BMW M5 Parts: Every Generation and Its Engine

The BMW M5 has used three very different kinds of engine since 1985: a straight-six, V8s and, for one generation, a V10. That matters when you are looking for parts, because an M5 shares its body and much of its interior with the 5 Series of its day, but its engine, and on some generations its gearbox, are its own.

This guide sets out each M5 generation, the engine it carried, and which used parts can come from an ordinary 5 Series and which have to come from an M5.

The M5 generations and their engines

All the dates, engines and outputs below come from BMW's own press material: its "30 years of the BMW M5" media information (May 2014), its 2018 sixth-generation launch release, and the BMW of North America histories cited in each section.

First generation (E28): the M1's straight-six

BMW Motorsport started work on the M5 in 1984 and launched it in summer 1985. It took its four-valve 3.5-litre straight-six from the line that began in the M1 super-sports car. BMW of North America records that the US took over half of E28 M5 production, 1,227 cars, which gives a sense of how rare these are now (BMW NA 50 Stories, chapter 29).

Second generation (E34): the S38

The second M5 kept a straight-six, first at 3.6 litres and then, from late 1991, at 3.8 litres with 250 kW/340 hp. BMW of North America names that 3.8-litre engine as the S38. Around 12,000 were sold between 1988 and 1995.

Third generation (E39): the S62 V8

The third M5 arrived in autumn 1998 with a 4.9-litre V8 of 294 kW/400 hp. BMW's history explains that the M engineers built the S62 by developing the production M62 V8, and that it was paired with a Getrag six-speed manual gearbox.

Fourth generation (E60): the V10

This is the M5 people mean when they ask which one had a V10. BMW called the E60-based car the first volume-production saloon with a high-revving V10: 5.0 litres, 373 kW/507 hp, driving through a seven-speed Sequential M Gearbox (BMW Group PressClub UK).

Fifth generation (2011): back to a turbo V8

The 2011 M5 returned to a V8, now a 4.4-litre twin-turbo with 412 kW/560 hp and a seven-speed M Double Clutch Transmission. BMW of North America explains it was developed from the S63 V8 of the X5 M and X6 M and designated S63TÜ (BMW Group PressClub USA).

Sixth generation (2018): all-wheel drive

The sixth M5 kept the 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 but added M xDrive all-wheel drive and an eight-speed M Steptronic gearbox (BMW Group PressClub UK, March 2018).

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Which parts an M5 shares with a normal 5 Series

Every M5 is built on the 5 Series of its generation (BMW's own launch text calls the V10 car "E60-based"), so it is worth asking whether a body or cabin part you need was also fitted to the ordinary 5 Series. Our E39 5 Series parts page and E60 parts page cover those cars.

The engine and gearbox are the clear exception. As the generations above show, every M5 used its own M engine, and the 2005 and 2011 cars also had M-only gearboxes (the Sequential M Gearbox and the M Double Clutch Transmission), so those parts have to come from an M5.

What to send us for M5 parts

Tell us the year, which generation you have, and the VIN from the licence disc or windscreen. For engine and gearbox parts, a photo of the part and any number on it saves a lot of back and forth.

Send your request through our BMW parts page, and for the M5's smaller sibling, see our guide to BMW M3 parts by generation.