The third generation of the BMW M5 (E39) was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show in 1998, to go into production later that year at the company’s factory in the town of Dingolfing, on the same production line as the regular 5-series.
The M5 (E39) was initially not to go into production, since BMW did not believe much in it. Alexander Hildebrandt reports that the big heads at BMW had made the decision not to build the M5 E39, but Karlheinz Kalbfell, Carl-Peter Forster and Dr. Wolfgang Reitzle were the ones who decided to put the model into production.
For many, the best generation of the M5 was to sport a six-cylinder in-line engine, but the idea was rejected. The solution of a turbo six-cylinder engine and a naturally aspirated V8 was also on the table, with BMW preferring a 4.9-liter V8 producing 400 hp and 500 Nm of torque.
The car shown is painted in Dakar Yellow, being the only one with this color. Since 2000, the one-owner vehicle has covered just 1,017 km, which is why Bill Jacobs BMW in Naperville, Illinois, is asking $279,977 to part with it, nearly double what its new M5.
Let me remind you that it is powered by a 4.9-liter V8 engine – codenamed S62 – that produces 400 horses with 500 Nm of torque. It weighs 1,795 kg, is rear-wheel drive and has a 6-speed manual gearbox.
Source: www.autoblog.gr
