One-of-one W10-powered BMW M5 heading to auction
No, you haven’t read that wrong: there’s a W10-engined BMW M5 out there, and you could buy it.
Many regard the E39-generation M5 as one of BMW’s finest moments, with its silky smooth V8 engine and sharp chassis providing the best driving experience of its time in an executive sedan.
But for one executive – specifically Dr. Ferdinand Piëch, famed Porsche and Audi engineer, and Volkswagen Group board member – that wasn’t quite enough, with his team fitting an incredibly rare engine into the super sedan.
With Volkswagen in the middle of expanding its lineup of ‘W’ engines – later most famously the Bugatti Veyron’s W16, and the Phaeton’s W12 – the car giant decided to fit a 5.0-litre W10 into the M5, using BMW’s finest as its own test mule.
Just three cars were built, and this one in particular was used by Piëch as his personal transport during its development, with the car remaining as a drivable prototype.
The 5.0-litre W10 under the bonnet produces 353kW and 592Nm, far more than the 294kW and 500Nm outputs from its factory-fitted 4.9-litre S62 V8.
Power was still sent to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission, though the engine itself ran off a stand-alone ECU, with factory systems such as traction control, stability control and ABS deactivated as a result.
At a glance it appears like any M5 of its generation, finished in Carbon Black Metallic with a black leather interior, though hints of its past life are apparent, with stickers denoting its W10 engine and outputs.
Inside, the interior is also tweaked slightly, with a period Stack dash panel replacing the standard BMW instrument cluster, resulting in there being no odometer reading.
Set to be auctioned on October 9, Broad Arrow estimates the W10 M5 could sell for between €250,000 ($405,000) and €350,000 ($567,500), making it potentially one of the most expensive M5s ever sold if it goes for that price range.
