Dinan 540i -- a step M5? - Bimmerfest

jordanLINY · #1 11-10-2002, 12:21 PM

Road and Track (December 2002) did a short review of the "Dinan S3" BMW 540i. Dinan created the car mainly as the step M5 BMW never made. To whittle the acceleration times down Dinan modified the manifold and put on a supercharger, as well as throwing in an LSD etc -- I guess creating a similar setup to the M5 given the requirements of step. Only a few tenths of a second off at 0 - 60. The reviewers thought the handling just about the same as the M5.

All this makes me wonder why BMW never made an auto M5 in the first place.

Manual vs. step flame wars aside, it'd sell well anyway. Better yet, where's the SMG?

Jordan

BillP · #2 11-10-2002, 10:39 PM

I can think of three reasons why a steptronic M5 isn't offered:

1. The tranny may not be rated for that HP/TQ. Dinan is more likely to push the tranny to its limit and has, I believe, received some level of criticism (warranted or not) for doing that with the SC'd 540. BTW, I don't think any of the guys with SC'd 540s have had any tranny failures.

2. Simplicity of product offering. BMW has made it very clear that customers will not see the full possible set of product permutations. "Why can't the 6cyl get a six speed?" and "why can't the 540 get the 4.5l engine from the 745?" are other questions with the same answer. Choice costs $, especially when the American market (in particular) is accustomed to picking a car off of the lot. It also creates the need for more engineering qualification time, which is a precious commodity in any company. A good company prioritizes projects based on demand and costs. BMW clearly did that.

3. Image. BMW places the M5 out there as a very high-end enthusiasts car. It doesn't help that image if an auto is offered. Look how BMW afficionados view the MBZ products just for that reason.

Regarding SMG, BMW likely thought it wise not to offer it midway through the E39 product lifecycle and chose to do the proper engineering for E60 as it was for the E46.

Bill