The 190 MPH Family Car: How the BMW E39 M5 Became the Fastest Sedan in the World

During the 1990s, speed was all the rage. Everybody and their mother wanted a car that could go fast. It was the era of the McLaren F1, a car that broke the top speed barrier for naturally aspirated machines and, to this day, has never been beaten. And since most cars are going electric or at least forced induction, it’s safe to say it never will be.

But what about normal folks? What about the people who couldn’t afford a McLaren F1? Did we get to go fast?

Thanks to BMW, in 1995, the answer was yes.

The E39 Arrives

The fourth-generation BMW 5 Series — chassis code E39 — was built with one thing in mind: to go fast.

Up until that point, BMW had already made a name for themselves. They had legendary cars like the E30 M3, the M1 Procar, the 3.0 CSL. They even built the motor for the McLaren F1 — engineering that will go down in history as some of the best to ever come from Germany.

But people always forget about the little guys. After the success of the E34 5 Series, BMW realized it was time to move on. They needed to make the next generation of 5 Series, and they wanted to do it with a bang. They wanted the entire world to have a chance to experience going way too fast on public roads and watching that dotted white line turn into a connected white line.

There’s a point at 7,000 RPM where everything fades.

The 540i: A V8 in a Family Sedan

When the E39 originally released in 1995, it was nothing super special at first glance. The highest trim level you could get at the time was the 540i, not the M5 like they had just made with the E34.

But even the base models were something to write home about.

The 540i came with a massive 4.4-litre V8 stuffed into a sedan that weighed only 4,000 pounds. For reference, their main competition at the time — Mercedes — was making cars that weighed in at 4,700 pounds. That’s a big difference.

The motor produced 289 horsepower. In 1995. That’s pretty damn insane. A 2003 Nissan 350Z makes 286 horsepower and feels fast today. Imagine buying that kind of power in 1995, back when the world wasn’t getting all its adrenaline through Instagram posts.

And the best part? Nowadays, you can buy one for around $5,000. In sedan or wagon form. With all 289 horsepower going straight to the back wheels.

Okay, it’s five thousand dollars, the bottom is rusted out, none of the electronics work, it leaks oil.

Shut up and take my money.

The Full Range

If you’re boring or have responsibilities, BMW made more sensible models too.

The 528i came with a 2.8-litre inline-six making 193 horsepower. The 523i had a 2.5-litre inline-six making 170. And the 520i was the slowest but cheapest, with a 2.0-litre inline-six making just 150 horsepower.

Keep in mind, all these cars were rear-wheel drive. So even with 150 horsepower, they were still fun to drive. And because the smaller engines weighed less — the 520i came in at 3,700 pounds — they could be genuinely entertaining.

In 1996, BMW added another version: the 535i. This one was powered by a 3.5-litre V8 making 235 horsepower.

The M5: The Fastest Sedan in the World

But let’s get to the reason you’re here. The saving grace of the E39. A collection of the past 20 years of BMW’s engineering thrown into one four-door package.

The fastest sedan in the world.

The wonderful BMW M5 E39.

When this car came out in 1998, along with a bunch of updates to the older models, it was the fastest sedan in the world. With a top spee d of 190 miles per hour.

That is insane.

In 1998 — two years before the world thought we were going to be in an apocalypse because computers would shut down — BMW made a four-door car that could reach 190 miles per hour.

Let’s think about that for a second. The Ferrari F40, one of the best cars of all time, was only 11 miles per hour faster. The Lamborghini Diablo of the time reached 200 miles per hour at its peak — only 10 miles per hour faster. The 1998 Corvette C5 was 15 miles per hour slower at 175. The Dodge Viper could only reach 180.

A four-door sedan made by BMW was faster than a Dodge Viper.

If you were a dad in the 90s, you could have bought a car to bring the kids to school in and then, on the way home, gap a Dodge Viper. Completely stock.

How They Did It

The way the M5 E39 achieved this was simple: a whole lot of horsepower.

The car came with a 5.0-litre V8 making 400 horsepower, going to the rear wheels. And remember, this car only weighed 4,000 pounds. It also had 369 pound-feet of torque, so it definitely didn’t have trouble getting off the line either.

It was wicked fast.

The Reliability Miracle

Every car has a downside, and when BMW gets creative, they usually do something called self-sabotage. They put massive motors that make crazy power in a sedan, but then they don’t worry about making it actually run. They think they can afford to have supercar reliability in a $50,000 sedan, and it usually doesn’t work out.

Just look at the M5 E60 or the M6 E63. Both amazing cars when they run.

So guess what happened to the E39?

Absolutely nothing.

This car is one of the most reliable BMW M cars of all time. Truly a miracle. Obviously, there weren’t many review websites back in the 90s, so you have to go off people’s personal experience. But everyone says the car was very reliable for them. They didn’t feel like they were driving a supercar that they had to be careful with all the time.

The Handling Problem

The problem with the E39, however, comes in a different form: handling.

It turns out that when you make a long-wheelbase sedan that weighs 4,000 pounds and has 369 pound-feet of torque, it kind of handles corners a little bit poorly. Due to this, BMW never really entered the M5 E39 into any sort of motorsports besides backyard builds.

The only recorded form of professional motorsport was the Italian Superstars Series, which most people have never even heard of.

So obviously, it makes sense why most people don’t talk about this car when bringing up legendary BMWs anymore. They had the M3 at the time, which is what they entered into all the motorsports, and it was doing great. Why take the risk of entering the M5 and ruining your image?

They already proved themselves anyway when the car reached 190 miles per hour.

Why It Still Matters

This car was truly insane. Sure, it didn’t have the best lap times out there, but that’s not why you bought the M5. If you wanted good lap times, you bought the M3. This was for the guy with an adrenaline addiction. The highway warrior. The guy who wanted to show up to the party in style and 30 minutes early.

Even the base models are still cars worth making an entire video over. 286 horsepower in the 540i in 1995 is insane, and you can very easily get that horsepower number up if you wanted to.

The E39 BMW truly is one of the best sedans of the 90s. And in my opinion, one of the best sedans of all time.

And that, my friends, is what makes it so great.