BMW X5 Lemans
Have you heard of the BMW X5 Lemans? I know I haven’t till recently. The BMW X5 Lemans was a first generation E53 BMW X5, but it was a special design powered by a powerful engine -a 700 horsepower 6.0 liter V12 engine from the BMW V12 LMR that won the legendary 24-hour Le Mans in 1999.
For endurance purposes, the engine was detuned to 580 horsepower, but all 700 is unleashed in the X5 Lemans application. The BMW X5 Lemans goes from 0 to 100km/h in 4.7 seconds, and it is “limited” at 311km/h. A massive 720Nm of torque at 5,000rpm is sent trashing through the 20 inch wheels with 275/40 profile tyres at the front and 315/35 profile tires at the rear.
The weight balance is very slightly front-biased at ratio of 51 to 49, but still perfect for a racing car.
The average SUV is mainly used by moms to bring their kids to soccer practice or to do the shopping. Moms don’t look for an exciting drive so most SUVs are on the boring side. Most versions of the X5 are no exception to this rule, except for this one.
Does X+V=M?
Well, it this case, it does. The rumored BMW X5 M has been spotted again being test driven in Germany. It is still unclear which engine will power this X5 M, the choices are between the V12 engine found in the 760i or the rumored new twin-turbo V8 engine. The V12 delivers 438bhp but it's still short of the 700bhp V12 found in the BMW X5 LeMans.
As you can see from these photos, the cosmetic changes are not that visible, the only difference between this new BMW X5 M and the regular X5, it's the two sets of twin exhaust tips and the front bumper has bigger air-intakes.
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