Nowadays, 400 horsepower in a car is usually considered hyper hatch territory. Audi’s RS3 Sportback has a nearly identical output, and the next-gen Mercedes-AMG A45 is said to go beyond the 400 hp mark.
However, not that long ago some of the hottest vehicles on sale had that much to play with. The BMW M5 E39 is one of them, and has a good old naturally aspirated V8 mounted behind those pretty nostrils, which gave it the ability to sprint to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 5.3 seconds.
The punchy and sonorous lump, combined with great handling and a timeless design have made the E39 generation of the super sedan a sought after ride. It’s one of the best BMW M cars ever, yet for some reason, too many of them have all sorts of aftermarket upgrades that don’t do them justice.
At the other end of the spectrum are those that are still factory fresh and have barely been driven. Those are the ones to go for if you’re in the market for such a car and willing to spend about €20,000 (~$22,700) or more on one in Europe.
As for the example depicted on film below, it’s not stock, as that exhaust system makes it quite loud. We couldn’t tell you if it has any mods in the engine compartment, but what we can tell you, though, is that despite the generous size, it’s one agile ballerina with the right person in the driver’s seat. And it turns out that some cones and a wet asphalt were all this M5 needed to demonstrate its abilities.