Finished in Silver Gray Over Imola Red Leather, this E60 M5 has Been Under the Care of Just Two Owners From New and in Exceptional Shape Throughout.
It’s never easy to follow a legend. When your precursor is known as “the greatest sports sedan ever produced,” it leaves some big shoes to fill. That was the situation the E60 M5 found itself in upon its debut in 2003. The simple, classic E39 styling was replaced by styling that was largely misunderstood initially, being criticized for its over-styling and slightly odd rear end. What people didn’t realize at the time was that BMW’s innovative new design language would set the tone for countless other manufacturers in the future, and now, 20 years later, the E60 M5 is looked upon as a classically good-looking car. In many ways, the E60 epitomizes BMW in this era where they were finding massive success in nearly every segment, and was a moonshot car for them with an interior that offered incredible luxury, and an engine that was like nothing ever put in a production car- let alone an executive sedan.
This 2006 BMW M5 was sold new through Northwest BMW of Owings Mills, Maryland in January of 2006. Finished in Silver Gray, this M5 shows just 35,217 miles at the time of cataloging. The E60 M5 was perhaps the final BMW M car that lived up to the brand’s “Q-Ship” nature- although there were many exterior modifications made to the car that were instantly noticeable to enthusiasts, to the average person sitting in traffic, this car could be mistaken for a 535i with a different set of wheels. That being said, numerous changes were, in fact, made, such as increased track width, which necessitated the need for wider fenders, and both the front and rear fascias were revised with the openings up front expanding for more cooling, while the rear bumper made way for BMW’s signature quad exhaust tips.
The interior on this example is wrapped in beautiful Imola Red which provides a stunning contrast to the gray exterior. Additionally, brushed aluminum was ordered as the interior trim and is seen on the dashboard, center console and door cards. The E60 M5’s interior represents a really excellent point in BMW’s interior design- it is still very classic with the majority of the operations of the car controlled by hard buttons, yet the design is reasonably modern and still looks fresh today. The seats are some of the best ever put into a BMW and offer wonderful bolstering while remaining soft and supple, and the rear seat is spacious enough that you can comfortably fit adults back there for an extended drive.
The true masterpiece of the E60 M5 is the V10 -known as the S85-that sits under the hood. This was one of the very few times in BMW M history, they developed an engine that was not based on any other engine in the brand’s stable. This all-alloy 90-degree 5.0 liter V10 is fitted with four valves per cylinder and individual throttle bodies, producing 500 horsepower at 7,750 rpm and 384 lb-ft of torque at 6,100 rpm. Although BMW claimed a 0-60 mph time of 4.7 seconds, Car and Driver were able to make the run in 4.2 seconds, with 100 mph coming up in just 9.4 and BMW’s electronically limited 155 mph top end was actually more like 190 mph when the limiter was removed. This engine sends power through a 7-speed SMG III single-clutch automated manual gearbox with paddle shifters. The E60 was the first M5 offered with anything other than a 3-pedal manual, but the choice made sense given the car’s expanding appeal among executives and those looking to use the car as a daily driver. Although this gearbox is happy trundling around town, operating much like a standard automatic, shifts could be dialed in on the center console, swapping gears in a staggering 65 milliseconds in full-on track mode.
The E60 M5 stands as the final naturally aspirated M5, and the last of its kind to really push the limits of what was technologically possible as a road car. Although subsequent models may be faster or handle better, the E60 retains much of the raw, highly strung characteristics that were an M5 signature dating back to the first E28. At EAG, we love these cars for their fantastic comfort and shocking performance, with the driver remaining an integral part of the experience.