Within the land the place the V8 engine was virtually born and undoubtedly raised, no overseas carmaker dared enter the ring with out bringing eight cylinders to the struggle. And whereas BMW had lengthy constructed its popularity on silky inline sixes and razor-sharp dynamics, by the mid-Nineties it was clear: if M wished 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 pale 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 easy, silent V8s and Mercedes leaned additional into brute pressure, BMW needed to evolve or fall behind.
The answer? Carry again the V8. In 1992, the M60 arrived in Europe beneath 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 automotive 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 group was dealing with a crossroads. The E34 M5’s inline six had reached its ceiling. Highly effective, certain. 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 automotive ought to carry BMW’s heritage in its powertrain. However instances had been altering. American tastes had been already drifting towards torque-rich, easy efficiency. And M was watching intently.
“We wished to create a sports activities automotive for gents,” stated venture chief Alex Hildebrandt. “And the V8 was a pure selection.”
It didn’t occur in a single day. The interior 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 value and timing. A V8 was the one manner ahead.
What many neglect is simply how shut we got here to lacking out on the E39 M5 altogether. U.S. M automotive gross sales had been slipping. The E34 M5 moved simply 1,476 models right here—barely a blip. BMW NA had even rejected the E36 M3 in its European spec, nervous about value and complexity. The entire M program was on shaky floor.
Then got here the detuned, U.S.-only E36 M3. It was less complicated, cheaper, and crucially—faster to market. American patrons ate it up. The message was clear: there was actual demand for M vehicles, if the formulation 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 wished.
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 a giant displacement V8.
Gone had been the stable lifters and fixed valve changes of previous 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, but it surely delivered immediate torque, lengthy legs, and unflappable composure—precisely what American highways demand.
Matched to a six-speed Getrag guide and a mechanical limited-slip diff, the S62 gave the E39 M5 a twin persona: 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 Collection. It was the tremendous sedan America didn’t realize 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 steadiness—true M automotive steadiness—even with a giant 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,” stated 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 refined aero tweaks, 18-inch M wheels, and simply sufficient aggression to sign intent with out shouting. Inside, the M5 provided heated sport seats, actual leather-based in every single place, and an optionally available two-tone inside that felt correctly bespoke. After which there was the kicker: each U.S. purchaser acquired a complimentary day at BMW’s new Efficiency Middle 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, but it surely was a discount in comparison with the AMG E55 and Jaguar XJR. And it was the one one with a six-speed guide.
Consumers responded. In a number of brief years, the U.S. would account for almost half of whole E39 M5 manufacturing—9,198 of the 20,482 vehicles constructed. Demand outpaced provide. Dealerships had waitlists. For a corporation that had as soon as questioned whether or not People even wished M vehicles, the message couldn’t have been clearer.
The E39 M5 wasn’t constructed for America—however it could as effectively have been. It was the proper storm of efficiency, polish, and practicality wrapped in a physique that aged like positive wine. It gave BMW the boldness to take greater dangers with the M model. It proved {that a} correct M automotive didn’t should shout to be dominant. And most of all, it proved that the best V8, in the best automotive, might flip skeptics into diehards.
As a result of that’s what the E39 M5 did—it didn’t simply conquer America. It transformed it.
