Ultimately, nothing could deny the E39 M5 from its rightful place on the PH saloon throne - but one came mighty close...

A lot has naturally changed over the last quarter of a century. But if the E39 represents the pinnacle of the performance saloon from PH's debut year in 1998, our runner-up - the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio - shows that the fast three-box model is still alive and kicking. Two very different approaches to the super saloon formula, for a multitude of technical reasons - although there are more similarities than you might think. After 25 years, the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree...

This video is presented in partnership with eBay. Shop for motoring parts and accessories here - https://www.ebay.co.uk/b/Motors/bn_70...

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