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The E39 BMW M5: Eight Is Better Than Six

BMW Motorsport GmbH didn’t make too many changes to the M5 with the introduction of the E34 in 1988. Although it used an evolution of the E28’s inline-six engine, the second generation took the four-door sedan into a new direction with the Touring, of which 891 were made. The subsequent E39, on the other hand, changed the M5 for the better.
E39 BMW M5 29 photos
Photo: 6onthefloorM5 on Bring a Trailer
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E34 production came to a screeching halt in 1995, the year that gave us Gangsta's Paradise by Coolio, Boombastic by Shaggy, and a few other addictive hit singles that remind us of how old we are. Come 1998, songs like Aerosmith’s I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing and Cher’s Believe were topping the charts. As for BMW Motorsport GmbH, the go-faster division presented their long-awaited successor to the E34 in the guise of the E39.

Presented at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1998, the third-generation M5 caused a bit of a stir by switching from a sixer to an eight-cylinder lump. Codenamed S62 due to its relation to the M62, the naturally-aspirated V8 set the stage for the F10 and outgoing model. The F90 will be replaced in due time with yet another V8-powered M5, albeit with hybrid assistance.

540i and lesser versions were assembled in Dingolfing. The shell of the M5 was transported to nearby Garching, where BMW M assembled it by hand. As you’re well aware from the intro, the Bavarian automaker had no incentives to develop a longroof. Alas, the four-door sedan had to suffice.

Larger than its predecessor, the E39 uses aluminum suspension parts to save a few pounds here and there. Tipping the scales at 1,795 kilograms (3,957 pounds), the V8-engined model is roughly a male adult heavier than the E34. MacPherson struts are present up front, and obviously enough, the rear end of this M5 is a multi-link affair. Custom shock absorbers from Sachs, thick anti-roll bars, stiff springs, and custom wheel bearings are featured.

E39 BMW M5
Photo: 6onthefloorM5 on Bring a Trailer
The rear end’s lower control arms are borrowed from the Touring, and the rear integral link is adapted from the E38-generation 750iL. You know, the full-size luxobarge that James Bond drove in Tomorrow Never Dies. Another particularity of the E39 is Dynamic Stability Control. It’s actually the first M car to be fitted with DSC, which builds on Automatic Stability Control by correcting understeer and oversteer through brake application.

354- and 328-millimeter brake discs are joined by M Parallel Spoke II – a.k.a. Style 65 - wheels. Finished in satin chrome, the 18-inch alloys are 8 inches wide up front and 9.5 inches wide out back. A six-speed manual was the only transmission offered. The Getrag 420G differs only slightly from the Getrag 420G used in the 540i. A limited-slip differential with 25% lockup, a shorter final drive, and a reinforced clutch sums it up nicely.

Looking back, it’s kind of strange to see the M5 offered exclusively with a three-pedal setup. But then again, customer preferences and zero-to-60 bragging rights got us to blistering-quick automatics such as the ZF 8HP. Under the hood of the E39, you’ll find a 4.9-liter V8 based on the 5.4-liter unit of the 540i. The first road-going V8 designed by BMW Motorsport GmbH is also shared with the Z8 roadster and Ascari KZ1 supercar.

Electronically-actuated individual throttle bodies, double VANOS, two air intakes and mass flow sensors, hollow camshafts, and a semi-dry-sump lubrication system are featured. The compression ratio was upped from 10.0:1 for the 540i to 11.0:1 for the M5, and engine management is the duty of a Siemens MSS 5.2 Motronic. A double-catted exhaust allows the naturally-aspirated V8 to sing the song of its people through four exits.

E39 BMW M5
Photo: 6onthefloorM5 on Bring a Trailer
394 horsepower (400 ps) are delivered at 6,600 revolutions per minute. Torque peaks at 3,800 revolutions per minute to the tune of 369 pound-foot (500 Nm). In stock form, the all-aluminum engine spins to 7,000 rpm.

64 millimeters (2.5 inches) longer than the E34, the E39 is equipped with a three-spoke steering wheel that proudly flaunts the M logo at the 6 o’clock position. Stitched with the performance division’s colors, the steering wheel frames a reassuringly simple instrument cluster that includes a 300-kph speedometer, a tachometer, a fuel level gauge, and a coolant gauge. The instrumentation further includes a monochrome liquid-crystal display.

Some E39s were specified with Bruyere Club or Burr Walnut inserts that obviously take away from the sportiness of this model. Unpopular opinion, but faux aluminum suits the M5 better. For the U.S. market, this generation of the M5 came standard with a sunroof as well as satellite navigation.

The E39 left us in 2003. A little over 20,000 units were assembled in total, of which 2,595 were finished in right-hand drive. The U.S. received 9,992 cars, and left-hand-drive production for Europe totaled 7,895 copies.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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