Mind blowing. That’s what I thought of the second-generation BMW M5 in a time when the Ferrari Testarossa still captivated teens watching "Miami Vice." Even though it looked almost indistinguishable from a run-of-the-mill 535i, it had a straight-line acceleration nearing a Ferrari, and only came in a manual. Plus, they were rarer than the Prancing Horses roaming West L.A. But with a starting price of $55,000 (over $90,000 in today’s dollars), owning the sleeper was out of the realm of possibility for decades —t hat is, until a couple months ago, when I drove home a 1991, E34 Alpine White M5.
