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BMW celebrates 30 years of M5 with 600-hp super sedan

It's been 30 years since BMW rolled out the first M5, and while displacement and cylinder count may have fluctuated over those past three decades, output has only increased. The first-generation E28 M5 packed a 3.5-liter inline-six with 252 horsepower and 243 lb-ft of torque. The second-gen E34 model that followed added an extra 100 cc (and later 200 more) to produce 310 hp and 266 lb-ft. The E39 followed with a 4.9-liter V8 churning out 394 hp and 369 lb-ft, replaced by the award-winning 5.0-liter V10 in the E60 with its 500 hp and 380 lb-ft before BMW rolled out the latest model with a 4.4-liter V8, its twin turbos making up for the two dropped cylinders and 600 cc of displacement to produce 560 hp and 502 lb-ft of torque. But even that's being left in the dust by the new special edition you see here.
The 30th Anniversary Edition BMW M5 packs that same 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8, but cranks the output up to a nice, round 600 horsepower and a solid 516 lb-ft of torque to go with it. That makes it more powerful, not only than any M5 that's come before it, but also any of its rivals. The Jaguar XFR-S and Audi RS6 Avant (the latter only available as a wagon and not in North America) both lag behind this ultimate of Ultimate Driving Machines; only the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG trumps it on torque (but not on power), with 531 lb-ft in stock form and 590 in the S-Model.
As a result, the 0-60 time drops from a quoted 4.2 seconds in the stock M5 to a scant 3.7 in the 30th Anniversary edition (just one tick behind that twistier E63 S). The special M5 also comes with the Competition Package as standard, as well as a dedicated control module for the Active M Differential, a special Frozen Dark Silver matte finish, 20-inch alloys and black chrome badges. Special badges abound inside as well, where you'll also find black leather and Alcantara upholstery and aluminum trim. There'll even be a dedicated one-day course offered to owners at The Thermal Club in Palm Springs, CA, to further sweeten the deal.

BMW M4 Coupe laps 'Ring in 7:52, bests outgoing M3

Comparing Nürburgring Nordschleife lap times is a bit of a black art, especially when looking at times officially set by manufacturers matched against other sources. Driver skill and weather conditions play a huge roll in determining a quality time. Still, it appears BMW fans have reason to celebrate because the new M4 Coupe beat the previous-generation M3 by 13 seconds in a recent test by Germany's Sport Auto magazine.
Sport Auto conducts what it calls the Supertest, where it runs performance cars around the 'Ring and the short course at Hockenheim to create its own database of comparable times. The M4 with a dual-clutch transmission, ceramic brakes and Michelin Pilot Supersport tires managed a quality 7 minutes 52 second lap around the 12.8-mile course, compared to 8:05 from the last M3, according to BimmerPost. The new coupe also beat the magazine's posted times for the Audi RS5 Coupe, which did it in 7:59, and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG with an 8:01, but couldn't quite match the 7:44 set by a 911 Carrera S. Still, BMW must be somewhat pleased with these results of its new 425-horsepower coupe because it posted the magazine's cover and an image of the time on its official M Facebook page.
While the M4 apparently stands up to contemporaries and predecessors, new generations of the AMG and RS models are reportedly on the horizon. In other words, more tests will come.

BMW names new head of M division

BMW's performance division has been run by Dr. Friedrich Nitschke since 2011, developing, among other products, the new M3 and M4. But soon the good doctor will be retiring, and BMW has just named his successor.
Taking Nitschke's place as chairman of BMW M GmbH will be Franciscus van Meel (pictured at right), who until recently served as managing director of Audi Quattro GmbH - the rival outfit that makes Ingolstadt's performance models, including the R8 supercar and RS line of performance models.
Van Meel will join BMW on October 1, presumably to learn the ropes from Nitschke before the 59-year-old executive steps down at the end of the year. Back in January, Audi named Heinz Peter Hollwerweger as head of Quattro GmbH and reassigned van Meel to its Beijing R&D center, a role which evidently didn't suit him as well as creating Autobahn-storming German muscle cars.