The BMW M5 With a Volkswagen Engine
BMW M5
BMW M5•
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A BMW E39 M5 with a Volkswagen engine sounds like an enthusiast’s worst nightmare — until you discover why this unusual machine exists.
Commissioned by Ferdinand Piëch, the experimental sedan reportedly served as a development car for a high-performance engine project and even as his personal transport. Instead of BMW’s familiar V8, it uses a naturally aspirated Volkswagen W10 producing a listed 473 hp and 437 lb-ft (592 Nm). Thankfully, the six-speed manual remains.
The modifications go well beyond the engine bay. A Stack racing dashboard replaces the factory instruments, the odometer is missing, and ABS, traction control and stability control have all been disabled. This was a serious engineering test bed, not simply an extravagant engine swap.
Broad Arrow is offering the car at an estimated €250,000–€350,000 ($280,000–$391,000). The lot also includes a second W10 mounted on a display stand — quite a bonus for an already extraordinary BMW.
Only three complete W10 engines were reportedly built, making this a rare glimpse into an unusual chapter of automotive development.
Would you pay six figures for this experimental M5? Or is the original BMW V8 still the heart of the E39?
