BMW 5-Series

David Wilkins looks at a range whose enduring popularity since 1972 has been a triumph of Olympic proportions

One remarkable feature of Germany's post-War redevelopment was the way that Bavaria transformed its previously pastoral economy by embracing new industries.

One remarkable feature of Germany's post-War redevelopment was the way that Bavaria transformed its previously pastoral economy by embracing new industries.

If there was a year that symbolised Bavaria's arrival in the front rank of German Länder, it was 1972. Munich hosted the Olympics and the Games brought a stunning modern stadium and underground railway to the Bavarian capital.

Combined with the city's attractive old streets, buildings and parks, they represented a distinctively Bavarian blend of tradition and progress -- "laptops and lederhosen" as Edmund Stoiber, the Bavarian Prime Minister, later put it when he touted it as a model for the rest of Germany in his bid for the Chancellorship in 2002.

Nothing better represents Bavaria's idea of itself than BMW -- and 1972 was a vintage year for the car manufacturer, too. Not only did the company build its impressive new headquarters alongside the Olympic stadium, it introduced its landmark 5-series model as well. The 5-series story has been one of success from the beginning: after 32 years and five generations, most road testers have yet to meet a 5-series they did not like.

Top of the tree are the sporty M5s with their near-supercar levels of performance, but even the unpromising 518s used to win the testers over with their refinement, which compensated for their lack of go.

Perhaps as important as the evident quality of the 1972 car was the new system of model names it introduced. Previously, BMW's badging had been a bit of a dog's breakfast. The 5's predecessor was named by engine size -- 1600, 2000 and so on. The largest saloons followed the same system except that the three-litre variant was called the 3.0, not the 3000. The two-door models initially had names based on engine size that were later modified to end in "02".

The simple new three-digit system that the company adopted has been used ever since. The first 5-series was the 520, then, as now, the backbone of the range. This was a five-sized car with a two-litre engine. Simple. In 1975, the successor to the "02" got a lower number, 3, to reflect its smaller bodyshell and engine size dictated the rest.

A year or two on, BMW introduced new big coupes and saloons. Before, the marketing department would have been at sixes and sevens trying to find names: now, the boot badges chose themselves; these models were the 6 and the 7.

What would a buyer of the 1972 520 think if he were transported to 2004 and confronted with today's car of the same name? After getting over the shock of Chris Bangle's controversial styling, he would probably recognise the same great qualities that drew him to the original. There would even be a few pleasant surprises for our time traveller as well.

Back in 1972, the 520 had a four-cylinder engine; now it has the six that is for some the mark of a "real" BMW. And the engine has also grown to 2.2 litres to give it more torque, so the rigorous logic of the 1972 badging system is no longer upheld: the 520 tag has acquired such magic that it cannot be changed, even if it means under-selling the engine size.

Now another German city, Leipzig, wants to host the Olympics. By an interesting coincidence, Leipzig will also become one of BMW's main production sites and is to be trusted with the production of a whole new number range, the 1-series. Unlike Munich, Leipzig probably won't get the Olympics, although if the 1-series emulates the 5's success, that BMW plant will be a great consolation prize.

Leipzig and Germany didn't go for Mr Stoiber's Bavarian Model, but another Bavarian model -- BMW's 5 -- is as popular today as it was in 1972.