TAKE 5.

Until the BMW M5 emerged in 1985, the M535i had been considered the benchmark in the business sedan class. From the moment it was launched, however, the M5 mastered the balancing act between high performance and elegance like no other car had before it. Dispensing with the M535i’s large spoiler – but of course retaining the M logo on the front grille and boot lid – its 3.5-litre inline 6-cylinder produced 210 kW (286 hp), having originally been developed for the legendary BMW M1.

After the success of the first generation, expectations for BMW M5 E34 series were even higher. It took barely any time for all to see that the second generation M5 more than met those expectations. Its free-induction inline 6-cylinder engine developed 315 and later 340 hp – an absolutely incredible amount for this class.

When it was launched in 1998, the BMW M5 E39 set a completely new benchmark for BMW M. It was the first time that a V8 engine with a displacement of five litres had been used, which generated 294 kW (400 hp) and a tremendous torque of 500 Newton metres. This made the E39 the most powerful M automobile in the model range.

From the racetrack to the road: in 2005 the fourth-generation BMW M5 was presented as a sports sedan with a harder edge. This was backed up by its engine – a high-revving, naturally-aspirated V10 producing a remarkable 507 hp. Since Formula 1 was also running with ten-cylinder engines at that time, the M5 E60’s engine blocks came direct from the F1 foundry of BMW.

When it arrived in 2011, the fifth generation M5 heralded a new era for the propulsion of M automobiles. The naturally aspirated V10 engine of its predecessor was history. In its place came a newly developed and turbocharged V8 engine. The power it produced was immense: up to 423 kW (575 hp) in the Competition model.