The drive was about 3 hours in length and took us down to Penticton from the West Side, over to Keremeos, then Princeton then up highway 3b to the Coquihalla connector.

If you are reading this post and don’t live in Western Canada – don’t worry about all that – just know that it was an amazing drive – typical of the breathtaking scenery that we are so lucky to enjoy here out west.

Add in some insane German hardware (*more on that in a minute), some new friends and perfect weather – you’ve all the ingredients for a performance car enthusiasts dream.

Ironically – my E39 m5 was the ONLY beast which came out – despite there being a number of others in my home town who couldn’t make it for one reason or another.

The pics below will tell the who story, but the contingent of brands was almost evenly split between Porsche, BMW and a very spiffy Mini that was very adept in the corners – but less so on the straightaways… given that some of these cars have 700, 800 and 900 horsepower *(yes you read those numbers correctly), the Mini was in a different league.

Anyway, we are looking forward to getting out again in July for another run and I’ll probably take some more pics then.

You will notice below that we are being briefed by a Royal Canadian Mounted Police Officer – he happened to be in the parking lot where we met in Penticton and took an interest in our little get together.

Despite LOTS of full throttle runs – I can say that all the drivers behaved and did not take any chances or sped excessively… at least the ones I can remember.

It’s experiences like this which are the reason why I own an M5.

I did shoot some hi-definition video which will take me few weeks to edit, but for now…

Here’s the pics – enjoy.

This picture was actually taken in a military airfield where these guys did some extreme driving. The pictures sure came out fantastic.

Just the right color and contrast that brings out the E39 M5′s classy look and glowing front rotor.

DEFINITELY one of the cooler pictures I’ve seen in a while of the Beast!

Read about this extreme test run at: http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/e39-m5-e52-z8-discussion/129380-madness-m5-pics-no-they-not-photoshop.html

Thanks to Barrie Clift for making the arrangements to contact the other owners.  The idea was that we’d get together and talk about our cars – it was a great idea.  I came away learning yet again how much there is to know about these amazing cars.  All in there were five of us who showed up and all the M5′s in the parking lot sure turned some heads!

After talking for about 30 minutes we went into the Cactus Club for lunch and talked some more.  One of the owners made a comment which I’ll have to look into further and it was that the E39 M5 is primarily a salesman’s car.  Do you agree?

Anyway, We’re hoping to meet again in the spring and see if we can’t find a few more M5 owners. I’ll be sure to take more and better pictures next time!  In fact I’ve noticed a dark gray X5 M in town and I’ll have to see if that person wants to join us so we can learn about that incredible machine!

If you haven’t done so already – make a point of getting out there to meet other local M5 owners in your area – it’s a great way to meet some really interesting people who could expand your social network!

The white neon line on top of the car is actually as smoke line showcasing the aerodynamics of this sedan and the geometric design in the background arrest the viewer’s eye and emphasizes the vehicle’s form. And the man shown on sitting on the side seems to be a sentinel that watches over the precious car – when in fact he’s probably an aerodynamics scientist, since he’s one holding the smoke wand .

I also like the reflections on the floor. It reminds me of the glitter of an aircraft hangar.

This picture from Topspeed.com, which highlights the E39 M5′s exterior design and wheels . It seems to say that it can be a beauty even if it is the “Beast”.

Check this full size picture at this site: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/bmw/m-series/m5-e39-ar1378/picture30988.html

This site writes about the features and the history of the car with some compelling copy. One can also click into the Review and picture gallery for some great shots.

Like all the V8 powered E39 cars, the E39 M5 was manufactured with a recirculating-ball steering system. This reduced the steering ratio from 17.9 to 14.7. It also has a servotronic vehicle-speed-sensitive power assist. This gives two levels of resistance controlled through a console mounted Sport button.

I ALWAYS drive with mine ON!

Lastly, the E39 M5 has a four-wheel vented disc. They measures 13.6 inches in diameter in front and 12.9 inches in the rear – big artillery!

Learn more and see some of the great pics I mentioned at this site: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/bmw/m-series/m5-e39-ar1378.html

They are kinda edgy, but pure.  There’s something about the way the E39 m5 photographs that makes the car fun to work with through the lens.

This particular car has aluminum pedals, custom exhaust and brake duct intakes on below the front bumper, to name a few mods.  However, my favorite mod on this car is the blacked out kidney grills – they look better on this car than any other color I’ve seen.

Here’s the full photostream if you want to see more pics in slide show of this car. 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/btmlinedan/sets/72157622158110996/show/with/3861297955/

The Beast looks great at speed and this image is a perfect example of this.  The website has 12 great shots that you can use as wall paper which can be downloaded at 1200×1600. 

Here’ some text from the site as well:

Special induction system with individual throttles

Breathing
is of course a top priority; BMW M spared no expense in developing the
S62′s induction system. Air is taken in at two points behind the front
bumper, passes through two intake silencers and two hot-film air-mass
meters, and then flows into the voluminous carbon-fiber plenum atop the
engine.

The E39 M5 photographs so well – even to do this day.  Here’s a link to the site if you want some more wallpaper shots. 
http://www.exoticcarsite.com/pages/bmw_e39_m5.htm

However, whether you wish to join or not really isn’t the question – what is worth mentioning however – are some of the pictures from the ‘photos’ section.  Steven, his pals and other owners have a collection going of some really cool shots in my opinion. 

There are great pics of both people, events and m5′s.  I liked the pics because they were more than the usual pics of polished up e39 m5′s sitting in a parking lot somewhere.  But rather pics of the beast in James Bond / Jason Statham-type settings, as well as a little sex appeal. 

Here are some of the pics that I liked.  If you want to join the group or check out more of the pics, then go to: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4126441733