It’s tempting to characterize the traditional flagship cars—the large, top-of-the-line sedans such as BMW’s 7-series and Mercedes-Benz’s S-class—as the ultimate embodiment of brand values. But at Bayerische Motoren Werke, that mantle rests on the M5 and the M3.
Holy Horsepower.
The new M5’s engine won’t tie your ankle tendons to the throttle plate of a 500-hp V-10 as the E60 M5 did a dozen years ago. Nor will it worm its way into your psyche in the same way as the free-breathing 4.9-liter V-8 from the E39-generation car. We’re rapidly moving away from the era when factory hot rods are made using a warehouse’s worth of special hardware.