Today, the E39-generation BMW M5 is seen as both one of the best M5s ever and as the benchmark that today's best sport sedans are still chasing. Much of that reputation comes from the spectacular S62 V-8, it being the first V-8 for BMW in a performance car. The engine was never a no-brainer for BMW, though; at one point, the brand's M division considered shipping the car with a turbocharged straight six.
In a story celebrating BMW North America's 50th anniversary, voices involved in the development of the famed M5 reveal that BMW considered both an inline-6 and a V-6 engine for the M5 before ultimately settling on what would become the S62. One major question was fuel efficiency, as eight cylinders were innately more hungry than six. Another was the brand's long history with six-cylinder engines, which then-current M boss Karlheinz Kalbfell viewed as a vital link between the brand's flagship sedan and its heritage.
E39 M5 project lead Alex Hildebrandt says that the brand ultimately buried the idea, but it cost the brand "two years of development." That led to a late pivot to the S62, which grew to 5.0-liters and gained 900 rpm on its redline versus the existing engine it was based on. Individual throttle bodies and a system to maintain oil levels on both cylinder banks while cornering completed the development of what would go on to become a classic engine for BMW. The same engine was later used in the Z8 convertible.
If BMW had opted for an inline-6 in the E39 M5, that could have remained the standard for performance mid-sized sedans. Instead, BMW introduced a V-10 for its next generation and added a V-8 to its next M3. V-8s have been the standard in most M5s, RS6s, and E-Class AMG models built in the decades since, and competitors from outside Germany like the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing and Lexus GS-F have followed the same trend. Thanks to the 1990s-era M division's choice, we landed on the better timeline.
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