BMW's luxury high-performance saloon, the M5, celebrates its 30th birthday this year. In honor of this, it a special "30 years of the M5" edition of the car as been created. Not only is it the most powerful M5 ever produced, but it is the most powerful production car in the history of BMW.
The M5 debuted at the Amsterdam Motorshow in 1984 and has been through a number of generations, beginning with the E28. The current version, the F10, was used to set a drifting record in 2013 when Johan Schwartz drifted non-stop for 322.5 laps around an 841-ft (256-m) skid pad – that's 51.28 miles (83 km).
When the current edition of the M5 went on sale in 2011, it was the first vehicle to feature the BMW M V8 engine, which takes it from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.4 seconds. The BMW M5 30 Jahre Edition retains its V8 engine, but through refined performance will achieve 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.9 seconds.
The special edition M5 is based upon a standard edition M5 upgraded with the Competition package option, which already increases output to to 575 hp (429 kW). It has firmer spring/damper tuning and lowers the ride-height by 10 mm (0.4 in), aimed at getting the most out of the M5's handling.
The special edition features the same 4.4-liter V8 engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology as the standard edition, but produces 40 hp (30 kW) more, at 600 hp (447 kW). BMW says the increased output has been achieved with a combination of, "tweaks to the engine management and an increase in charge pressure." In addition, the M5 30 Jahre Edition has a peak torque of 700 Nm (516.3 lb.ft), with combined fuel consumption 28.5 mpg (12.1 km/l) and CO2 emissions of 231 g/km.
In the looks department, the 30 Jahre Edition is all silver and black. Black chrome is used to highlight aspects of the car, such as the kidney grille surround, door handle inserts, twin exhaust tailpipes and 20-inch alloy wheels. BMW has also made some changes to the body shape, which the company says result in an "elegantly muscular" look.
Inside, drivers are treated to a 16-speaker surround-sound system with a 1,200-watt Bang & Olufsen Advanced upgrade available as an option. The seats are upholstered in Individual Black Alcantara and Full Merino leather, while the console, door panels and steering wheel boast Alcantara Anthracite trim. The 30 Jahre M5 logo is liberally shown off throughout the vehicle.
If you want to celebrate the M5 with BMW, the 30 Jahre Edition will set you back a minimum of US$138,275. You may have to pull some strings though, only 300 of the vehicles are being shipped worldwide.
Source: BMW
BMW's are nice when new. Though they have a lot of well documented weaknesses. Broken window regulator? Plan on spending $600 per repair. Broken sunroof? $4,000 or more.