BMW E34 : The Crowood Press : 9780719844409 : 0719844401 : 29 Oct 2024 : The BMW E34 5 Series is considered one of the most impressive car designs to come out of the 1980s. The BMW E34 5 Series became the benchmark executive saloon during its eight-year production life, and today enthusiasts still look back on it as one of the high points of the BMW story. The E34 range made its debut in 1988, and built on BMW's growing success in the medium-sized saloon class. From the start, its makers aimed to seize leadership of the market sector from their arch-rivals at Mercedes-Benz, and to that end they developed a sleek, sporty shape and made the car available with a range of 6-cylinder engines. These included highly regarded diesel types, and later there would be an entry-level 4-cylinder as well. BMW kept the E34 range fresh to the very end, through three major eras of production. The first lasted until 1990, and established the range firmly. The second period, from 1990 to 1992, brought 'To