The E39 M5 wasn't just miles ahead of the 5 Series it was based on, it was miles ahead of everything.

Super saloons were nothing new in the late 1990s. The Lotus Carlton had been around for some time and AMG was already a 'mass-producer' of performance four-doors with the E 36. But in 1998, BMW released a new version of its M5 that would blow the competition away. It was powered by a naturally-aspirated 4.9-litre V8, producing a whopping 400hp, with a faster steering rack, stiffer suspension and a dedicated Sport mode that helped turn the already excellent E39 5 Series into a world-beater. Back then, it was all the car you ever needed. Nearly 25 years later, we find out if that's still true...

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