BMW unveils Concept M5

 

Auto aficionados the world over still take a sharp breath at the mere mention of the name M5.

Howard Walker - BMW Concept M5

   For the past 25 years, BMW’s ‘wolf in a business suit’ has given sports car lovers an intoxicating mix of scary-fast performance and white-knuckle handling in a family four-door wrapper.

   With the arrival of an all-new BMW 5-series line-up last year, it was only a matter of time before the silk came off a new fifth-generation M5.

BMW Concept M5 - Howard Walker - Palm Beach Illustrated

   And here it is. BMW is calling it the Concept M5 to build some buzz before the production version’s unveiling at the big Frankfurt auto show in September. But essentially what you see here is what you’ll get when the car lands in the U.S. a year from now.

   The really big news is that BMW has finally pensioned off the last M5’s awesome, yet highly-strung 5.0-liter V10 in favor of a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 – developed from the one that motivates the X5M sport ute.

 BMW Concept M5 - breaks - Howard Walker

  And this thing will have more muscle than an entire issue of Men’s Health. Expect 552-horsepower and a thumping 510 lb-ft of torque – a healthy 52 hp and 126 lb-ft more than the outgoing 10-cylinder.

   In addition to the power hike, BMW says that V8-power should make the new M5 25 percent more economical and 25 percent cleaner. Yet it should still be able to scream to 60mph from a standstill in a blistering 4.3 seconds.

BMW Concept M5 - Howard Walker

   BMW is keeping most of the other details close to its corporate chest. But what we know is that it’ll come with a new seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, 20-inch forged alloys, and discreet, though head-spinning carbon fiber body mods.

   Please form an orderly line here. It’s going to be wild.

 

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