BMW is celebrating 30 years of the legendary M5 by creating a very limited run of 300 special anniversary edition cars and—surprise—the U.S. market will get 30 of them. The 30th Anniversary Edition BMW M5 will be the most powerful production model BMW has ever offered. It will come in a singular color, with special badging, and the interior will likewise be unique to this edition.
How do you get one? Simple. Be among the first 29 callers to reach BMW of North America’s telephone hotline. And be prepared to lighten your bank account by at least $138, 275.
The first 29 cars of the U.S. shipment of 30th Anniversary Edition BMW M5s will be offered to the first 29 customers who reach the dedicated BMW Customer Relations telephone hotline at 1:00 p.m. EDT, on Wednesday, May 21, 2014. BMW of North America will hold on to car Number 30, and may sell it later, possibly as a special promotion. If you are interested in owning what will surely be one of the most exclusive BMW models ever offered in the U.S., here's how: BMW of North America (BMW NA) will use social media to reveal the phone number for the reservation telephone hotline for U.S. customers to order one of the 30th Anniversary Edition BMW M5s. That phone number will be revealed on BMW of North America's Instagram channel (@BMWUSA) over the five days leading up to May 21, beginning on Saturday, May 17. Each day, in addition to revealing portions of the call-in number, BMW NA will offer fun facts about each of the five generations of BMW M5.
BMW of North America's Instagram channel provides exclusive Ultimate Driving Machine content to an active community of BMW fans and automotive enthusiasts. This audience of nearly 60,000 followers has a clear passion for the M-brand, with M-specific content consistently receiving over 30 percent more engagement than average.
The 29 “winners” of 30th Anniversary Edition BMW M5s will be invited to a special, one-day M Driving School at The Thermal Club, a private motorsports facility in Palm Springs, CA. The event will be held sometime this fall.
With an output of 600 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, it will be the most powerful M5 ever sold and also the most powerful BMW production model ever.
The 4.4-liter BMW M TwinPower Turbo V8 engine from the M5 with Competition Package uses increased turbocharger pressure and engine control module enhancements to obtain an additional 25 horsepower. The addition of a dedicated control module allows the Active M Differential to react sooner and improve the traction when exiting corners.
Capable of 0 to 60 mph in an estimated 3.7 seconds, the 30th Anniversary Edition BMW M5 adds improved M-specific Servotronic and M Dynamic functions to better handle the increased power and traction.
This special edition M5 comes in Frozen Dark Silver Metallic, one of the BMW Individual colors. It also sports Black Chrome “30 Jahre M5” (German for 30 years of the M5) badges, appearing on the kidney grille surrounds, front fenders, door handles, and twin dual exhaust pipes. Finishing off the exterior are 20-inch, bi-color M light-alloy wheels.
The interior also gets special treatment, with “30 Jahre M5” badges and a 1/300 identification number integrated into the Aluminum Trace trim strip on the front passenger side of the cockpit. The M multifunctional seats are covered with a black Alcantara/leather combination and embroidered “30 Jahre M5” badges. The center console and door panels are also covered in black Alcantara, while the headliner features Alcantara Anthracite.
Thirty years ago, engineers at BMW Motorsport GmbH proposed putting the inline six-cylinder engine originally developed for the BMW M1 into the BMW 5 Series Sedan. When BMW actually produced the car, it created the standard for the high-performance sedan market segment and established the foundation for the next four generations of the BMW M5. Each successive M5 model raised the bar. The “30 Jahre M5” now puts that bar where only 29 U.S. buyers can reach it. But at least the U.S. market is getting a share of the special edition—and for those U.S. buyers who don't make the cut, the regular version of the new M5 is also pretty spectacular.—Scott Blazey
