The 'Man Five': Why the BMW E39 M5 Is Still the Ultimate Enthusiast Sedan
There are cars you admire, and cars you desire. The BMW E39 M5 belongs firmly in the second category. It came from a time when you didn’t have to apologise for building a machine that appealed to something primal — a big, naturally aspirated V8, a manual gearbox, rear-wheel drive, and absolutely no compromise.
Some people call it the M5. Others call it the Man Five. Either way, it’s one of the most beloved performance sedans ever built.
What’s Under the Hood
Pop the bonnet and you’re looking at a 5.0-litre naturally aspirated V8. It produces 400 horsepower and 500 Newton metres of torque. That’s enough to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.3 seconds, with a top speed limited to 300 km/h.
Those numbers are impressive even now. In 1999, they were extraordinary. This was the first V8-powered M5, and BMW made sure it was a proper one — no turbos, no forced induction, just displacement and revs. The engine really comes alive after 4,500 RPM, and the sound it makes is closer to a symphony than an engine note.
The Gearbox Decision That Says Everything
The E39 M5 was available with one transmission: a six-speed manual. No automatic. Not even as an option.
Imagine being the project leader and suggesting an automatic to the board. The response, according to legend, would have been something along the lines of: if somebody wants to drive an M5, they drive it with a manual. If they want an automatic, they can go to Mercedes.
That philosophy simply doesn’t exist in modern car manufacturing. And that’s exactly why the E39 M5 has become so revered.
The Design That Aged Perfectly
Look at it. Two beautifully proportioned kidney grilles. Angel eye headlights. A long, manly line running the length of the body. Round door handles rather than the square shapes that became fashionable later. A subtle boot lip spoiler. Quad exhaust pipes that announce what the car is without shouting about it.
This particular example is finished in a midnight blue that suits the car’s understated character perfectly. In my opinion, the E39 is the most beautiful 5 Series ever designed. It’s restrained, elegant, and utterly timeless.
The only real drawback? The materials used in the boot area deteriorate badly over time, and there’s a very distinct smell that develops — a quirk shared with the E46, caused by all the electronic devices these cars packed in.
Inside the Cabin
The interior is a mix of genuine quality and a few reminders that this was still a 5 Series, not a 7 Series. There are some plastic materials that don’t feel as premium as they could, but the leather seats, leather armrest, and leather gear lever more than make up for it.
You get analog gauges. A navigation system. Climate control. A sports mode. Electric windows. Electrically adjustable seats with memory function. And best of all — an e lectrically adjustable steering wheel, a feature you rarely saw in BMWs of this era outside of M cars.
There are the usual quirks too: cupholders that are almost comically inadequate, a cigar lighter, and an ashtray that rises up when you open it. There’s also a small switch marked “left” and “right” whose purpose remains a mystery to most owners.
The seats are very comfortable. The build quality, despite the plastic, feels solid. And the steering wheel — the facelifted version in this car — has that perfect weight and feel that BMW has since lost.
What It’s Like to Drive
This is where the E39 M5 earns its reputation. From the first few metres, it feels comfortable but sporty at the same time. The throttle response is immediate. The shifts are beautiful. The clutch feel is wonderful — perfectly judged to let you enjoy the car without fighting it.
In fourth gear, cruising along, it feels relaxed and refined. But drop it down a gear, let the revs climb past 4,500, and the character changes entirely. The V8 starts pulling hard, the sound fills the cabin, and you understand what all the fuss is about.
Switch off the traction control, find a good stretch of road, and the car transforms again. The throttle response is so immediate, the power delivery so linear, that it feels genuinely quick — even by modern standards. It only has 400 horsepower, but it uses every single one of them in a way that makes you feel involved in the process.
The brakes feel a little old, admittedly. But everything else — the steering, the chassis balance, the way the car puts its power down — is exceptional.
The Commercial That Made a Generation Dream
There’s a famous BMW commercial from the era where a rocket car is filmed setting a land speed record on a salt flat. At the end, it’s revealed that the camera car keeping pace with the rocket was the E39 M5.
It was a brilliant piece of marketing, and it worked. A generation of children watched that and thought: I want one of those. Many of them now have the money to buy one, which is exactly why prices have been climbing steadily for years.
Why It Matters
Modern M5s are faster. They’re more technologically advanced. They’re more efficient. But they’re also heavier, more complicated, and less connected to the driver. The E39 M5 represents a moment when BMW built a four-door sedan that could genuinely satisfy both the head and the heart.
It’s a car that rewards you for revving it. A car that makes you want to take the long way home. A car that feels like it was built by people who actually loved driving.
Some people argue that nobody wants a V8 anymore, that the future is turbocharged or electric. Maybe they’re right. But listening to this engine sing its way to the redline, it’s hard to understand how anyone could be so cold.
This is a piece of machinery that somebody built for you to enjoy. And if that doesn’t excite you, I genuinely don’t know what would.
Autorius
Mike Brown
Mike Brown – One of those authors who helps readers not get lost in today's news flow. He dives into political affairs as well as world events, social trends, and everyday stories that matter to everyone. The main focus of his work is fact-checking, clear language, and the ability to lay out the key points so that the reader gets a comprehensive and reliable picture of the topic in just a few minutes.
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