https://5series.net/information/2005_5_...s_Manual_US.pdf

Look on the cover... has anyone noticed that this looks like a clear US light? It doesn't have the lines like euro...

 

Very often, BMW (and other global car manufacturers) will use the same photos for publications destined for different markets. They also usually (but not always) will have some sort of fine print explaining that photos are for illustration purposes, etc.

In other words, just because the cover shot shows a non-US spec car, it's not supposed to be a big deal (and obviously, most people -- not fanatics like us -- would never even notice the difference!)

EDIT: look at the "Editorial notice" on page 5...

 

It's not that. It's a different headlight. look closer, It has the same turn signal texture as US but it is clear. It doesnt have the lines like the euro version. I haven't seen these.

 

I can't say I can keep track of all the different versions out there (pre-LCI for US, for non-US, LCI for US, for non-US, etc.) but I do think that whatever the photo is, it's likely something that was either used somewhere or it was some early model prototype (used for photography only) that was changed by the time production started. Again, I think this is quite common.

 

I agree I don't think it made it to production but maybe???? I think it looks preety slick myself.

 

I think the amber would detract from the overall "cool" theme on the cover. Refering the warm and cool colors, as warm amber in the middle of the page wouldn't work well for this material. This was clearly a marketing decision based on actute attention to detail.

 

a warm amber actually could balance well with the lights in the background.....