Flying operations were suspended at Weston aerodrome, Co Kildare, last week - to facilitate the take-off of a BMW flying machine. For its Irish debut, the M5 was pitted against a helicopter and BMW's fastest motorbike in a runway speed test.
The M5, powered by a 507bhp 5-litre V10 engine that's Formula One derived, bristles with superlatives. BMW says it has the fastest production changing gearbox around. Designed for a top speed of 330km/h (205mph), the M5 is governed to a more modest 250km/h (155mph). Its 0-100km/h time is put at just 4.7 seconds, while stopping from 100km/h should take 36 metres.
For all that, BMW stresses that the M5 fits easily into everyday driving. "You could say it has a split personality," explains Conrad Schmidt, managing director of BMW Group Ireland, "that of an executive sedan and a high-powered sports model. That's almost literally true. Normal driving operations in the Comfort setting run to 400bhp and, at the push of a button, you're set to discover its real performance form in Sport to the 507bhp maximum."
BMW invited 150 prospective customers to Weston over two days and, on the runway, they put M5s through various dynamic exercises. A skid pan showed how well the stability control system contained 507bhp and a slalom demonstrated high speed avoidance capability.
There was also emergency braking and "ordinary" driving on the public roads around Weston.
The aforementioned race was won by the M5. The flagship BMW K 1200S bike, with a faster top speed of 272km/h (169mph), took second place, while the Augusta helicopter of Weston landlord Jim Mansfield was in the ignominious final place. "It was the M5's aerodynamics that did the trick," said Michael Nugent, BMW's sales director.
One guest drove his new M5 back from Weston to Donegal and BMW Letterkenny dealer Starrett Graham promised him he would have the "most dynamic" car in the county. With a price of €134,000, the M5 comes with almost everything including a head-up display showing vital running information on the windscreen.