BMW
M5 Interior
In order to ensure that the lungs of the
car are exhaling as they should, Vivid called upon Agency Power once again to
pull together a marvellously hi-tech exhaust system. It comprises catted race
downpipes that allow the turbos to spool more freely, while their high-flow
resonators stop the sound becoming obnoxious – this is, after all, a refined
and luxurious executive saloon as much as it is a bonkers race car in disguise.
The Meisterschaft stainless steel exhaust has fewer bends than the stock
system, as well as electronically controlled valves that allow the driver to
adjust the sound and volume, and the mid-pipes have rather more girth than the
factory setup, too. All in all, the system’s as cunning and clever as a fox
with a PhD in astrophysics. The engine inhales as strongly as it exhales too,
thanks to high-flow cone filters, carbon-fibre MAF tubes and heat-shields, and
custom intake ducts.
BMW
M5 Front View & Head Light
The final piece in the jigsaw sits within those muscular arches.
Well, we say ‘final’ but as the car’s evolving all the time take ‘final’ solely
in the context of the pictures as you see them today! The arms race of inches
shows no sign of abating, and Vivid’s F10 is right on the front line with its
21” rims, measuring a bold 9.5” across on the front axle and an inch beyond
that out back. The rollers of choice come courtesy of SSR – the CV01S is a
ballsy three-piece creation, here finished in bronze with gloss black lips and
barrels. They strike just the right tone, halfway between subtlety and
ostentation – and check out the profile of the rear Advans: they’re 295/25s.
It’s like the rubber’s just painted on.
The genius of Vivid Racing’s creation is that it takes the original
spirit of the retro M5 and updates it for 2014, both in terms of performance
and aesthetics. Sure, it’s not totally subtle enough to blend into the commuter
traffic like the E28 was in period but at the same time it’s neither bullish
nor shouty. The eye-watering peak power figure is just as Top Trumps-tastic as each
of the F10’s forefathers have been at launch, and here it’s turned up to eleven
to bring about a sort of Spinal Tap gentleman’s express. But the real
craftiness comes with that race-honed weight-saving – everyone who’s been
crying out for an M5 CSL can see a vision of ambition fulfilled right here.
It’s a race car, a grocery-getter, a supercar-baiter and a school-run hero all
rolled into one. And that’s just what an M5 should be.
BMW
M5 Seats
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Specs:
Engine & Transmission: ·
4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 S63B44TU, seven-speed
DCT transmission, VR Tuned ECU tuning box, Agency Power catted race
downpipes, Meisterschaft stainless steel GTC exhaust (with electronically
controlled valves) and LXR cat-back pipe with velocity box, Agency Power
carbo ·
Chassis: 9.5x21” (front) and 10.5x21” (rear)
SSR CV01S with 255/30 (front) & 295/25 (rear) Yokohama Advan Sports,
H&R springs Exterior: ·
Agency Power carbon fibre bonnet with vented
cowl, Agency Power carbon-fibre rear diffuser, Agency Power CSL-style
carbon-fibre bootlid, Agency Power carbon-fibre front lip spoiler, front and
side grilles painted gloss black Interior: ·
Stock
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