A statement of heritage – IND works on a BMW Individual F10 M5 in Imola Red, a classic BMW M exclusive color.

Hamann showcases its F10 M5 Mi5Sion at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, or what we think might be an M5

To say it’s a radical looking kit for the M5 would be an understatement. The Mi5Sion M5 receives widebody fenders that have added 30mm on each side. It has custom front and rear bumpers, carbon fiber trunk spoiler, door handles, and rear diffuser.

The interior features a contrasting black-white theme, with Alpine White and black leather seats to match the exterior and white trims throughout to continue the theme.

Follow our full 2013 Geneva show coverage updates at BIMMERPOST.com

On Saturday, February 16, 2013, the M Owners Club of Indonesia (MOCI) held one of their most exciting meet events in Jakarta. The. event was originally scheduled for last month, but due to heavy rain and flooding in some areas in Jakarta.

This newly scheduled event was held as a charity event, with the donations and proceeds going to help the flood affected areas. The event was joined by other car clubs as well, with owners of Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches, and other exotics in attendance and driving in the events.

M5POST member RPiM5 shares with us his direct experience after six months of F10 M5 ownership, compared to his time with the E60 M5 (his car prior to the F10 M5).

by RPiM5:

Best things about the E60 M5:
1. S85 V10 engine! (with aftermarket exhaust, there’s almost no equal to the exhaust note. This is even more true if you do aftermarket headers!)
2. Smaller size of E60
3. Lighter weight of E60
4. SMG Transmission (Almost no other transmission can rattle the fillings out of your teeth like S6 mode can!)
5. Adjustable Side Bolsters
6. Active Side Bolsters
7. The option for comfort seats rather than just sport seats.

Worst things about the E60 M5:
1. S85 V10 engine! (reliability!!!)
2. Reliability of everything else … CONTINUED

Slek Design has released the first photos of their carbon fiber aero kit for the F10 M5, which includes a carbon fiber front lip spoiler/splitter, sideskirts (side diffuser) and rear diffuser.

BMW M CEO Friedrich Nitschke gave some insight into certain aspects of future M models when speaking recently to Autocar.

AWD vs RWD

While current non-SUV M models all remain RWD, as horsepower numbers climb for each successive generation of models, the question has arisen whether future models would benefit from AWD xDrive offerings, to help with traction and getting all that power down to the ground effectively; especially considering the AWD offerings from competitors – such as the E63/CLS63 AMG 4Matic and upcoming RS6/RS7 Quattro models.

To this, Nitschke reaffirms M’s stance on RWD: “Our philosophy in regards to steering feel and precision is that rear-wheel drive is the best solution,” … “xDrive brings an 80-90kg weight penalty and the M differential is the industry’s best rear-drive … CONTINUED

Per iND provides an update on its F10 M5 project tuning car:

Development of IND’s M5 continues, and in this week’s update we find our M5 within the bowels of AMS; dyno room. Having logged over 20 hours on the dyno since the installation of a host of AMS-supplied testing and datalogging equipment, we’ve started to build a knowledge base that will help to make key decisions and allow us to take steps toward our ultimate power goal.

Our M5 was wired with a complete sensor package including:

intake air temperature sensors before and after the coolers
boost pressure sensor at the intake manifold
ambient temperature sensors
intercooler water temp pre and post intercooler
… CONTINUED

Here is a photo set of various BMW Individual M5, M550d and 5 Series seen at the BMW factory owned/run dealership in München, Germany.

The colors seen are Frozen Bronze Metallic, Frozen Blue Metallic, Azurite Black, and a Alpina B5 touring.

According to an Autocar source, Arnd Meyer, the head engineer responsible for chassis engineering of all recent AMG models, including the SLS AMG Black Series, has left Mercedes and joined BMW M.

The source says that Meyer will eventually head BMW M’s chassis, powertrain and electronics development, although an AMG spokesperson has suggested that a contractual agreement (presumably, a non-compete clause in his employment contract) may prevent him from doing so for some period of time.

This news comes on the heels of this recent report that BMW M may be looking into offering models that compete with AMG Black Series models, in terms of exclusivity. Could BMW M’s pickup of Meyer be related? We shall see…