Very lively and interesting discussion here. To the OP question: how do you get an E39 M5 to walk on an E60 M5? The answer: buy an E60 M5. If you are only getting into this to be "faster than..." you are 1) potentially going about this all wrong and 2) will never be satisfied with an E39.
Here are the things to understand:
- the E39 M5 was - and sometimes still referenced as - the benchmark for high performance sedans for nearly a decade
- the 400hp that the E39 M5 lays down is
still impressive and will embarrass a lot of newer cars
- with the exception of a few, most cars that can keep up with an E39 are
modded...
heavily
- the E39 M5 is 13 years old and has limited - expensive - performance options
- you don't buy an E39 M5 with the idea of "tuning" it
F1.tifosi's ride is an excellent example of an enthusiast taking pride in their car and pushing it to the limit. I have no doubt that, thanks to all his mods, he could quite possibly outpace an E39 M5. And at a cost of several thousand dollars, I can imagine he probably spared no expense in doing so. If I saw his car and it did indeed best my beast, I would nod, shake his hand and say, "That is an impressive machine!"
Would I be butt hurt? No. Would I be embarrassed? Not in the slightest. You know why? Because if I wanted to, I could 1) spend 5K and get a Stage 1 ESS KIT - 552hp/460tq (
ESS supercharger) and show him and anyone else a thing or two about speed or 2) be proud that after all that hard work and thousands of dollars spent, a heavily modified car was just able to beat my entirely
stock Beast.
rconner if you want to play the tuner game, then sure, get the E39 and plan to shell out an additional 7k for the supercharger (includes installation price). Oh and to play it safe, an additional $1500 to handle "general maintenance" to get the car up to factory tune if you are buying a used E39 M5 with a few lovingly extra miles on her
prior to getting the supercharger put on.
If you want to say you have the fastest car, then consider some other options the non M5 guys are talking about. Just bear in mind, they don't drive M5's. They bought cars they could afford and are doing everything they can to give their cars the performance and power an M5 delivers. And I'm not being negative...that's the truth. And in many cases, after a lot of money, they now have cars tweaked to all hell that can keep pace with or best an M car. But believe me when I tell you, an M car is pure driving pleasure and no amount of mods or upgrades can replace that.
However, something not mentioned, the point of getting an M car isn't to mod it per se. It's to own a rare category of cars that have been tuned from the factory to be
lucifer on wheels. These cars are mean, powerful, angry machines when they want to be but as tame as a lamb as needed. You buy an M car because you aren't trying to be like everyone else. 540. 535. 135. 335. 550. 330. Anyone can own those cars.
It's something special to say you drive an M: the most powerful letter in the alphabet.
Good luck with your decision
rconner.