and the steering wheel. Burr walnut wood trim exemplifies the era in which this car was built. The BMW E39 M5 is powered by a thumping naturally-aspirated V8 under the hood, displacing 4.9 liters ...

The E39 M5 was the first M5 to have eight cylinders ... could feel the extra weight from the first turn of the steering wheel, which is quite surprising given that it was only about an 80-pound ...

Yet it was the E39 M5 that left the biggest imprint on me. A quarter century of bloat means that this vintage of M5 is actually just a little under an inch shorter tip-to-tail than a modern M3.