The third-generation BMW M5 is a lovable car all by itself. With a few relatively simple mods, it gets even better.
There was a time when the E39 BMW was an outrageous idea. A sedan with almost 400 horsepower, rear-wheel drive, and a 6-speed manual transmission? How bonkers. Then output numbers in that area became a sort of norm among high-end German sedans…then a memory. Now 400-horsepower in an M5 is laughable, considering the last one had the ability to set loose 560 horses.
To some, time hasn’t dulled the appeal of the late ’90s/early 2000’s M5 (I know I would still love to have one). Matt Farah of The Smoking Tire met up with one of those people, who owns a 2001 version of the ultimate 5 Series. The person who owned it before him installed a few mods on it and he finished the job. Now the 124,000-mile super sedan has coilovers, an aftermarket intake, a sport exhaust system with an X-pipe, and Dinan stage 3 software.
Those are changes to the original formula, but they haven’t ruined the M5’s wonderful balance. The upgraded exhaust sounds fantastic on fly-bys yet doesn’t make too much noise in the cabin, keeping the M5 a performance luxury vehicle. The coilovers allow the car to sit closer to the road (more than an inch lower than stock) and corner flatly while enabling Farah to feel more of its surface through the driver’s seat and steering wheel. The modified M5 still has it, except now it has more of it.
Speaking of more, the next M5 will be another outrageous idea on four wheels, which can be powered all at once if the driver so chooses. Rear-wheel drive will be available on demand, as will the 615 horsepower from its more ferocious twin-turbo V8.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
