The E39 M5 is a contender for the best all-round driving M car BMW have ever made. Just ask anyone who owned one ‘back in the day’ – they’ll mostly tell you that they truly regret selling it. A look at the mileage most of these machines covered in their earlier lives as working cars will tell you all you need to know – most have done moon-and-back mileage with few owners. They’ve aged beautifully, looks-wise, and as a driver’s car they’ve never really been matched – the E39 M5 is as at home on the motorway as it is on the twisty back roads, and let’s not forget, it did years of service as the Ring Taxi at the Nurbergring with the legendary Sabine Schmitt behind the wheel. The passenger compartment is a bright, ergonomically excellent place to be, reflecting BMW’s age-old policy – now sadly binned – of keeping driver distractions to a minimum, focusing on simplicity and reducing driver stress.

You can argue that 400bhp is all you really need, and even by modern standards, the E39 M5 is one quick car. But it also has a truly sublime chassis, is wonderfully communicative, smooth, agile and very chuckable, comfy and cool. Nothing BMW have produced since has really captured the same spirit, with the possible exception of the V8 E90 M3. We think the E39 is ‘peak M5’.

Buying the right E39 M5 is essential, as – believe it or not – some are now over 25 years old. Well maintained examples are the only way to go, as a neglected or uncared-for car will not be a joy to own. Find a good one, and it will be an unadulterated pleasure.

The E39 M5 was launched to much fanfare by BMW as the then ‘Fastest Saloon Car in the World’, and BMW made a great set of short films (using the relatively – at the time -uncharted medium of Youtube), drafting in an all-star cast of celebrities, including Guy Richie, Madonna, James Brown and Clive Owen. Have a look at the Youtube for the commercials (BMW E39 M5 rocket commercial and BMW E39 M5 Madonna commercial), and transport yourself back to BMW’s early noughties purple patch.

This particular E39 M5 comes from a serious collector, who has replaced it with a much lower mileage E39 M5 (in his boyhood favourite colour – Imola red). He purchased this particular car and immediately set about perfecting it, with commendable results. With the addition of a couple of thoughtful modifications/ upgrades – slightly stiffer suspension, custom fit audio/ multifunction head unit, and short shift gearbox – the car drives beautifully, and is a fantastic blend of originality combined with subtle modernisation. As a low mileage, facelift car, in arguably the most desirable colour combo, this E39 is surprisingly rare.

Our technical team have carried out a full inspection and are very pleased with the results – every tiny item we identified has been rectified – we can be sure that even the most discerning buyer will be super impressed with this lovely car. For more information, or to book a visit (by appointment only please) please contact our showroom team