Gott im Himmel! BMW’s 30 Jahre M5 is the most powerful production BMW ever

By Stephen Edelstein Published May 7, 2014

The BMW M5 sports sedan turns 30 this year, and last month the Bavarian brigade hinted that it had a surprise in store for this special time.

That surprise is finally here in the form of the 30 Jahre M5, or 30th Anniversary Edition BMW M5, and it’s definitely worthy of the occasion. Whereas many carmakers are content to make a model “special” with different paint and some extra badges, BMW has done this properly.

For starters, the 30th Anniversary Edition is the most powerful production BMW ever. Its 4.4-liter turbocharged V8 is rated at 600 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, enough to get this four-door sedan from 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds.

Like all previous M5 models, this one contains explosive power in fairly restrained packaging.

The special edition is distinguished by Frozen Dark Silver Metallic paint and 20-inch M alloy wheels on the outside, and a leather and Alcantara-trimmed interior on the inside. There are also plenty of “30 Jahre M5” badges to prevent confusion.

30th Anniversary Edition BMW M5 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Each 30th Anniversary Edition also comes with an invitation to a one-day BMW M driving school event at The Thermal Club in Palm Springs, California.

In keeping with the 30th anniversary theme, only 30 of these special-edition cars will be imported to the United States, with global production totaling just 300 units.

The base price is $138,275, but getting one of the cars will require more than a checkbook.

The first 29 examples (the last will be retained by BMW) will go to customers who reserve them by dialing a dedicated hotline at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 21. That number will be revealed bit by bit on BMW USA’s Instagram channel (@BMWUSA) beginning May 17.

So you have the same chance of owning the most powerful production BMW ever as you do of winning concert tickets from your local radio station.

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Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

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