Standard Looks, 622hp From A Supercharger Conversion,
Bigger Brakes And Better Suspension Certainly Help
Relatively speaking, it’s pretty easy to modify a car and
even adding a shed load of extra power isn’t too hard most of the time either.
But modifying a car in such a way that it complements and highlights its
original features and finer points rather than eclipse them is a far more
difficult affair. That task is even harder when it comes to a car as finely
honed as an E39 M5 and that’s why this Silverstone blue example is so special.
First of all, it’s a lesson in subtlety as aside from the vented bonnet there’s
very little to give the game away that there’s an aftermarket supercharger
lurking under the bonnet that’s helping the S62 V8 make well over 600hp.
Secondly, the conversion has been executed so well that even with the bonnet
open you could be forgiven for thinking it’s a factory special. And just as
impressively, the way it drives suggests the same, too.
BMW M5
That’s quite an achievement and for owner, Tony Chapman,
it’s taken a lot of time and effort to get to this stage. So it seems almost
ironic that considering how far it’s come, buying an M5 in the first place was
never actually planned, as he explains: “I used to have a modified M Coupé that
was actually featured in BMW Car. I had done everything I wanted to it and it
was built to go round a track, but the one thing it lacked was torque. I really
wanted to fit an S62 V8 from an M5 but I couldn’t find one for a good price. So
in a frustrated fit I put the Coupé up for sale, sold it and regretted it
straight away.”
Tony knew he had done the wrong thing but by then it was too
late and there was little he could do. There were no plans in place for a
replacement either, until he received a chance phone call from his friends over
at BMW tuning specialist Evolve Automotive, in Luton. He had become friendly
with the guys since owning the M Coupé and having learnt of Tony’s rash
decision, Evolve had an offer for him that they thought he might be interested
in. “The guys rang me and said they had an E39 M5 there that I should buy. I
had never previously considered owning one before, but they told me it had
aftermarket wheels, brakes, suspension, intakes and an exhaust so it had some
money spent on it but it needed a little TLC and it was cheap.”
The previous owner had apparently used the car regularly but
then replaced it with a newer M5 and didn’t like selling cars, so left the E39
to Evolve to move on. As you can probably already tell from the pictures, Tony
is a stickler for cleanliness and actually valets cars in his spare time, so he
immediately saw the M5 as a good opportunity to treat as a quick turn-around
project to clean up for some short-term fun.
However, being a long-term lover of fast and capable cars,
Tony hadn’t factored in just how good the M5 would be. “I got it for a bargain
price so the idea was to just clean it up and use it over summer. But I never
released how good they were! I instantly loved it. I’m a biker at heart and
love driving so I’ve always had weekend toys, but this is much more practical
and the kids can get in it so they like it, too,” explains Tony.
As with most people, the M5 soon won him over and it didn’t
take long until it had been given a thoroughly good clean, whilst on the inside
he replaced all the trim. He also worked his magic on the little parts, too,
and treated the brakes to a full strip down, repaint and refurbish including
new logos to make them look brand-new again. But with Tony’s love of all things
fast and being friends with the Evolve guys, it didn’t stop there. First of
all, whilst down at Evolve, Tony found himself behind the wheel of an
ESS-supercharged E39 M5 and that’s when things started changing, but not
necessarily in the way you might expect: “I drove it and it was good but it
felt gruff,” he recalls. “I didn’t like the throttle response and although it
was fast I didn’t like the look of the kit either. It was mechanically noisy,
harsh and a little laggy. It wasn’t for me, but I could definitely see the
potential of it.”
BMW M5 interior
Impressed with the performance but not by the installation
and drivability, Tony had an epiphany after driving Evolve’s own supercharged
E92 M3 demo car (featured January 2014). This used a Rotrex supercharger and
developed from Evolve’s design, it was much more to Tony’s liking. Naturally,
it didn’t take long for a plan to start emerging from his two recent
experiences. “I liked the M3’s conversion so much more because it looked
virtually factory under the bonnet and it felt much nicer on the road. I
thought straight away; why don’t we mix the two? I had this cheap M5 that
seemed like the perfect car to develop a kit on and so I kind of twisted the
Evolve boys’ arms to develop a kit for an E39.”
The primary concerns for the guys at Evolve and Tony were to
ensure maximum drivability whilst still giving a standard appearance where
possible. So with a Rotrex supercharger unit in hand, they went about designing
a high quality bracket to mount it. A complex CAD designed three-piece item was
subsequently created that allows the water hose to pass through it to cause less
disruption to the radiator hoses. As Tony’s car was the development car, the
original intentions were also to keep it conservative but that soon changed as
the process went on.
BMW M5 wheel
