Performance and style combined – the BMW M5 Edition 35 Years.
The BMW M5 has been the example of the performance sports sedan for 35 years, the special edition coming out to mark this will be limited to production of 350 units. Historically the first high-performance sedan combined the dynamics of a sports car with the functionality of 4 doors. The first generation BMW M5 was powered by an in-line 6-cylinder engine from the sports car BMW M1. Now the BMW M5 is the world’s most successful high-performance sports sedan. To mark the anniversary, BMW presents a limited edition – BMW M5 Edition 35 Years – with the most powerful engine in M5 history – 460 kW/625 hp – along with a range of design features. Over time, the driving dynamics level of the BMW M5 has been increasing, and the high-performance sedan has remained faithful to its original concept. As an separate model based on 5 Series, it offers that crucial extra of performance. The high engine power and cutting edge suspension technology harmonized perfectly with the M specific design to optimize cooling and aerodynamic guarantee typical to BMW M5 – top level driving properties, agility, and precision.
35 years anniversary edition is all about M feeling and the exclusive character of the high-performance sports sedan. The starting point for the configuration of the Edition model is by default the BMW M5 Competition, which is even more racing-inspired and performance focused than standard M5. The V8 engine with M TwinPower Turbo Technology, a delivers 460 kW/625 hp and the torque of 750 Nm. Sporty tuned suspension, the all-wheel drive M xDrive system and the Active M Differential in the rear axle connect all that torque to the road. The driving potential offered by the BMW M5 is defined by perfect traction, top-level ride stability, and very precise handling. It does the sprint from standing to 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds, touching the 200-km/h mark after only 10.8 seconds.
The exterior and interior of the BMW M5 Edition 35 Years are as high level as it’s driving ability and performance. High-quality M design features added especially for the Edition model and BMW Individual fittings can easily bring to the vehicle the status of a collector’s item. Its appearance is ensured by the BMW Individual special finish in Frozen Dark Grey II metallic which is pigmented to create a silk matt surface impression. New 20-inch M light alloy wheels were created specially for the Edition model.
The standard calipers for compound brakes are finished in black, carbon ceramic brakes come with calipers in gold. Additionally, to multifunction seats and the BMW Individual Merino trim in black, interior design is featured by the trim finishers in new aluminum carbon structure gold anodized. These finely structured, exclusively shimmering surfaces are present in the area of the instrument panel, the door trim sections and the centre console. Door sill finishers with the inscription “M5 Edition 35 Jahre” and a lasing engraving with the inscription “M5 Edition 35 Jahre 1/350” on the cupholder cover in the center console are further distinguishing marks of the Edition vehicles.
The BMW M5 sits at the top of its segment, the BMW M5 Edition 35 Years provides an embodiment of the philosophy, which the concept of the high-performance sedan is based on. The engine, power transmission, suspension and design of the BMW M5 have always formed a perfectly harmonized package. Engine power delivered across a wide range of engine speed, the car’s agile and safe handling properties, its thrilling dynamics on the race track and its understated style, these are basic characteristics for every M5 across over 3 decades.
Starting with the first generation, the BMW M5 was always very inconspicuous, with an appearance that seemed virtually identical to the regular 5 series sedan. This makes its engine properties even more spectacular. The 6-cylinder engine, taken from the BMW M1 delivered 210 kW/286 hp – 9 hp more than in the legendary mid-engine sports car due to optimized digital engine electronics. “The suspension must always be faster than the engine” – this was the guiding principle for BMW M automobiles at the time, which was why the BMW M5 was given a tightened sports suspension and a high-performance brake system in addition to a reinforced five-speed transmission and a differential lock in the rear axle transmission with a 25 per cent locking effect.
The second generation of the BMW M5 also featured a stylish look: it initially went on the road with an output of 232 kW/315 hp and from 1992 onwards with 250 kW/340 hp. It now included such features as a standard self-levelling suspension on the rear axle to ensure the characteristic balance between race track performance and supreme everyday comfort.
In the third generation of the BMW M5 launched in 1998, the two now typical twin rear exhaust pipes first provided a discreet indication of the model’s outstanding engine performance. In addition, the V8 engine with 294 kW/400 hp now required considerably enlarged cooling air inlets at the front.
The fourth edition of the BMW M5 featured an impressive engine that was even more spectacular than before: a 10-cylinder power unit derived from Formula 1 developed a maximum output of 373 kW/507 hp. In addition, the V10 took the high-revving concept of the M engines to a new extreme – with more than 8 000 rpm and a highly impressive sound.
With the return to the V8 engine in the fifth generation of the BMW M5, 2011 also saw the introduction of turbo technology. Two turbochargers arranged in the V space between the cylinder benches and a cross-cylinder-bench exhaust manifold were the highlights of the high-revving engine with an output of 412 kW/560 hp, whose power was tamed among other things by 7-speed dualclutch transmission and an Active Differential Lock at the rear axle. The sixth and latest chapter of the BMW M5 success story is once again defined by a V8 engine. With the new power unit, output is increased to 441 kW/600 hp – in the BMW M5 Competition to as high as 460 kW/625 hp. For the first time, the intelligent all-wheel drive system M xDrive contributes to ensuring that engine power goes onto the road with maximum supremacy. It introduces a whole new level of driving dynamics and ensures that the latest and most powerful BMW M5 is easy for the driver to control – even when driven in sporty style and at high output levels.perfect example
