BMW CCA sponsor Hagerty has just launched an array of new shows on its YouTube channel, and the first episode of The Next Big Thing With Magnus Walker features a car that’s become an icon not only in the world of BMW, but in the greater automotive community. We’re talking about the E39 M5, and all of the people featured in the video, like Porsche enthusiast host Magnus walker, seem to express a recurring message, including BMW CCA member and E39 M5 owner Ryan Wild. To effectively summarize the sentiment, the E39 M5 represents a high point for BMW, when the brand was as true to its Ultimate Driving Machine mantra as it ever was.
Whether you’re looking to cross a state (or continent) in short time, or unleash its capabilities on a great backroad or track environment, the E39 M5 is just about as good as it gets, and an exceptional embodiment of the modern sport sedan. It’s a product of BMW’s golden age, when the brand was making cars like the E46 M3 and E38 7 Series, among others.
Is the E39 M5 really the next big thing though? It’s certainly at a unique age; not quite old enough to be considered a classic, but fundamental and deliberate enough in its ways that its driving experience comes as a breath of fresh air compared with anything truly modern. It’s got enough of the good kind of electronics to be somewhat reliable compared with something older, but not enough to spoil what it’s like being behind the wheel, like with what some say has happened with subsequent BMWs. It’s a modern classic, and all of that may be true, but over the past few years, we’ve already witnessed a sort of reevaluation of the E39 M5, and prices have have since jumped. Gooding & Company sold the most expensive example to date in Pebble Beach during August of 2018, and if you’re looking for anything comparable in terms of condition, the E39 M5 inventory at Enthusiast Auto Group is your next best bet.
Wherever you stand, there’s little arguing about the exceptional nature of the E39 M5, and Hagerty’s new video offers great commentary and even better footage of one of the best BMW models ever made in action.—Alex Tock
[Photo and video via Hagerty.]
