Spy Shots: 2005 BMW M5 [Archive]

Diablo

March 17th, 2004, 11:53 AM

http://www.thecarconnection.com/images/gallery/6951_image.jpg
Almost immediately after BMW released official pictures of the upcoming 5-Series, spies began seeing the hot M5. Easily identifiable by a new front fascia and larger air intakes, a more aggressive stance, and four huge exhaust pipes, there was no mistaking this for anything else. The 2005 will be pushing 500 horsepower with its all-new 5.5-liter V-10 when it hits the market in 2004.http://www.fantasycars.com/sedans/bmw/bmw_m5_e60.jpg

Diablo

March 17th, 2004, 12:06 PM

http://www.fantasycars.com/sedans/html/m5e60.html
First off, Chris Bangle's BMWs don't much agree with me. They're not awful (ok, they are), but I'm fundamentally a conservative guy who likes conservative cars. What do I know about your fancy flame surfacing and race derived engines? Back in the good ol' days...ok, enough of that, let's get serious: As much as the E60 5-series' exterior might displease you, it's hard to argue with the M5's powerful, muscular stance, and 500 horsepower goes a long way to appeasing a little misplaced anger. The E60 5-series is ugly, but it scores points where it counts:

- My car's faster than yours is.
- Yeah, well, um...mine's prettier!

Case closed. I won't hold you in a wild state of suspense any longer. The M5 will supposedly boast a 5.5-litre F1-derived (that means it redlines at 9000rpm) 500-horsepower V10, driving the rear wheels through your choice of either a six-speed manual transmission or a 7-speed sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With BMW keeping a tight grip on its facts and figures, speculations are about as concrete as next week's weather report: Hopefully this Super Combo Meal Jumbo-Sized engine won't bloat the M5's weight, which would belie any sized power increase. Special suspension components, harder springs and dampers, a modified Active Steering system and a cooler system for its rear differential (aimed at curing an overheating problem in the current car) are all thrown in the deal. Figure an entry fee of about 60-65K British pounds when the sedan, ahem, saloon, hits the market in September 2004, with the Touring (that's wagon to the uninitiated) following in early 2005. Get yourself on that waiting list!