One man’s legacy to build the perfect BMW E28 M5 – (VIDEO)
Tony Barbagallo is man who loves his BMWs. He has been collecting them for many years now. As a result, he has amassed quite a collection. One of the vehicles in his collection just sold recently.
One of the centerpieces of Tony’s collection is a very special 1988 BMW E28 M5. He came about it in such a special way that seems as though destiny selected him to be the caretaker of this magnificent vehicle.
The M5 that found Tony
Tony learned about the vehicle after talking BMWs one afternoon with some friends. One of them had mentioned about “a perfect BMW E28 M5” that was for sale. Intrigued, Tony called to inquire of the BMW.
After speaking with the seller of the vehicle, the widow of the previous owner, a deal was struck and the car was Tony’s. While cleaning out the vehicle before taking possession, he found a jacket belonging to the previous owner. When giving it back to the widow, she gave it Tony to keep with the car. The jacket remains with the vehicle to this day in its special place.
A complete rebuild and then some
The previous owner had commissioned the vehicle to be restored by Korman Auto Works, a well-known BMW shop in North Carolina. He had intended for the vehicle to be a celebration of his life. Fortunately, he had some time to enjoy the vehicle before his passing.
When the previous owner sent the car to be restored, it wasn’t in need of work. The owner just wanted it to be better. It was taken down to the metal with everything completely removed, rebuilt or replaced. During the rebuild, the previous owner requested some extras, including a Euro bumper conversion and an engine conversion into a 3.8-liter stroker. The result is a stunningly beautiful and powerful example of the perfect BMW E28 M5.
The results
According to Tony, the 3.8-liter stroker motor puts out 380 dynoed horsepower. The engine is very refined so that at lower revs, it is perfectly tame for driving in town. However, “rev it up over 3,500 rpms and the thing runs like a freight train.”
As would be expected, the vehicle is a showstopper attracting attention wherever it goes. Most importantly, it is a fantastic celebration of the previous owners life, his legacy if you will.
