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Whenever you think you've seen all of the strange automotive creations Russia could conceivably have to offer something like this tire covered 5 series BMW with wings appears to remind you there is no limit to Russian weirdness. More »
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If you park your luxury car stupidly in America it rarely results in anything more than you looking like an idiot. Park your car hanging over onto the sidewalk in Russia? Enjoy your pink E39. More »
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What would you do if you were woke to the sounds of tire squealing and crunching of Bavarian metal? That's exactly what happened to one E39 M5 owner after a drifted-sideways-SUV demolished his garage-parked BMW. More »
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We had our second straight Crack Pipe vote yesterday, with the evil supercharged Chevelle wagon getting a 44% Nice Price vote. Today we're going to stick with the supercharging theme, but in a pricier package. More »
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British car shoppers in the late 1990s, perhaps not predicting the all-encompassing speed-camera network that would one day render their island unsuitable for M5-grade fast driving, probably yearned for the new factory-hot-rod BMW after seeing this ad. But… don't jet cars go a couple hundred MPH faster than a piston machine? More »
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Today's question comes from Davey G. Johnson of all Hüsker Dü shirt wearing people. Davey's point is this: The price of a decent E39 is hovering around $30,000. For that kind of scratch would you rather get almost a decade's worth of someone else's hoonage and melty tires, or step up to the untapped potential of Mitsubishi's soon to be released, baddest assest ever EVO? A couple points to ponder: True the EVO is coming incorrect with a DSG-style do-hickey instead of a friggin' manual. However, Mitsubishi's name for the DSG is "SST." Which warms our old punk rock hearts. Also, commenter Daga will be sad to hear our spies report that the EVO's backseat is a touch on the sardine side. Well? More »
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We knew it going in: expecting any other M5 to compete against the BMW E39 M5 is like asking the Chicago Bears to cover a 12-point spread. No way in hell. But, you know, democracy and all that. Still, many of you expressed quite passionate opinions about the other big M cars. So we figured why not have a runoff for second place? Friends, Romans, Jalopnikers; lend us your clicks: which is the Penultimate BMW M5? More »
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Last week saw the induction of the Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL 6.9 into our rapidly filling Fantasy Garage. While the detractors were loud and squawking, just over 83% of you saw the beauty of a bored-out German bullet train. However, Jalopnik is never one to let the tyranny of the majority drum out the feelings and opinions of the minority. One of the major complaints with the 6.9 write up was the absence of the 6.3. We hear you. In fact, while composing last week's screed, I was quite close to putting the matter to a vote. In the end, I determined that while the 6.3 is indeed an über-hot potato, presented with a choice between the two, any clear-thinking pistonhead would opt for the more-buff 6.9. I will not be making that mistake this week. BMW's M5 is the stuff of legend, dreams and I would argue fantasy. Thematically related to the 6.9 (big engine, four-door saloon), the Bavarians upped the ante by adding serious, sportscarlike handling and (usually) a manny-tranny. Gentlemen — and however many lady friends we've got — an M5 is going into the Garage, please let us know which one. More »
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Nürburgring stalkers caught the upcoming BMW M3 convertible (e93) in what looks to be shakedown testing before making its debut at the Frankfurt show this September. It's sparring with what looks to be the upcoming Lexus LF-A, a matchup we'll likely see on the local interstates by next fall. [M3Post.com] More »
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Today's question comes to us courtesy of master commenter JayP71. And that's all he had to say. We know there are better answers out there, but we'll play it safe and go with an old favorite. A few years back, the neighbors across the street had their house on the market. I was upstairs when I heard a burble. I peaked out my window and parked in their driveway was a bright red E39 M5. My jaw dropped. Just a thing of monstrous beauty. Especially because painted Clinique red the über-sleeper really looked like just another luxury-first BMW. But if you knew what to look for – those tailpipes and fatty meats – the big red car was simply mesmerizing. I quickly ran down and talked the guy's ear off until he let me take it for a spin. And no, he didn't like the house. You? – Jonny Lieberman More »
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Once again, Herr Johnson and I managed to spend five hours arguing with each other over instant messenger. Only this time we were not half-joking about DAF vs. FAF, but rather quite seriously calling each other soulless turds over which legendary German Q-ship is better. In the Ingolstadt corner, weighing in at 3,800 or so pounds, Audi's hyperactive precision machine, the RS 4. And from south of the Black Forest, weighing 150 pounds more and making 26 hp less, the car that God would drive if he drove a car, the BMW E39 M5! Davey said that the RS 4 was numb, had rotten seats and a compromised chassis. I pointed out that the RS 4 is lighter, more powerful, grippier, has a better gearbox and is even more stealth. Plus, the RS 4 handles like a very, very wet dream. He explained how the old M5 has a perfect chassis. I said the RS 4's is more perfect. He called me a jerk. I called him a tool. And then we started talking about the RS 4 vs. an Evo. And then Nash Bridges. So, we have bigger problems. But what do you think? – Jonny Lieberman More »
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My dad's love of classics always bemused me as a child. This was a time of radical leaps in horsepower, performance, styling, every facet of car design, and he was buried in some edition of Pipe Smokers and Classic Jaguar Lovers monthly, with a free anorak with every subscription. He clearly knew nothing... More »
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The next-gen BMW M3's T time (in the NASA sense, natch) is rounding "almost" and headed for "any time now." A proper unveiling will likely take place at the Paris show this September, but more spy shots of the coupe version are afoot at World Car Fans. The photog currently known as Hans G. Lehmann picked up on the new, V8-powered 3-Series somewhere in Munich, where black, 415-hp two-doors sporting roundels and leather bustiers, like the hard-looking ladies who hang out near the Hofbr uhaus, are just part of the local color. More »
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BMW's don't burble. Except for one: the last-generation M5. The instant you fire-up the previous gen Bavarian four-door (codenamed E39), its powerplant burbles with all the subdued menace of a late 60's muscle car. Unlike the M5's American homonyms, the uber-sedan's mellifluous melody doesn't foretell a great deal of sound and fury signifying nothing but straight line acceleration — although there's nothing wrong with the M5 in that department (0 to 60 in 4.7 seconds). This Armani-clad beast can take all its speed and shove itself around a corner like a purpose-built German sports car (did I mention any names?). And it can cruise — yes cruise — at a delimited 186 mph. More »
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