Monday is for M: Supercharged 2002 BMW M5

My favorite generation of BMW M5 is, without question, the E39. With that naturally aspirated S62 4.9-liter V8 producing 394 horsepower and 368 lb-ft of torque, the E39 M5 is an honest car, but what happens when you take the S62 to the wild side and supercharge it? It suddenly becomes dishonest in character.

I’m not saying supercharging is a dishonest way of making horsepower; rather, I submit to you that supercharging gives the E39 M5 a dishonest demeanor reminiscent of that clever buddy of yours in high school who showed you the best ways to cheat on tests. You’d rather hang around the supercharged M5 than the stock M5 that insists on crossing its T’s and dotting its I’s. The supercharged M5 insists on dotting its T’s and crossing its I’s because, quite frankly, it doesn’t give a flying f***.

Now that we have examined the character of a supercharged E39 M5, let’s take a look at an M5 throwing 470 horsepower to its rear wheels thanks to the ESS VT1-560 supercharger stuffed under its hood. This car also has undergone a muffler delete — because when you don’t give a rat’s ass, you need a voice loud enough to let the whole world know.