BMW celebrates 30 years of M5 with 600-hp super sedan

Wed, 07 May 2014

It's been 30 years since BMW rolled out the first M5, and while displacement and cylinder count may have fluctuated over those past three decades, output has only increased. The first-generation E28 M5 packed a 3.5-liter inline-six with 252 horsepower and 243 lb-ft of torque. The second-gen E34 model that followed added an extra 100 cc (and later 200 more) to produce 310 hp and 266 lb-ft. The E39 followed with a 4.9-liter V8 churning out 394 hp and 369 lb-ft, replaced by the award-winning 5.0-liter V10 in the E60 with its 500 hp and 380 lb-ft before BMW rolled out the latest model with a 4.4-liter V8, its twin turbos making up for the two dropped cylinders and 600 cc of displacement to produce 560 hp and 502 lb-ft of torque. But even that's being left in the dust by the new special edition you see here.

The 30th Anniversary Edition BMW M5 packs that same 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8, but cranks the output up to a nice, round 600 horsepower and a solid 516 lb-ft of torque to go with it. That makes it more powerful, not only than any M5 that's come before it, but also any of its rivals. The Jaguar XFR-S and Audi RS6 Avant (the latter only available as a wagon and not in North America) both lag behind this ultimate of Ultimate Driving Machines; only the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG trumps it on torque (but not on power), with 531 lb-ft in stock form and 590 in the S-Model.

As a result, the 0-60 time drops from a quoted 4.2 seconds in the stock M5 to a scant 3.7 in the 30th Anniversary edition (just one tick behind that twistier E63 S). The special M5 also comes with the Competition Package as standard, as well as a dedicated control module for the Active M Differential, a special Frozen Dark Silver matte finish, 20-inch alloys and black chrome badges. Special badges abound inside as well, where you'll also find black leather and Alcantara upholstery and aluminum trim. There'll even be a dedicated one-day course offered to owners at The Thermal Club in Palm Springs, CA, to further sweeten the deal.

Try not to get too excited at the prospect of owning one, though: BMW will only offer 300 examples worldwide, and only 30 of them will be coming to the United States to be offered at an as-yet undisclosed premium that surely won't deter customers from snapping them all up in an instant. The Bavarian automaker is setting up a dedicated hotline, the number to be released on Instagram five days before orders open up on a first-come, first-served basis on May 21.

THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION BMW M5

- Celebrating the first 30 Years of the legendary BMW M5.
- Most powerful production BMW ever
- Reservation phone number to be revealed on Instagram (@BMWUSA)
- Bonus – one-day M School at The Thermal Club in Palm Springs

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – 6:00pm EDT/3:00pm PDT May 6, 2014. . . BMW announced today a limited run of 30 copies of the new 30th Anniversary Edition BMW M5 for 2015. The BMW M5 "30 Jahre M5" will be produced in a limited run of 300 examples worldwide, and 30 of them will be imported to the United States. With an output of 600hp and 516 lb-ft of torque, it will not only be the most powerful M5 ever sold but also the most powerful BMW production model ever. Starting at $138,275, including destination and handling, the first 29 copies of the 30th Anniversary Edition BMW M5 will be offered to the first 29 customers who reserve it by dialing the dedicated BMW Customer Relations hotline at 1:00pm EDT (10:00am PDT), on Wednesday, May 21, 2014. The 30th copy of the Edition will be retained by BMW of North America, LLC, and may be sold at a later date.

Purchasers of a 30th Anniversary Edition BMW M5 will be invited to a one-day M Driving School at The Thermal Club, a private motorsports facility in Palm Springs, CA.

BMW of North America will engage social media as a platform to reveal the phone number for the reservation hotline for US customers to order one of the 30th Anniversary Edition BMW M5s. That number will be revealed on BMW of North America's Instagram channel (@BMWUSA) over the five days leading up to May 21, beginning on Saturday, May 17. Each day, in addition to revealing portions of the call-in number, will offer fun facts about each of the successive five generations of BMW M5.

BMW of North America's Instagram channel provides exclusive Ultimate Driving Machine content to an active community of BMW super fans and automotive enthusiasts. This audience of nearly 60,000 followers has a clear passion for the M-brand, with M-specific content consistently receiving over 30% more engagement than average.

30th Anniversary Edition BMW M5 offers increased performance
The 4.4 liter BMW M TwinPower Turbo V8 engine from the M5 with Competition Package receives an additional 25 horsepower thanks to increased turbocharger pressure and engine control module enhancements. Elsewhere, the addition of a dedicated control module allows the Active M Differential to react sooner and improve the traction when exiting corners.

Capable of 0 to 60 mph in an estimated 3.7 seconds, the 30th Anniversary Edition BMW M5 adds an improved M-specific Servotronic function as well as an improved M Dynamic mode, prepared to use the full potential of the increased power and traction.

30th Anniversary Edition BMW M5 includes unique styling and interior details

Featuring a Frozen Dark Silver Metallic exterior, part of the BMW Individual palette of hues, the 30th Anniversary Edition BMW M5 is also identified with Black Chrome "30 Jahre M5" (German for 30 years of the M5) badges, appearing on the kidney grill surrounds, the front fenders, door handles and twin dual exhaust pipes. The exterior of the 30th Anniversary Edition M5 is further complemented by 20 inch, bi-color M light-alloy wheels.

"30 Jahre M5" badges are also featured in the interior, with a 1/300 identification number integrated into the Aluminum Trace trim strip on the front passenger side of the cockpit.

A black Alcantara/Leather combination graces the M multifunctional seats which also include embroidered "30 Jahre M5" badges. The center console and the door panels are also covered in black Alcantara, while the headliner features Alcantara Anthracite.

Invitation to Exclusive BMW M Driving School at The Thermal Club

In order to further enhance the M experience with this vehicle, buyers of the 30th Anniversary Edition BMW M5 will be invited to an exclusive one-day track event and M driving school at The Thermal Club in Palm Springs, CA. The event will be held in the Fall of 2014 with more details to follow.

Celebrating five generations of M5.

30 years have passed since a group of engineers at BMW Motorsport GmbH proposed using the inline-6 cylinder engine originally developed for the BMW M1 and fitting it into the BMW 5 Series Sedan, essentially creating the segment defining high performance sedan and setting a foundation for the next four generations of the BMW M5.

BMW Group In America

BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, a strategic design consultancy in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group's global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 Sports Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 338 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 139 BMW motorcycle retailers, 119 MINI passenger car dealers, and 34 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group's sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

By Noah Joseph