The first BMW M5, based on the E28 5 Series, made its debut in February of 1984. The original product placement for such a car was that it had the capacity of a sedan but the overall performance of a sports car. It utilized the top of the line 5 series, the BMW 535i chassis and an evolution of the engine from the BMW M1. At its launch, the E28 M5 was the fastest production sedan in the world. 282hp 3.5liter straight-6, 0-100kmh in 6.5seconds and a top speed of 246kmh. It was produced from 1985 to 1988. There was an earlier E12 M535i, but it wasn't officially badged as an M5, which is why it wasn't included here.
The second, was the E34 BMW M5, came out in 1989. It had a 311hp 3.6iter straight-6, did 0-100kmh in around 6.3seconds and had a electronically limited top speed of 250kmh. In 1992 until its demise in 1995, BMW uprated the engine to a 345hp 3.8liter straight-6 and 0-100kmh time tumbled to 5.7seconds in 6 speed manual mode (5.9seconds with the 5 speeder) and the same electronically limited top speed of 250kmh. This one is pretty good and the 3.6liter variant (with its quite unique wheels) was featured in the film Ronin - a must watch for any car enthusiast out there with its car chase galore.
The third, which is still my favourite (as it is, in my opinion, of the 'correct' size for a sports saloon/sedan) and the first with a v8 engine, is the E39 BMW M5. It had a marvellous 4.9liter V8 (which sounds glorious too), made 394hp, 0-100kmh in 4.9seconds and a 250kmh top speed - unlimited it'l do 290kmh. Not many were brought into Malaysia as during the time it was produced (1998-2003), Malaysia had an economic meltdown.
The fourth, the 2005-2010 E60 BMW M5 is more numerous here in Malaysia. The E60 was unfortunate in that it was designed by Chris Bangle who basically bungled what most of us purists would consider a BMW Sedan shape. I know some of you love its styling, but I don't. It wasn't low and lithe (just look at the E60 compared to what came earlier and after it) , did not have slim cabin pillars. It was upright was overstyled everywhere. The selling point for this was the F1 inspired 5.0liter V10 engine as well as its handling (it IS a BMW). It made 500hp, 0-100 in 4.7 seconds and can hit over 300kmh if its 250kmh speed limiter came off. An epic sounding car and with the trend of engine downsizing, there will never, ever be another M5 like this. I'd suggest keeping one's eyes close before getting into it and enjoying the car thoroughly. It came with a 6 speed manual as well as a jerky semi-automatic SMG-III gearbox.
The current BMW M5 was launched in 2011. It is the first M5 that utilised turbocharging, much to the chagrin of BMW M enthusiasts. But with tons of low end torque, it basically added a new envelope to the driving characteristics of the M5, you get tons of torque whereas in the previous versions, you would have to rev the engines for it. But being a very modern twin turbocharged engine, the 4.4liter V8 has all the necessary goodies that allows the engine to rev too. 560hp and 680Nm torque allowing the M5 to hit 100kmh in 3.6seconds (owing to the 7 speed Dual clutch gearbox equipped in it). According to reports, the car, whilst deemed as an improvement, lapped the Nurburgring 3 seconds slower than the E60 M5 which did it in 7minutes 52 seconds. Some say that this is due to the weight, a good 90kg heavier than the E60. 1945kg is really heavy for a super saloon in my opinion. Maybe this is the reason why I still adore the E39 M5 over this latest version of something that started a good 30 years ago. At least it brought back the low slung styling that BMWs must have.
So there you have it, 30 years of the BMW M5. May there be many, many more.
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