Without a doubt, one of the most beautiful and elegant cars of its time. A competent platform, an engine that makes us drool, a manual gearbox (of course…) and some performances that leave us with a smile on our face. We are talking about the unavoidable BMW M5 E39.
This machine, the third of the noble lineage of the BMW M5 , had almost not to exist. The engineers knew that to design this ultimate machine they would have to set the six-cylinder in-line block aside. Block that equipped the M5 for two magnificent generations and that was now ready to be dispensed. The same six-cylinder that had once souled the M1 was now an obsolete block.
The new M5 needed to set new goals and for that it was necessary to reach a new level of power. The resources of the six-cylinder had been exhausted, it was time to open the “purse strings” and develop a new engine. Action that left the brand's fans disappointed, after all, the straight six was one of the BMW brand images.
The first eight-cylinder M5
The truth is that the chosen V8 engine quickly began to gain fans. A naturally aspirated 4.9 l V8 engine with 400 hp and 500 Nm of torque at 3800 rpm. An authentic European “muscle” that had a huge acceptance in the American market. A bet wins, as the other alternative would be a turbo six in a row, which eventually wouldn't have such wide acceptance.
With the V8, the famous E39 could not only reach 100 km/h in less than 5s but also recovered from 80 km/h to 120 km/h in around 4.8s… in 1998!
With the mechanical issues resolved, dynamically the BMW M5 could not leave its credits in the hands of others. And the Bavarian brand didn't do it for less: the M5 was the first saloon capable of achieving 1.2 g of lateral acceleration. Something that had seemed impossible at first, but we are grateful to mr. Karlheinz Kalbfell, head of BMW's M division at the time, who did not take 'no' for an answer and insisted, until he reached the perfection technically possible at the time.
A car with a soul. And more than a machine: a family, a sports car, an executive, all in one. This is the magic of the M5, capable of satisfying family, friends and even the dog. It's right at the entrance to the house, it's right in the reflection of the shop windows, it's right in the city and in the mountains, on the track or in the parking lot.
Even Madonna went crazy with a…
About "Remember this one?" . It is the section of Razão Automóvel dedicated to models and versions that somehow stood out. We like to remember the machines that once made us dream. Join us on this journey through time, weekly here at Razão Automóvel.