Have you heard of the BMW X5 Lemans? I know I haven’t till recently. The BMW X5 Lemans was a first generation E53 BMW X5, but it was a special design powered by a powerful engine -a 700 horsepower 6.0 liter V12 engine from the BMW V12 LMR that won the legendary 24-hour Le Mans in 1999.

For endurance purposes, the engine was detuned to 580 horsepower, but all 700 is unleashed in the X5 Lemans application. The BMW X5 Lemans goes from 0 to 100km/h in 4.7 seconds, and it is “limited” at 311km/h. A massive 720Nm of torque at 5,000rpm is sent trashing through the 20 inch wheels with 275/40 profile tyres at the front and 315/35 profile tires at the rear.

The weight balance is very slightly front-biased at ratio of 51 to 49, but still perfect for a racing car.

The average SUV is mainly used by moms to bring their kids to soccer practice or to do the shopping. Moms don’t look for an exciting drive so most SUVs are on the boring side. Most versions of the X5 are no exception to this rule, except for this one.