Fantastic Beasts

From the first to the very latest, via the story of one of the breed’s biggest exponents, join us on a journey through the history of the supersaloon

- Steve Sutcliffe

WHO, SPECIFICALLY, PRODUCED THE first super saloon is inevitably a subject of much debate, but the general consensus in the Evo office is that BMW’s E28 M5 of 1985 was the first true-blue, manufacturer-produced super saloon. American hot-rodders may have got there way before by slotting heinously powerful engines into otherwise humble ‘sedans’ since the ’50s, and Jaguar too, with the blagger’s favorite the Mark 2, but for Evo, the family tree starts with BMW.

During the 34 years since, the genre has never looked back when it’s been time to roll the dice once more. Yet while BMW M-badged 5-series cars may no longer be hand-assembled in their own factory, the principles are very much the same. With each passing decade, the M5 has become more powerful, naturally faster and far more sophisticated, with ever-increasing levels of technical complexity introduced with each generation to make it better, some say, and easier to drive. Safer too, despite the output of the average modern-day super-saloon being more than double that of the 282bhp BMW’s Motorsport department extracted from the E28’s M88 straight-six.

The E28 of 1985 is a very different machine to that of today’s F90, but how did we get from yesterday’s original to the now? And who has steered the course of progress along the way?