Everyone car enthusiast is a big fan of car chase scenes in movies. In fact, a good car chase scene can be the entire reason I see a movie sometimes. Some of the best include movies like Bullit, the original Italian Drive and Ronin. Though Ronin is one of my all-time favorites, and could possibly be my favorite, as it features my favorite type of cars — ’80s/’90s German sport sedans — and Robert De Niro, of course.
I just recently watched a newcomer to the classic car chase list — Baby Driver. It features some of the best choreographed car chase scenes in movie history and is one of the most exciting. What’s even more impressive is that it has multiple car scenes, all of which feature humble cars, such as a Subaru WRX, Chevy Avalanche and even a Saturn Ion. And it got me thinking, what car would I choose to use as my getaway car?
Well, the answer was quickly narrowed down to one of two different eras of the same model, the E28 BMW M5 and E39 BMW M5. Both of which check every single one of my Getaway Car Boxes. They’re both fast, handle well, can fit people/loot and are both surprisingly inconspicuous. In fact, only car enthusiasts can pick them out from a crowd.
But picking two is cheating, so I had to narrow it down to one. Having to choose just one, I’d have to go with the E39 BMW M5.
The E39 M5 is the perfect getaway car in my eyes. Its 4.9 liter naturally-aspirated V8 makes 394 hp (which is 400 hp by Nico maths), all of which is sent through a proper six-speed manual gearbox and to the rear wheels only. It can get from 0-6o mph in 4.8 seconds. While that’s not anywhere near as fast as modern performance sedans, it’s far fast enough to outrun the fuzz and any baddies who you might be chasing.
It’s also one of the best handling sedans in the history of the automobile. Not many performance sedans provide such a good balance of sharp handling, supple ride comfort and a controlled chassis. It’s the sort of car that can be driven incredible hard on normal roads and not be upset by the imperfections of public pavement.
Most importantly, though, it’s barely noticeable. Aside from its quad exhausts, it’s nigh impossible to pick one out from a crowd of cars, without being a genuine BMW enthusiast. A de-badged E39 M5 would look like any other old BMW to whoever’s chasing you. So when the heat is off, it can quickly blend right back into traffic.
What would be your perfect BMW getaway car?
