G-Power

In spite of (or maybe because of) onslaughts from the likes of the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG and Cadillac CTS-V, BMW has made its latest M5 monumentally quick. Based on the F10 5 Series, the fifth generation M5 packs a twin-turbo V8, rapid-fire twin-clutch transmission and chassis tuning that makes it behave like a much smaller and swoopier car. The net effect is a car that arguably maintains the nameplate’s status as the luxury super sedan gold standard.

But why settle for gold when you can have platinum? That’s sort of the thinking behind the bevy of F10 M5 upgrades recently announced by esteemed BMW tuner G-Power. Do they provide a big enough bump over the stock model to warrant consideration? Let’s find out.

We, like many enthusiasts, are lamenting the slow demise of the big displacement, high-revving normally-aspirated high performance engine in favor of downsized, forced-induction engines. Sure, they’re usually just as powerful as (and in many cases, more powerful than) their immediate predecessors, and serve up torque curves that are flatter than a tortilla that’s been run over by an A380, but they tend to go about their business in quiet, drama-free fashion. Hardly the behavior befitting a sporty car.

So we’ll forgive the odd snort of derision with which some of you might be greeting German tuner G-Power’s latest supercharged BMW, the M3 Tornado RS. Why would anyone pollute the hellhound howl of the current M3’s 4.0L unboosted V8 with blower whine? Well, G-Power does have a good reason to strap on a supercharger or, more accurately, 710 good reasons.

With a fresh world record set about half a year ago, and a stable of fast, unforgiving and powerful automobiles set to launch this year, 2011 should be a great year for lovers of tire-burning acceleration and unbridled velocity. Here are the cars that promise to make 2011 the year of speed.

Many, many inches of headline are dedicated to the battle for the title of fastest street-legal production car. For the better part of a decade, the McLaren F1 had a chokehold on the record. Then the Bugatti Veyron came along and bumped the number higher, only to be usurped by the red, white and blew-by-you SSC Ultimate Aero. Now the top spot is held by Bugatti once more, thanks to the Veyron Super Sport, though Shelby Supercars and Koenigsegg both claim they’ll have new challengers ready shortly.

Unfortunately, the near-constant one-upsmanship in the quest for the overall fastest street car mark has pushed other similar races to the sidelines, namely the battle for the fastest sedan in the world. After all, who doesn’t love the thought of blasting down the Autobahn with three or four of your closest friends with Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” filling the cabin? Probably people who aren’t cool enough to be reading this site and would probably find NPR.org more their speed. Anyway, the latest four-door that is staking a claim to the mantle of fastest of the breed is German tuner G-Power’s current reimagining of the outgoing E60 generation BMW M5, the Hurricane RR.