Here’s A Look At The King Of Sweden’s Gorgeous E28 BMW M5 That’s Up For Sale

When you think of cars fit for royalty, what comes to mind? Perhaps the Mercedes 600, or pretty much any Rolls-Royce. Well, if you’re Swedish, royal cars happen to be a little bit more fun than in other countries. Ordered in gorgeous Malachite Green (a color still part of BMW’s Individual extended palette) over black leather, this M5 being auctioned on Bring A Trailer was destined for a special first owner — Carl XVI Gustaf, the King of Sweden.

In addition to being the honorary president of the World Scout Foundation, His Majesty is a certified car nut, with an eclectic collection containing everything from a Porsche 911 GT3 to a 1966 Pontiac GTO that, according to Swedish newspaper Expressen, once failed inspection so thoroughly that the King was threatened with a driving ban. Hey, we’ve all been there.

Carl XVI Gustaf also seems to be a fan of fast BMWs, taking delivery of an M8 in 2020, the latest in a long line of fast BMWs including this one here. Man, what a spec this is. I’m an absolute sucker for green cars with gold wheels, so this exterior color combo ticks the right boxes. One box not ticked by His Majesty was the one for the sunroof, as this M5 is a slicktop car. All the better for structural rigidity.

On the inside, the black buffalo leather has aged well with minimal bolster wear, and the carpets are immaculate. Even the dashboard’s in great shape, a common sore spot for BMWs of the era. Oh, and pretty much everything you can imagine is trimmed in leather, from the dashboard to the steering column. It seems like the King may like his tunes too, as this M5 comes with a trick period-correct Blaupunkt system including some wild-looking parcel shelf component speakers. Mind you, the Blaupunkt isn’t the only radio in this Autobahn-scorching legend — hidden inside the glovebox sits a handy VHF scanner.

It’s a pleasure to see that the King’s M5 has been both well-loved and well-driven over the years, boasting 252,000 kilometers on the clock and a fairly clean underbody. Sure, there’s some light surface rust in places, but the majority of the floorpan area looks tidy. Not bad for a car from a northern climate, and I’m sure any owner seriously interested in getting everything perfect could make quick work of the brown bits with a wire wheel, some phosphoric acid, and a good encapsulating primer or two-part epoxy primer.

This E28 M5 is a real DC91 European model as evidenced by the VIN, but it was allegedly special-ordered with the more smog-friendly S38B35 engine that also came in American cars. As such, it shouldn’t have any trouble being legal in even the most emissions-restrictive of American jurisdictions, although it will have to go through the BAR process in California. Speaking of American jurisdictions, this particular M5 should be easy to register because it’s already in America. Riverside, Calif. to be precise.

With a high bid of $41,000 and six days left on the auction, this very special E28 BMW M5 certainly won’t go cheap, but this is a real test of how much value history adds to a car. Of course, the prettiness of the Euro bumpers certainly helps too. Still, even if this thing cracks the $50,000 barrier, how cool would it be to drive around in the King of Sweden’s M5?

(Photo credits: Bring A Trailer)

Support our mission of championing car culture by becoming an Official Autopian Member.

• This Demonic BMW E21 Has An M5’s 600 Horsepower V10 That Will Probably Kill You

• The Dodge Spirit R/T Was The Fastest Sedan Built In America And Nearly As Quick As A BMW M5: Holy Grails

• The Entire Dutton Amphibious Car Company Is Up For Sale And You Could Buy It

• I Bought This Stately BMW E39 5 Series From Our Secret Designer For $1500 And It’s A Heck Of A Deal

Got a hot tip? Send it to us here. Or check out the stories on our homepage.