BMW M5 (E39) | PH Auction Block

Hopefully you enjoyed attending the PistonHeads Annual Service as much as we enjoyed putting it on. There really is nothing to beat the atmosphere of thousands of car enthusiasts and their vehicles coming together to share a common passion – always helps when the sun is shining, too. Whatever kind of car you were into, the show had you covered, from kei cars to exotica. We hope to be back bigger and better for 2026. 

Even among the plethora of very special machines, however, a particular PH Auctions car might have caught your attention as it did ours. E39 M5s will do that – they just have that effect on people. Hopefully folk were still listening to the Smith & Sniff live podcast while this was on stage, because it was quite the distraction. A Le Mans Blue facelift car, it’s a stunning specification for one of the greatest fast saloons ever made. And it’s going to be auctioned in a couple of weeks’ time. 

Let’s not forget, this era of M5 was voted by PH as the best supersaloon since 1998 just two years ago. It was within a real shot of winning the whole thing, in fact, so captivated were all who drove it and how perfectly it encapsulated so much of what we love PH: naturally aspirated engines, manual gearboxes, rear-wheel drive and subdued styling. As a road you simply want nothing more from an M5; no more power, no more grip, no more size, nothing. It’s not perfect – the steering in particular is a weak point – but nobody who cares about cars can fail to enjoy an E39 M5. It’s just lovely. 

As with so many turn-of-the-century M car heroes, these were cheap for a good while. Which was great news in one aspect, because it meant mere mortals could get into some of the very best BMWs for not much money. The downside was that some people bought M3s and M5s cheap but tried to run them on a shoestring as well, and that never ended well. That dwindling supply, plus increasing demand with the realisation that cars like the E39 weren’t coming back, has pushed up prices in recent years. 

This 2002 car has had just four owners in its life, the most recent having been behind the wheel for more than 13 years now – it’s a good sign when somebody keeps a car that long. It usually means the car is a corker, for starters, but also that that owner has been properly invested in the car. The stack of receipts and a service book stamped up like a rockstar’s passport would attest to that. It’s very nearly still original spec, too, complete even with the factory nav setup. The last three MOTs have been clean, first time passes. There won’t be many E39s left out there that can say the same. 

There are good signs throughout, from matching Michelins on all four corners to being garaged throughout ownership. There’s said to be the tiniest bit of rust on the rear wheelarch; more major corrosion has been dealt with and, quite frankly, when looking at a lot of cars from the early 2000s oxidisation of one kind or another is merely par for the course. By and large, this M5 looks absolutely glorious. As they always have, and always will. But then you probably knew all that already, because everybody knows what an icon the E39 is. Sometimes it’s just nice to be reminded. Bidding opens at the end of the month – or offers are being invited now.