BMW BLOG

BMW fans can be an eccletic, inventive bunch when it comes to their cars. In looking at most BMW enthusiast forums, you can easily find a large number of members who have modified their cars in at least some sort of manner. Whether it be short-shift-kits, the addition of Euro bumpers, or aftermarket wheels – BMW owners love to make their own cars unique and pop with personality. Even BMW modifies their own cars from time to time!

One user on MyE28.com decided to really set apart his late 80’s E28 – by turning it what can only be called a M5 CSL. In reading through the posting about the car, owner and forum member Matts Kinnby constructed his Frankenstein E28 for two purposes: to build something unique and to win races. Read the rest of this entry »

The next generation BMW M5 is due out in 2011 and the not-yet released car is already creating huge buzz among BMW fans. But while the new M5 is rumored to bring out some amazing technology, the current E60 M5 is still here and it’s going stronger than ever.

The BMW M5 needs no introduction anymore and everyone acknowledges that the M5 has been, as Mr. Clarkson says also, “the ultimate sport saloon”….well, sedan as we call it here in the U.S. The E60 M5 is powered by the amazing and soon to be phased out, 5.0-liter V10 S85 naturally aspirated engine which produces 500 horsepower and redlines at 8250 rpm. Torque? An impressive 384 lb-ft (520Nm) at 6100 rpm.

Top speed is limited at 155 mph(250km/h). Official numbers show 0-60 mph(0-100km/h) at around 4.5 seconds, but we’ve heard of people that have done better.

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Individual colors are starting to become more and more popular amongst BMW owners. From Ontario Gold Metallic to Laguna Seca and Atlantis Blue, new BMW owners are spending thousands of dollars on some of the most exclusive exterior colors.

At around $5000 a piece, these unique colors are far from being considered inexpensive, but for some of the most loyal and enthusiast BMW fans out there, beauty has no price.

Now add one of these colors to an already amazing car, BMW M5, and you’re getting a gift that many dream of.
Avlnch, a member of M5board, has recently placed an order for an Individual Frozen Grey Metallic BMW M5, the very same color that made its debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show back in September, at that time, on a BMW M6 model.

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Celebrating your 18th, 30th and even 50th birthday is always something special, but what about when you reach 25? Is that a reason to celebrate? Well, it apparently it is by BMW’s standards since the M5 25th anniversary event has turned into a pleasant surprise for all the BMW fans.

The already almighty E60 M5 was the start of this event, but this was no regular M5 and rather a CSL-like vehicle. Now many of you might already start picking on the naming convention, in the end CSL stands for Coupe Sport Lightweight, but let’s look past that and focus on this exciting one-off model.

The radically redesigned and upgraded V10 engine moves up on the capacity scale to 5.5 liters. To accomplish this task, the highly strung, 90-degree unit has been enlarged with a longer stroke. After this revision, the engine needs more air flow that its predecessor and an additional air intake is fitted into the space where usually the front license plate would sit.

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Along with the BMW M5 CSL and the never produced M5 Convertible, BMW unveiled to the journalists another M5 model that “didn’t make it”: M5 E39 Touring. While some photos surfaced on the web in the past, officially, no shots were ever released by M GmbH.

As part of the 25th Anniversary of the BMW M5, a few selected journalists, including our BimmerToday’s Benny Hiltscher, were invited to learn more about the M5 history. As Benny reports, the BMW M5 Touring E39 is powered by a 5.0 liter V8 engine that outputs 400 horsepower and a maximum torque of 500Nm or 368 lb-ft for those of us in the U.S.

Since some of you might wonder why such vehicle didn’t make it into production, we asked around and it appears there were some problems with the rear axle. By M standards, the dynamics of the car would have been acted differently. It was also assumed that the market for such vehicle would be relatively small.

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Well, the BMW M5 E35 Cabrio was indeed built, but it never made it into production. In 1989, Motorsport engineers developed an M5 convertible, with two lengthened front doors and seating for four. It really did come very close to production – a price of 50,000 GBP was agreed, and space was even booked at the Geneva Motor Show. But one week before its intended debut, BMW “killed” it, believing it would have led to a demand for non-M 5 Series convertibles, which might have dented drop-top 3 Series sales.”

Yesterday, in front of numerous journalists, BMW unveiled for the first time the hidden gem: E34 M5 Convertible. To mark the 25th anniversary of the M5 models, European journalists were invited at Nurburgring track in Germany. Our sister blog, BimmerToday, attended the event and captured some exclusive photos of the M5 Cabriolet.

Live virtually all convertibles built at that time, the BMW M5 E34 Cabrio has a soft fabric roof top and it is quite a looker.

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Celebrating 25 years of M5, BMW reveals today at Nurburgring an one-off BMW M5 CSL. Our german editor Benny is on-site and will report more news in the next few  hours.

BMW’s Motorsport division buils a special lightweight version of the current E60 M5. The car is being described by M division’s head of development, Albert Biermann, as “the M5 CSL we never built”.

The almighty 5.0 liter V10 engine has been modified taking its capacity up to 5.5 liters. To accomplish this task, the highly strung, 90-degree unit has been enlarged with a longer stroke.

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Sometimes, the best concepts or ideas come out of sheer necessity. Their is a void and it simply needs to be fulfilled. Then there are those who have a perfectly capable object or means, necessity no longer required, and they dare to question what if? What if we made it better, faster, stronger?….

That idea then becomes an obsession, obsession turns to passion, passion to normalcy and you question the sanity of anyone asking why? Why are you doing this, doesn’t it seem unnecessary? The answer?…. YES! It’s the joy of being able to control unnecessary and make it a reality. Then that “insanity” becomes normalcy again to you and those who surround you that learn of your passion and it becomes standard, a benchmark if you will.

That is what BMW /// M is all about.

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