Within the land the place the V8 engine was virtually born and positively raised, no overseas carmaker dared enter the ring with out bringing eight cylinders to the combat. And whereas BMW had lengthy constructed its repute on silky inline sixes and razor-sharp dynamics, by the mid-Nineteen Nineties it was clear: if M needed to personal the American autobahn dream, it wanted to talk V8.
It wasn’t BMW’s first V8 rodeo. Again in 1956, the Bavarians took a swing at it with the M502, however that engine was extra Previous World opulence than New World muscle. After it light out within the mid-’60s, BMW leaned arduous into its inline six legacy. That technique labored—till it didn’t. As Lexus stormed into the American market with clean, silent V8s and Mercedes leaned additional into brute drive, BMW needed to evolve or fall behind.
The answer? Convey again the V8. In 1992, the M60 arrived in Europe below the hoods of the 530i, 540i, and 740i, lastly hitting the U.S. two years later. However what actually set the stage was what got here subsequent—an M automobile constructed not round a race-bred inline six, however a V8 tuned for the road and engineered to personal the freeway.
And that’s the place the E39 M5’s story begins.
Again at M headquarters in Garching, the crew was dealing with a crossroads. The E34 M5’s inline six had reached its ceiling. Highly effective, positive. However advanced, costly, and more and more outgunned. In the meantime, the lighter and cheaper E36 M3 was proving almost as fast with much less drama—and extra margin.
As work on the E39 M5 kicked off in 1993, two choices sat on the desk: a turbocharged inline six or a naturally aspirated V8. M boss Karlheinz Kalbfell was firmly within the six-cylinder camp, clinging to the concept that an M automobile ought to carry BMW’s heritage in its powertrain. However instances have been altering. American tastes have been already drifting towards torque-rich, easy efficiency. And M was watching intently.
“We needed to create a sports activities automobile for gents,” mentioned undertaking chief Alex Hildebrandt. “And the V8 was a pure alternative.”
It didn’t occur in a single day. The inner debate was fierce—BMW even toyed with a V6, a heresy in Munich. However in the long run, the mathematics received. A brand new inline six wasn’t possible given price and timing. A V8 was the one approach ahead.
What many neglect is simply how shut we got here to lacking out on the E39 M5 altogether. U.S. M automobile gross sales have been slipping. The E34 M5 moved simply 1,476 items right here—barely a blip. BMW NA had even rejected the E36 M3 in its European spec, frightened about price and complexity. The entire M program was on shaky floor.
Then got here the detuned, U.S.-only E36 M3. It was easier, cheaper, and crucially—faster to market. American consumers ate it up. The message was clear: there was actual demand for M automobiles, if the system was proper.
That paved the best way for an M5 reboot that embraced BMW’s new V8 and, deliberately or not, aligned completely with what American drivers needed.
With growth already not on time, the M division needed to work quick. As an alternative of constructing a bespoke race motor, they began with the manufacturing M62 V8 and gave it the M therapy. The end result? The S62—5.0 liters, 400 horsepower, 368 lb-ft of torque, and an urge for food for revs uncommon in an enormous displacement V8.
Gone have been the stable lifters and fixed valve changes of outdated M engines. In got here hydraulic tappets, variable cam timing, and eight particular person throttle our bodies, all overseen by drive-by-wire. It wasn’t a high-strung screamer just like the S54, however it delivered prompt torque, lengthy legs, and unflappable composure—precisely what American highways demand.
Matched to a six-speed Getrag handbook and a mechanical limited-slip diff, the S62 gave the E39 M5 a twin character: docile round city, brutal when pushed. And for the primary time, BMW paired that efficiency with a refined luxurious inside, a discreet exterior, and all of the usability of a 5 Sequence. It was the tremendous sedan America didn’t comprehend it wanted.
What made the E39 M5 particular wasn’t simply its numbers—it was how they got here collectively. The suspension was stiffened, the brakes beefed up, and the chassis tuned by Gerhard Richter himself, the person who’d logged extra Nordschleife laps than most professional racers. The end result was stability—true M automobile stability—even with an enormous V8 up entrance.
“It’s one factor to throw a V8 right into a four-door sedan and make it go quick in a straight line,” mentioned former BMW NA M Model Supervisor Scott Doniger. “However the M5 didn’t really feel like a heavy sedan. The package deal simply labored.”
That package deal included delicate aero tweaks, 18-inch M wheels, and simply sufficient aggression to sign intent with out shouting. Inside, the M5 supplied heated sport seats, actual leather-based in all places, and an elective two-tone inside that felt correctly bespoke. After which there was the kicker: each U.S. purchaser obtained a complimentary day at BMW’s new Efficiency Heart in South Carolina to learn to actually drive it.
When the E39 M5 launched within the U.S. in late 1999, it hit like a thunderclap. At $69,700, it wasn’t low-cost, however it was a discount in comparison with the AMG E55 and Jaguar XJR. And it was the one one with a six-speed handbook.
Consumers responded. In just a few quick years, the U.S. would account for almost half of complete E39 M5 manufacturing—9,198 of the 20,482 automobiles constructed. Demand outpaced provide. Dealerships had waitlists. For a corporation that had as soon as questioned whether or not Individuals even needed M automobiles, the message couldn’t have been clearer.
The E39 M5 wasn’t constructed for America—however it could as properly have been. It was the proper storm of efficiency, polish, and practicality wrapped in a physique that aged like high quality wine. It gave BMW the arrogance to take larger dangers with the M model. It proved {that a} correct M automobile didn’t must shout to be dominant. And most of all, it proved that the appropriate V8, in the appropriate automobile, may flip skeptics into diehards.
As a result of that’s what the E39 M5 did—it didn’t simply conquer America. It transformed it.
