The Secret BMW M5 With a VW W10 Engine: Ferdinand Piechs £215k Sleeper
The Secret BMW M5 With a VW W10 Engine: Ferdinand Piechs £215k Sleeper
Imagine this: its the late 1990s. The E39 BMW M5 is busy cementing its legend as one of the greatest super saloons ever built. Meanwhile, over at Volkswagen, Ferdinand Piech – the engineering mastermind behind the Bugatti Veyron and countless other projects – has a problem. He wants to build a rival, but he doesnt have a car to test his radical new engine in.
So what does he do? He takes the enemys car and stuffs his experimental engine under its bonnet.
Thats not a hypothetical. It actually happened. A W10 engine – yes, a ten-cylinder unit arranged in a W configuration – was shoehorned into the nose of an E39 BMW M5. And not just any E39 M5. This was the personal prototype of Ferdinand Piech himself. Now, its coming up for sale, and it could be yours… if youve got a spare £215,000 or more.
The Engine That Shouldnt Fit
Lets get the technical stuff out of the way, because its genuinely fascinating. The original E39 M5 came with a 5.0-litre naturally aspirated V8 – BMWs glorious S62 – producing 394bhp and 369lb ft of torque. That was already a lot of power for the late 90s. But Piechs W10 was also a 5.0-litre naturally aspirated unit, and it made 473bhp and 437lb ft. Thats a massive jump – 79bhp more than the standard M5.
It was paired with a six-speed manual gearbox and sent power to the rear wheels. According to Broad Arrow Auctions, the car offers “a more immediate, unfiltered character behind the wheel than any factory M5 offered.” Thats a bold claim, but considering the traction control, stability control, and ABS systems were all deactivated, its not hard to believe. This thing was raw.
A Secret Project With a Seven-Figure Price Tag
The W10 project wasnt an official Volkswagen initiative. It was something Piech simply asked for. Reports suggest the cost totalled around €2 million. He drove it himself, in secret, and while its a prototype, its said to be properly driveable – not just a museum piece.
Inside, the car keeps most of the BMW interior equipment, but theres an aftermarket d ashboard with no odometer. That means nobody has any idea how many miles its covered. The current owner bought it about a decade ago, drives it regularly (which is exactly what youd want to hear), and had it serviced in 2025.
Only Three W10 Engines Were Ever Built
Heres the kicker: according to Sabine Willeke, one of the engineers behind the project, only three of these W10 engines were ever made. One remains in Germany. One is bolted inside this very M5. And the third will be offered alongside the car as a display piece. Thats it. Three engines. Ever.
So what youre looking at isnt just a modified M5. Its a piece of automotive history – a secret engineering experiment from one of the most influential figures in the industry, wrapped in the body of one of the most beloved performance saloons of all time.
The Auction
Broad Arrow Auctions will handle the sale at their Belgian event next week. The estimate? Anywhere between £215,000 and £300,000 (€250,000 to €350,000). Given the cars unique provenance and the fact that its a one-of-one prototype with a genuinely wild engine, it could go for even more.
Think about it. Youre not just buying a car. Youre buying a story – the story of how Ferdinand Piech, the man who gave us the Veyron, decided to test his pet project in the most German way possible: by taking the competitions best car and making it better with his own engine.
What It Means for You
Most of us will never own a car like this. But theres a lesson here that goes beyond seven-figure auction prices. Sometimes the best ideas come from unexpected places. Piech didnt wait for the perfect platform. He didnt follow official channels. He saw an opportunity, took a risk, and built something that shouldnt exist – but does.
Whether youre a car enthusiast or just someone who appreciates a good underdog story, this M5 serves as a reminder that innovation often happens when you colour outside the lines. And sometimes, the results are absolutely spectacular.
So, if you had the means, would you buy it? Or would you rather have the original, unmolested E39 M5 and keep the legend intact? Either way, you have to admit: a W10-powered BMW M5 owned by Ferdinand Piech is one heck of a conversation starter.
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.
Related Articles
Comments
No comments yet.