Read the manual and it says it all: the BMW M5 requires 97-octane.  You’d be lucky enough to find a petrol station that sells it, much less afford it; but then again that’s the story of the BMW M5.  It’s the story of the very lucky few who can own 10.250-million peso car with two more cylinders and twice the displacement of a modern Formula One car.  It’s the story of a souped-up four-door sedan that can blow the doors off almost anything on the road today.  It’s the story of how perfectly timed phone call landed us with the M5 for a weekend.  If there’s any reason to still believe the Almighty, then it’s this car.

The call came in Wednesday afternoon, while we were typing our lives away in front of the laptop.  The BMW rep offered a weekend test drive—nothing extra-ordinary, figuring it could be a new 3 or 5 Series variant.  Then it was said: M5.  At first, there was a pang of silence, the same way you’d react if you find (insert the name of your favorite girl here) naked on your bed.  Then it dawns on you: you’ve just hit the jackpot.

The next day, we arrived to collect the M5.  With such an infamous reputation, we half expected the M5 to look like the devil on wheels.  It’s quite a surprise to find out how normal it really looks.  The typical German restraint meant it looked nothing like the bulging and be-winged tuner cars from Japan.  Aside from the side gills and quad-exhaust pipes, you’d swear it was nothing more than a regular 5 Series with the M Sport body kit.  Lightweight 19-inch alloys are standard, but again, these can be ticked as an option with just about any BMW sedan.  Badges and subtle differences aside, it doesn’t really warrant much more attention.  So what in the world do you pay double the price of a 530d for?  Well, how’s 507 horsepower for starters?

Shoehorned into the M5’s engine bay is a unique 5.0-liter V10 engine.  It’s unique in the sense that a 10-cylinder layout isn’t exactly used that often compared to other engine types.  Engine manufacturing efficiency says V8s are practical since they can be used flexibly in more products other than a super sedan, while a V12 can be made by grafting two existing V6 engines together.  On the other hand, a V10 is especially made, so given the circumstances; BMW had better gotten it right.

The push-button start sequence serves as an appetizer to the free-flowing burble that comes after.  If you’re a fan of sports car racing like Le Mans, the BMW engine sounds something like that.  Playing around with such a huge displacement, BMW engineers could have afforded to be lazy and give the M5 a low maximum engine speed.  But no, instead, the engine peaks out a nice 8,000 rpm.  To prevent over revving, a ‘moving’ redline takes engine temperature into account before eventually maxing it out.

It certainly looks sculpted in photos, but in real life it looks quite like a regular 5 Series with changes to the bumpers. The availability of the M Sport kit makes it a true "wolf in sheep's clothing".

Even the interior's the same with the exception of the triple-stitched M steering wheel and the body-hugging sport seats.