The BMW 5-Series E60 isn’t the best-looking generation of the executive car. However, in its most potent form, it featured something truly amazing: a V10 engine, the only one used in an M5.
Shared with the M6 models of the era, the 5.0-liter unit put out 507 PS (500 hp / 373 kW) and 520 Nm (384 lb-ft) of torque. That’s enough to get you to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.7 seconds, and up to a top speed limited to 250 km/h (155 mph).
Now, the example that you’re about to see in action on film below isn’t an M5, but rather a 535d, powered by a 3.0-liter inline-six turbodiesel. Back when it first came out, the mill produced 272 (268 hp / 200 kW) and 560 Nm (413 lb-ft) of torque, and 286 PS (282 hp / 210 kW) and 580 Nm (428 lb-ft) of torque in the facelifted variant.
Also Watch: A Manual BMW M5 E60 Is The Four-Door V10 Screamer You Want
That’s not bad at all for an old diesel-powered car, especially since this particular one has overcome its initial status with a few power upgrades. While we don’t know exactly what these are, so-called Stage 3 mods have allegedly lifted the engine’s output to in excess of 440 PS (434 hp / 324 kW) and 900 Nm (664 lb-ft) of torque.
With its pedal to the metal, the oil-burner took on some newer and much more powerful machines at the drag strip, among them the new F90 BMW M5, as well as the Tesla Model S Shooting Brake.