The jewel in its crown, however, was the engine: BMW’s S62 engine, the high-performance version of the M62. The S62 had previously been used in the E39 (third-generation) M5, as well as the Z8 ...

When asked about the high-performance M5's production rollout, BMW said that the original plan was to build more sedans than ...

The E39 was the best-selling M5 up to this point, with over 20,000 built. It was also the first M5 to be produced on the regular BMW production line. A Touring version was even considered (see ...

BMW typically ... to build the cars at a 2-to-1 sedan-to-wagon ratio, about half the cars coming off the line at the moment have a long roof. Unfortunately, the global success of the M5 wagon ...