Y2K flyer

Aside from its noteworthy technical highlights, the 1998 E39 M5 has another bragging right. Being the star of what must be the coolest commercial ever in the history of the BMW brand.

You remember the model being used to capture the run of a jet-propelled vehicle, captioning the car as fastest saloon on the planet — accelerating from standstill to 100km/h in as little as 4.6 seconds.

Impressive as the figures were, the sensations were the important part. A normally-aspirated 4 941cc V8 did duty, complemented by a slick-shifting, six-speed manual. Its 294kW and 500Nm might was accompanied by a hearty baritone that implored the delay of an upshift — waiting eagerly for the illuminated redline prompt on the tachometer. What a sound!

Tainted by the haze of nostalgia, this shaped up to be the one this scribe enjoyed the most, recalling those hours misspent “driving” one in the digital realm on Need for Speed: High Stakes.

Also, the E39 was available with options such as a television, in addition to a telephone — with a cord. Fastest saloon? Fastest lounge, more like.