Thursday 6th August 2015

BMW M5 25th Anniversary Edition: Spotted

30 Jahre M5s are over £90K; this much rarer E60 25th Anniversary Edition could be a steal in comparison

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Careful what you wish for and all that. If we've been a bit hard on the current F10 M5 for being a tad soulless and aloof you can't blame BMW for playing it safe after its E60 predecessor. A peaky, normally aspirated V10 and hyper-aggressive automated SMG gearbox certainly gave the E60 unmistakeable character. And wallet wilting running costs. Unlocking that 507hp and 383lb ft took some commitment as well, peak torque not coming until 6,100rpm and power 7,750rpm. Rather different from the F10's 501lb ft from 1,500rpm...

Paint similar to 30 Jahre; rest much different

Yesterday we were looking at the 30 Jahre M5, launched last year to celebrate three decades of the super fast 5 Series. 300 will be built globally, the one we drove #1 off the line and undeniably something a bit special. As reflected in the prices being asked - at the time of writing there are two 30 Jahre M5s in the classifieds, starting at £95K. Quite a jump from the £35K starting price for standard F10 M5s. Yes, £35K!

For that you could have something much, much more exclusive though. When the M5's 25th birthday came around in 2010 the E60 was still current and BMW built a strictly limited run of just 25. Well, 27 according to BMW M Registry, 10 of which made it to the UK. This one, #7, originated in that amazing collection of M5s sold in June by CCA auctions where it went for £26,500 including premium. Add your VAT to the latter and call it £27K, the same car now advertised in the PH classifieds for £34K.

Where the magic happens

When you consider good examples of standard E60 M5s make mid to low 20s it looks like someone got a bit of a bargain, this car's exclusivity and one owner/28,000-mile provenance certainly adding to its attractiveness. Add in that moody Frozen Grey matt paint, fully loaded spec and smattering of 25th Anniversary trimmings and if you're after an E60 to savour for the long term this could still represent an attractive choice.

Or if rarity with a touch of usability are more your thing there's a nice looking Touring for sale too; 61,000 miles and £23,500 but sadly not a manual as the listing suggests. Such a thing existed for the US market but never in Touring form, as far as can be ascertained. We'd love to be proven wrong on that one though...

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BMW M5 (E60) 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
Engine: 4,999cc V10
Transmission: 6-speed SMG automated manual
Power (hp): 507@7,750rpm
Torque (lb ft): 383@6,100rpm
MPG: 19.6mpg (NEDC combined - good luck with that one)
CO2: 344g/km
First registered: 2010
Recorded mileage: 28,000
Price new: c. £65,000 (standard M5)
Yours for: £34,000

See the original ad here.

[Source: BMWMRegistry]

 

[Blackbird425]

I'll probably be alone on this one, but I think matt paint jobs look awful

[sc0tt]

Blackbird425 said:

I'll probably be alone on this one, but I think matt paint jobs look awful

I'll agree

[jqhn80]

sc0tt said:

Blackbird425 said:

I'll probably be alone on this one, but I think matt paint jobs look awful

I'll agree

Me too. And I also dislike those wheels, but maybe that's because I've seen too many (replicas?) on previous gen 2litre Z4s.

[anonymous-user]

I have never liked the M6 wheels. I always feel big open wheels need really big discs / nice coloured callipers to work visually.

[loose cannon]

Blackbird425 said:

I'll probably be alone on this one, but I think matt paint jobs look awful

Yep me also, the guy on the bmw stand at goodwood last year was trying to convince me that Matt paint is as durable as normal paint whilst I was looking at the wrecked Matt blue m5 that was already trashed with scratches etc
But regardless of that I think it looks naff and unfinished and overall very cheap looking but each to there own

[jiggawhat2k]

Matt paint feels like a trend that has passed...

[pSyCoSiS]

Totally agree with:

1) Matt Paint looks naff, cheap and tacky

2) Too many replicas mean the wheels don't do it justice (prefer the original 19" they came with)

Out of interest, is this a vinyl wrap from factory or is the paint frozen grey finish?

[Neil E 99]

Blackbird425 said:

I'll probably be alone on this one, but I think matt paint jobs look awful

Seems your far from alone. Its pants.

[Wills2]

Love the matt paint and the wheels, nice car, but expensive and still carrying that "JAHRE" premium despite the authors attempt to say otherwise.

[Shaoxter]

La Liga said:

I have never liked the M6 wheels. I always feel big open wheels need really big discs / nice coloured callipers to work visually.

That's exactly the problem with the M6 wheels.
The discs are big enough but the brake calipers don't look good at all, even if you paint them.

[Axionknight]

A superb machine, but the alloys and paint job are crap - that engine though,

[sidesauce]

pSyCoSiS said:

Out of interest, is this a vinyl wrap from factory or is the paint frozen grey finish?

It's paint. Very difficult to clean as it needs special processes without one buffing the shine back in! Soooo not worth the trouble.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZUzvhhyGR8&ab...

It also has to be repainted by BMW themselves if you scratch it. Apparently.

And this isn't even their most expensive paint finish!

Edited by sidesauce on Sunday 9th August 11:14