[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by 89911

I'm going to argue that opposite. Early M cars actually shared the same engines and had minor improvements. Look at them know and I thing they almost go overboard. I think the new M5 has 560hp, more then 100 hp increase from the 550i. The problem with these cars is the keep making them heavier and heavier and the only alternative is more power.

The new M5 is heavier, bigger, softer, and quieter. Most reviews cite reduced road and steering feel. It's so quiet they use the stereo to artificially synthesize engine sound, Car & Driver actually killed the engine sound by pulling a fuse. The early M cars were road going hand built race cars that shared very little with their road going cousins. The S14 (E30 M3) and S38 (E24 M6, E28 M5, E34 M5) were motorsports only motors with high outputs, individual throttle bodies, and lots of other racing goodies. The E36 was the first mass production M car as it was not hand built, and in the US used a warmed over version of the standard M50/M52. The early M cars were special, the new ones are no more special than any other BMW. I lust over an E28 M5, but not a new M car.

This piece from Jalopnik is relevant to this conversation: The Death Of BMW's M Brand