E60 BMW M5 ends production with new record high
07-07-2010, 05:54 AM
#1
Contributors
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 1,986
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The BMW M5 ends its production lifespan with a new record high.
Munich. After being on sale on the global automotive market for five successful years, the BMW M5 has ended its production lifespan with a new record high. The BMW M GmbH produced a total of 20,548 of the charismatic high-performance sports car featuring a V 10-cylinder power unit. The BMW M5 Saloon is accountable for 19,523 of these, with the BMW M5 Touring, which was first launched in 2007, contributing a further 1025 units towards the overall result. This means that even the production figures of the predecessor model, which was manufactured for a period of six years, have been surpassed. The BMW M GmbH sees this record result as a further chapter in the success story of a remarkable automobile, which reaches back as far as the year 1984. 26 years ago we saw the launch of the first BMW M5 ? this also marking the birth of the high-performance saloon segment.
Drive and suspension technology inspired by motor sports combined with the spaciousness and travelling comfort of a midrange saloon car: When the first BMW M5 was launched, this concept brought about an entirely new vehicle category. With M-specific aesthetics and thanks to uncompromising premium quality, the new model was at the same time the first high-performance sports car designed for use in everyday traffic conditions. With the fifth generation of the BMW M5, this combination achieved a level of fascination it had never reached before. A V10 high-revving 373 kW/507 bhp engine, sequential M transmission Drivelogic with seven gears and Launch Control for maximum acceleration from a standstill, variable, engine speed-dependent M differential lock as well as model-specific suspension technology, including Electronic Damper Control (EDC) and a compound brake unit, guarantee the BMW M5?s outstanding performance characteristics. High-quality equipment features, which include innovative driver assistance systems such as Adaptive Headlights and M-specific Head-up Display, underline its premium character.
As an all-round athlete, dominating both the highly dynamic sprint and longer distances, the latest generation, too, is capturing a unique position within the competitive environment. In 2007, the saloon, which was also dubbed by the media as a ?businessman?s express?, was joined by the BMW M5 Touring. This model offered a second body variant that enriched the character of the sports car, which was unrestrictedly suitable for everyday use, with additional facets.
The USA also proved to be the most crucial sales market for the fifth generation of the BMW M Saloon. 8,800 vehicles were sold in the United States. Ahead of the German market (1,647 units), Great Britain and Ireland developed the greatest demand on the European continent with 1,776 vehicles sold. Japan (1,357 units) takes fourth place among the most significant markets for the BMW M5 Saloon, followed by Italy (512). The BMW M5 Touring enjoyed the greatest popularity in Germany (302 units), Great Britain and Ireland (208) and in Italy (184).
A distinctive feature of both models is the 5-litre, ten-cylinder engine with a high-revving concept. The power unit, which was conceived using comprehensive expertise derived from motor sports, develops maximum output at an engine speed of 7,750 rpm, disclosing its unique character in particular through enormous pulling power that remains available across a remarkably broad speed range. Its exceptional position has been underlined by numerous awards. For example, in the years 2005 and 2006, the V10 engine seized overall victory twice in succession at the ?Engine of the Year Awards? as well as first place during each of the two following years in the engine category exceeding a cubic capacity of 4 litres. Even after completion of the BMW M5?s production lifespan, the 10-cylinder engine continues to fascinate in a very special way. The exceptional power unit with identical power output and performance characteristics is currently featured in both the BMW M6 Coupe and the BMW M6 Convertible. The limited BMW M6 Competition Edition offers a particularly elegant way of expressing the high-performance coupe?s superior dynamics. A unique BMW Individual Frozen Grey paint finish and an individual interior design provide the coupe with an exclusive high-quality ambience. The BMW Individual full Merino leather trim is available either in black with light grey contrast seams or in the bi-colour version Silverstone/Black with light grey and black contrast seams. In both cases, the coupe?s individual character is underlined by doorsill trims boasting the ?M6 Competition? logo.
The coupe?s high performance oriented profile is additionally enhanced by modifications to the suspension. Revised tuning of springs, dampers and stabilisers, lowering of the suspension by 12 mm at the front and 10 mm at the rear in conjunction with M forged alloy wheels featuring a double spoke design and a special combination of tyres, result in noticeably optimised lateral and longitudinal dynamics. Management of the suspension systems, the EDC Electronic Damper Control, the track and camber values as well as the characteristic map of the variable M differential lock have been perfectly adapted to match the suspension modifications.
Munich. After being on sale on the global automotive market for five successful years, the BMW M5 has ended its production lifespan with a new record high. The BMW M GmbH produced a total of 20,548 of the charismatic high-performance sports car featuring a V 10-cylinder power unit. The BMW M5 Saloon is accountable for 19,523 of these, with the BMW M5 Touring, which was first launched in 2007, contributing a further 1025 units towards the overall result. This means that even the production figures of the predecessor model, which was manufactured for a period of six years, have been surpassed. The BMW M GmbH sees this record result as a further chapter in the success story of a remarkable automobile, which reaches back as far as the year 1984. 26 years ago we saw the launch of the first BMW M5 ? this also marking the birth of the high-performance saloon segment.
Drive and suspension technology inspired by motor sports combined with the spaciousness and travelling comfort of a midrange saloon car: When the first BMW M5 was launched, this concept brought about an entirely new vehicle category. With M-specific aesthetics and thanks to uncompromising premium quality, the new model was at the same time the first high-performance sports car designed for use in everyday traffic conditions. With the fifth generation of the BMW M5, this combination achieved a level of fascination it had never reached before. A V10 high-revving 373 kW/507 bhp engine, sequential M transmission Drivelogic with seven gears and Launch Control for maximum acceleration from a standstill, variable, engine speed-dependent M differential lock as well as model-specific suspension technology, including Electronic Damper Control (EDC) and a compound brake unit, guarantee the BMW M5?s outstanding performance characteristics. High-quality equipment features, which include innovative driver assistance systems such as Adaptive Headlights and M-specific Head-up Display, underline its premium character.
As an all-round athlete, dominating both the highly dynamic sprint and longer distances, the latest generation, too, is capturing a unique position within the competitive environment. In 2007, the saloon, which was also dubbed by the media as a ?businessman?s express?, was joined by the BMW M5 Touring. This model offered a second body variant that enriched the character of the sports car, which was unrestrictedly suitable for everyday use, with additional facets.
The USA also proved to be the most crucial sales market for the fifth generation of the BMW M Saloon. 8,800 vehicles were sold in the United States. Ahead of the German market (1,647 units), Great Britain and Ireland developed the greatest demand on the European continent with 1,776 vehicles sold. Japan (1,357 units) takes fourth place among the most significant markets for the BMW M5 Saloon, followed by Italy (512). The BMW M5 Touring enjoyed the greatest popularity in Germany (302 units), Great Britain and Ireland (208) and in Italy (184).
A distinctive feature of both models is the 5-litre, ten-cylinder engine with a high-revving concept. The power unit, which was conceived using comprehensive expertise derived from motor sports, develops maximum output at an engine speed of 7,750 rpm, disclosing its unique character in particular through enormous pulling power that remains available across a remarkably broad speed range. Its exceptional position has been underlined by numerous awards. For example, in the years 2005 and 2006, the V10 engine seized overall victory twice in succession at the ?Engine of the Year Awards? as well as first place during each of the two following years in the engine category exceeding a cubic capacity of 4 litres. Even after completion of the BMW M5?s production lifespan, the 10-cylinder engine continues to fascinate in a very special way. The exceptional power unit with identical power output and performance characteristics is currently featured in both the BMW M6 Coupe and the BMW M6 Convertible. The limited BMW M6 Competition Edition offers a particularly elegant way of expressing the high-performance coupe?s superior dynamics. A unique BMW Individual Frozen Grey paint finish and an individual interior design provide the coupe with an exclusive high-quality ambience. The BMW Individual full Merino leather trim is available either in black with light grey contrast seams or in the bi-colour version Silverstone/Black with light grey and black contrast seams. In both cases, the coupe?s individual character is underlined by doorsill trims boasting the ?M6 Competition? logo.
The coupe?s high performance oriented profile is additionally enhanced by modifications to the suspension. Revised tuning of springs, dampers and stabilisers, lowering of the suspension by 12 mm at the front and 10 mm at the rear in conjunction with M forged alloy wheels featuring a double spoke design and a special combination of tyres, result in noticeably optimised lateral and longitudinal dynamics. Management of the suspension systems, the EDC Electronic Damper Control, the track and camber values as well as the characteristic map of the variable M differential lock have been perfectly adapted to match the suspension modifications.
07-07-2010, 05:59 AM
#3
Senior Members
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Westbury LI NY
Posts: 637
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My Ride: 09 M5 (E60) Interlagos blue, Silverstone interior, with cold weather package. Adaptive Xenon headlamps and adaptive brake lights, hud, comfort access. Comfort seats, basically fully loaded.
Amazing machine of its time.
07-07-2010, 09:14 AM
#6
Contributors
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Thousand Oaks, California
Posts: 11,084
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My Ride: 2008 550i Jet Black on Black Leather, SAT with Paddles, Logic 7, Comfort Seats, NAV, Sport Package, PDC, Xenons, Sirius, Trinity 12W LED Angel Eyes, RPi GT Exhaust, M rear spoiler, ACS Roof Spoiler, Tinted Tail Lights, Bimmian Carbon Fiber Pillar Trim, Bimmian Shadow 550i emblem, RPi Scoop, E60 Forum Cling, Mtec bulbs in fog lights, Mtec 2W LED for License Plate Light Bulbs, K&N Filter, Bimmian LED Smoked Side Markers, Blackout roundels, Carbon Fiber Kidney Grills.
Retired Rides - 1989 325i convertible, 1995 M3, 2002 X5, 2005 545i, 2008 X5 (Lemon)
07-07-2010, 10:44 AM
#7
lol so I got one of the 1.025 M5 e61's ever made.
That thing is now more unique than a Ferrari F40 (production of 1337) or a Porsche Carrera GT (1270) will ever be
Now I am feeling special
That thing is now more unique than a Ferrari F40 (production of 1337) or a Porsche Carrera GT (1270) will ever be
Now I am feeling special
07-07-2010, 08:05 PM
#10
Contributors
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: So Cal, USA
Posts: 14,776
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My Ride: 545iSMGSilver GrayAuburn Dakota LeatherLogic 7 Premium SoundSports Package
only 8,800 units sold? seems like a lot more... I see a lot of then on the road...