is stable and dry. One doesn’t want to mix a good whine with water after all.
With the weather forecast all showing green lights I drove off at around half past seven. The first forty kilometers over the speed limited Dutch highway were used for a gentle warming up before entering Germany where I filled the empty fuel tank in Gronau, just across the border near Enschede. With a working water-temperature gauge, I drove off towards the Oberhausen straight (A31) towards Bottrop. Traffic on this Sunday morning was low, and I could cruise easily between 190km/h and 200km/h. A Dutch registered Volvo V70 tried to follow me during the last few kilometers on the A31, but lost on acceleration.
The A3 towards Cologne went rather uneventful; a few small surprised faces in a Swiss registered Audi A6 3.2FSI when they discovered that they could not shake off that old BMW behind them, but that was about it. For the rest, I cruised between 4500RPM and 5000RPM until closing in on Leverkussen were I turned southwest towards Koblenz. I took it easy up until passing Cologne after which the speed limits were lifted and I entered a lovely highway section were I could cruise at roughly 200km/h for a prolonged period of time. Just before Euslichen, I approached an E46 320d from behind and we both had to brake for another car that changed lane with 140km/h. The driver in the 320d apparently thought that he could shake of that old E28, but he probably missed the M5 badge in the grille as he kept driving in front of me. When the 320d finally reached 180km/h, it moved to the right, after which I passed him with an intimidating soundtrack from the screaming M88/3. I just had enough time to see a glimpse of three very surprised occupants in the E46.
I had a rendez vouz with member Stevie on the B258 between 10:00 and 10:30 so I turned west on the A1 towards Blankenheim and Trier near Bliesheim. Up until now, I just took it easy with two or three full throttle bursts into the 200km/h range. Unlike the E34S, the E28S has a longer diff with a 3,73:1 ratio, and thus does not have the need to rev as high as many S38 engines with the 3,91:1 differential. When I drove through the long right autobahn curve towards the A1, I suddenly noticed a small surge in power at roughly 3200RM. It quickly disappeared once accelerating towards cruising speed of 180km/h till 200km/h when I approached another Audi A6 from behind. Its driver didn’t fancy an old E28 tailing him, but he had no choice other then moving to the right in the end.
Up until so far, everything went well and I almost forgot about the small power surge at Bliesheim. When I left the A1 and entered the B258, the engine still ran fine with the water-temperature gauge just a little left from the middle. But when I approached the rendez-vouz point on the B258, I noticed a slight hesitation between 2000RPM and 3000RPM.
To be continued.