BMW M5 30th Anniversary Edition (2014) first official pictures

By Ben Pulman

First Official Pictures

07 May 2014 15:02

BMW is marking the 30th anniversary of the M5 by building the most powerful ever version of its legendary super-saloon. The BMW M5 ‘30 Jahre M5’ has an extra 39bhp from a tweaked version of its 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8, plus there’s a smattering of special trim and anniversary badging, and just 300 will be built.

Apparently ‘this power boost has been achieved through carefully calculated tweaks to the engine management and an increase in charge pressure’. Call it a quick ECU tweak then, which liberates the extra power, and takes the total up from the standard M5’s 552bhp, past the M5 Competition Package’s 567bhp, to 591bhp. Torque is up too, by 14lb ft, to 516lb ft, so now the 0-62mph time takes just 3.9 seconds. That’s four-tenths faster than the standard M5, and a healthy 0.3sec ahead of the Competition Package M5. Fuel consumption (28.5mpg) and emissions (231g/km CO2) are unchanged.

It depends how specific you wish to be. Besides the extra power and torque, this anniversary M5 also features all the Competition Package’s mechanical changes, including firmer springs, retuned dampers, a 10mm ride-height drop, new mapping for the steering, and a specific M Dynamic mode for the ESP.

Besides that, there’s matt silver paint from BMW’s Individual options list, black-chrome trim for the twin kidney grills, side vents and exhaust pipes, plus ‘30 Jahre M5’ badges and darkened 20in alloys. There are more badges liberally applied throughout the interior, including on the sills and (leather and alcantara) seats, and there’s a plaque reminding you your M5 is one of only 300 built – incidentally, each reads ‘1/100’ so everyone doesn’t bicker over 007 and 13 goes unsold. The final touch is an alcantara-trimmed steering wheel.

Prices have yet to be announced, but if BMW UK does secure an allocation of cars, don't expect much change from £90,000.

By Ben Pulman