It might not be the most reliable or have the best on-board tech, but this V10 estate is a riot
George Flowerday’s fondness for the BMW M5 has its roots in childhood when his dad owned an E39-generation 523i.
“When the M5 version came out in 1998 – I can only have been six – I got the brochure and took it to school to show my mates but, to my surprise, none of them were interested,” he says.
“Then, when the E60-generation M5 came along a few years later in 2004, I watched Jeremy Clarkson’s review of it on Top Gear. For some reason, I really wanted the car to be good.
Of course, in classic Clarkson style, he began by criticising some of the features including the sat-nav and then, halfway through, admitted they could all be corrected at the touch of a button when, he said, ‘the new M5 becomes the ultimate driving machine.”
That did it. There and then, the 12-year-old George decided that, one day, he would have an E60 M5. “I clung onto the dream for years afterwards and in time persuaded my dad to help me find one,” he says.
“Finally, not long ago, I tracked down the ideal example and forwarded the advertisement to Dad, hoping he’d buy it and he did!” In fact, the M5 that George found, and his dad bought, is not the saloon but the much more practical and equally entertaining E61 M5 Touring.
Registered in 2007, it’s finished in Interlagos Blue and, but for some paintwork on the bonnet, it looks very tidy, right down to its freshly polished alloys.
“It’s only done 67,000 miles and has new ACL connecting rod bearings,” says George. “This generation of M5 is known for its power, noise and rod bearings. They’re a common problem on the E60 and E61 M5 and expensive to fix, so we’re very pleased they’ve been renewed.
“The car has an excellent service record so I reckon that with luck there should be no further nightmare issues down the road. I certainly hope not, because that naturally aspirated, F1-inspired V10 engine is just glorious.
“It has had a remap and has a dyno printout showing 565hp. The SMG automatic gearbox is a bit clunky at low speeds but had a new clutch and pump recently so, fingers crossed, it’s fine.”
The car cost £33,000 in a private sale. That was only four weeks ago, so father and son are just getting to know it. “It’s Dad’s but we kind of share it,” says George, sheepishly. “His daily driver is a Subaru Forester, or what he calls a wardrobe on wheels…”
In light of a description like that, George might find himself having to wait his turn at the wheel of the M5. Fortunately, he has some other classics to amuse him while he does so.
“My first car was a Morris Minor convertible, which I still own,” he says. “I also have a Mini 1275 GT while Dad has an MG Midget. We bought a 2016-reg Lotus Elise S3 last year too, which Dad thinks will be an investment.”
Future driving plans include a possible trip with dad to next year’s Italian Grand Prix. “We did the same thing in my BMW 330d a few years back,” says George. “To do it again, in the M5 with its F1-related engine, will be a dream come true!”
