BMW
The M5 of 1984 was a very different beast to the limited edition '30 Yahre' incarnation that BMW recently unveiled.
The new car will mark the series' 30th birthday. Offering acceleration that exceeds most Aston Martins - hitting 62 mph in 3.9 seconds - this 595bhp version offers a solid 40 additional horsepower over the standard M5, supplied by its mighty twin-turbo V8.
This 199mph car will be the fastest production BMW available, as well as marking the latest evolution of a car that began life as the M535i, which in the mid-eighties was an impressive vehicle.
Today, however, the 218bhp 3.5-litre six cylinder engine found in the '84 version would fail to stir even the faintest interest from modern-day City boy, hitting 62mph in a yawn-inducing 7.2 seconds.
And even yuppies of the eighties didn't take the series seriously until the arrival of the E28 5-series, which upped the horsepower to 286bhp, followed by the 1989 version which offered 311bhp.
The most recent version of the M5 could put a real dent in the average City man's salary, costing £74,000. But this pales next to the 30 Yahre edition which starts at £92,000. Add a few of the options – such as £7,395 ceramic disk brakes, and a £6,645 M Performance exhaust – and you're breaking the £100k barrier in less time than it takes to hit that dizzying 199mph mark.
It's an impressive vehicle, but if any of our car breakdown cover customers want one, they'll have to move fast – only 30 are earmarked for the UK market.
Breakdown Cover from 
