BMW has unveiled an exclusive special edition version of its M5 high-performance saloon, designed as a last hurrah for the current-generation 5 Series.
Called the M5 Competition Edition, only 200 of them will be built in total with each costing £100,995, a fair bit more than the standard M5 which is priced from £73,985.
For your money you do get a lot more power, though. The car has had the output from its 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 boosted up to 592bhp, a significant gain over the 552bhp standard M5.
Power boosted to 592bhp
As a result, the Competition Edition is markedly faster and can hit 0-62mph in just 3.9 seconds, compared to the standard M5 which takes 4.4 seconds to get up to the same speed.
The Competition Edition also gets the M Competition Package as standard, which lowers the suspension by 10mm and adds an Active M Differential to improve its handling.
It also gets a full list of carbon fibre M Performance parts, which includes a carbon rear spoiler and rear diffuser, plus carbon fibre mirror caps and blacked-out grille bars.
Only 200 will be made
Riding on 20-inch jet black alloys, the M5 Competition Edition is available in a choice of either Mineral White or Carbon Black paint finishes.
Inside, the car gets exclusive carbon fibre interior strips which bear an exclusive Competition Edition logo, plus a plaque which bears the car’s individual number and full Merino Black leather trim.
Standard equipment includes BMW’s heads-up display feature, lane departure warning and heated seats, along with a 1,200-watt Bang & Olufsen surround sound system.
Next-gen M5 due next year
The current F10 generation M5, which was launched back in 2011, is expected to be phased out later this year ahead of the introduction of an all-new model due in 2017.
According to spy shots of prototypes the next-gen M5 will hold on to its V8 engine and rear-wheel drive layout, but is expected to much lighter thanks to heavier use of carbon fibre components.
