For the past 35 years, Steve Dinan has been taking the Six-Million-Dollar-Man approach to BMWs. He has the technology. He can make them better than they were. Better, stronger, faster.
Dinan Engineering has now brought that approach to BMW’s flagship M sedan, the M5.
Not that the latest M5 was an anemic performer. With 560 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque, the M5 with the seven-speed DCT transmission will move from zero to 60 miles per hour in 4.2 seconds. How much more does anyone need?
Well, as any car person will tell you, it’s not how much you need, it’s how much you want, and M car drivers want more. A select few—29 in the United States, to be exact—wanted more and are getting it in the 30th Anniversary Edition M5. Only 29 were allocated to the U.S. and they sold out in seconds. And why not? They produce 600 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, and BMW says they will do zero to 60 in 3.9 seconds. To get that kind of power, the lucky 29 ponied up $138,275 for each 30th Anniversary Edition.
Now, for those who need it or want it, there’s even more—and it comes from Dinan Engineering.
A new Dinantronics piggyback ECU, intake, and exhaust raises the M5’s total output to a staggering 675 horsepower and 644 pound-feet of torque, which Dinan claims will take this car to 200 miles per hour.
In creating the piggyback ECU, Dinan says, "The ultimate objective was to provide the ability to control every signal entering and exiting the BMW factory Engine Control Unit." According to Dinan, the factory warranty will remain valid, the car will be 50-state-emissions compliant, and it can be returned to stock at any time.
In addition to the ECU, carbon-fiber cold air intake, and exhaust, the Dinan S1 M5 adds the full Dinan suspension treatment, which includes adjustable coilovers, negative-camber control arms, and front and rear anti-sway bars.
Total cost for the Dinan package for the M5 is $13,487. Add that to the M5’s base price of $95,150 and you’re still almost $30,000 under what the less-powerful 30th Anniversary Edition would set you back.
And unlike the 30th Anniversary Edition M5, the Dinan S1 M5 is not sold out.—Scott Blazey
[Photos courtesy of Dinan Engineering.]
