I Drag Raced a BMW M5 E39 v Alpinas!

Who’s ready for an almighty BMW v Alpina drag race?!
We’ve got Mat lining up in an Alpina B10 S, and he’s about to go head-to-head against an E39 M5 and a regular Alpina B10!
So let’s see how these legendary saloons compare. Starting with the B10 S, it’s powered by a 4.8-litre naturally-aspirated V8 that can produce 380hp and 510Nm of torque. It powers the rear wheels only, and it tips the scales at 1,690kg.
As you’d expect, the regular B10 arrives with very similar stats. Under the bonnet, you’ll find a 4.6-litre naturally-aspirated V8, which can put down 340hp and 470Nm. It also powers the rear wheels, but it’s also slightly lighter, coming in at 1,660kg.
Then finally we have the E39 M5. It’s equipped with a 4.9-litre naturally-aspirated V8 which can produce 400hp and 500Nm. So it’s the most powerful car here, but it has two disadvantages. Not only is it the heaviest car here, at 1,795kg, but it’s also the only manual car in this line-up!
Will the lack of an automatic gearbox prove to be its downfall? There’s only one way to find out… LET’S RACE!
Thanks to @BenCollinsDrives for joining us!
Thanks to everyone for lending us their cars:
Alpina B10 S: / maybachman
Alpina B10: / roryc1990
BMW E39 M5: / steveshergill1
Sell your car with carwow: bit.ly/Buy-Sell-WOW

[@carwow]

Which other classic cars should we drag race?

[@KINGVONFRM063]

Toyota

[@niki123bxd]

Bmw

[@Galtebo56]

Tuned Volvo 242 turbo

[@okithdesilva129]

More Japanese classic cars and chevy classic cars!

[@TheFauzand]

ꂵꏂꋪꉔꏂ꒯ꏂꇙ

[@akshitsharma4400]

The aerial shots of the cars racing are just awesome. WE NEED MORE OF THEM

[@Tom-ol6cu]

Prefer the sharkfin shots tbh

[@akshitsharma4400]

@@Tom-ol6cu both are dope anyway. But anything new is more dope

[@peoplehear]

Agreed!5.37 😊

[@Flowsho]

Agreed 👍🏾

[@iam_elroy]

totally agree, looked so epic

[@Ellis64]

One of the best sounding drag races I've heard in a while

[@TheofficialDeen]

Facts

[@dragospahontu]

Honda sounds better

[@gytispranskunas4984]

Idk what is wrong with your ears... But it sounds average at best...

[@rylandbrown8874]

@@gytispranskunas4984 clearly you never heard at e39 with an exhaust system in person. Far from average

[@tsaki_titan]

Nah bro your ears are broken for sure

[@northofnosouth1470]

Yesssss quality again, same as the last video, love the mixing up the races and braking challenge, keep progressing and switching it up guys, I was watching the old drag races the other day and you've come a long way since then, but keep it coming and keep it fresh. Another 10/10 drag race video 👌👌👌

[@sjcj92]

This gave me all of the feels!!! First car was a E39 540i and have been chasing that thrill ever since! Thanks Matt!

[@LCOF]

You won’t find it. It happens once for each car…usually when you’re a young whippersnapper.

[@AmaanHussxin]

Nah it was similar but it wasn’t the 540 would be nice tho

[@carsandcustard]

The E39, in almost any variant is one of the greatest cars of all time, without a doubt. Great video.

[@Presto_001]

Totally agree with you. The E39 is a 🐐 for sure.

[@Raphael_Switzerland]

The e30 too

[@1111EKA]

Even one with 15-inch alloys still looks good today.

[@SuperCatbert]

e39 530d manual is my daily. worth about 1500, and has 200k on the clock. 41mpg

[@Jinsun202]

E39 M5 = peak car

[@gastoys]

Super disappointed that the M5 driver did not release the DSC system. You can clearly see the M5 drop / fall on its face with every gearshift as a DSC system muted the throttle due to wet pavement. As an e39 M5 owner, my M5 records a 1/4 mile of 13.2 @ 108mph - STOCK. Love the video of older sports sedan getting live - ty. Do more of these, but make sure drivers know the quirks of these cars.

[@paulharper4196]

Yeah I had one 10 years ago and that traction control was so savage in a launch situation, it basically slams the brakes on for you and cuts all power for at least 1 second.

[@Laxa82]

Only way to launch E39 M5 is DSC off.

[@MrPizzaman09]

yep, sounds about right. When I had mine, you could easily spin tire in the 2-3 shift. Turning DSC off was mandatory. Also, it seemed like all 3 of these cars needed to be maintained a bunch and not be garage queens. I replaced 10 sensors on mine and it was like night and day.

[@MrPizzaman09]

*and it could spin the tires in the dry on the 2-3 shift. This is in the wet and on unknown tires.

[@superchargedman]

Only way to drive the m5 in anything but sheets of black ice is dsc off. That thing would have been destroying the group.

[@Sraaz07]

Love the aerial shots!! Great job as always!

[@ISwearThatsDylan]

So happy Matt finally did the E39s in a drag race, have been waiting for ages !!!!!

[@veridico84]

It looked like Ben stuffed every gear shift up.

[@AlzhinSon]

I was looking for this, car looks like it's gonna flip over on every shift. "I feel pretty handy with the clutch" my ass

[@Rentta]

I suspect there is some issue with gearbox or clutch in that car.

[@matthewslabber372]

It's quite an easy explanation. The traction control was still on. See 5:25 , that is the m5's speedometer. You can see the little yellow light flashing. In those cars, there is no launch control, the computer just pulled the power if there was spin. Kind of on off system

[@keepsoulfree]

That Ben guy cant drive that M5 for sure!

[@cmoullasnet]

@@matthewslabber372 Yeah I have an E39 M5 and the traction control is completely unusable. It's practically like an on/off switch in this generation of BMW. If they did indeed leave the DSC on during these races in the wet, it's no wonder the car was lurching like that.

[@bzilla1090]

Good to see the Stig. The E39 is one of the greatest cars ever made, truly a timeless design.

[@dillanmistry]

EXACTLY

[@bzilla1090]

@@dillanmistry even today I can tell you the build quality on these E39's are better than the F10's, I had a E39 530d, currently have a 550 F10, and the sheer effort BMW put into those machines is astounding, even the E46 compared with it's predecessors just feels so much more solid, especially compared to the E90 series.

[@blancA4blanc]

Only wish he could drive stick :(

[@bzilla1090]

@@blancA4blanc stick? You mean manual? That M5 has some drivetrain issues. Wonder if that gearbox and clutch have actually been serviced. My 330d doesn't even bog down like that, just shows there's some shoddy maintenance going on there

[@dillanmistry]

@@bzilla1090 So true! the 530i out weigh all of the ones above, even after 200k miles they still purr like a bird but these f10s cant go a century of miles without a new timing chain , you can trust an e39/e46 for long term and when you jump in one of them after being in a newer bmw, even if its slower, it feels miles better, more fun, cool and timeless!

[@coldmoonlight6361]

I enjoy these videos. Three guys edging each other over and over, but nobody really wins or loses. Peak content.

[@jimmyneutron5679]

I love how the brake tests always show how well a car has been maintained over the years

[@michalpalka1000]

E39 have specific front axle geometry and its prone to wear lower control arms joints, which leeds to vibration while braking. Joints doesnt have to be loose and noisy, they are just worn and can rotate with even slight force. Great steering, but it has some disadvantages.

[@skylined5534]

​@@michalpalka1000 I agree! All suspension bushings in the control and thrust arms need to be replaced front and rear too as replacing some only can exacerbate issues in worn bushes and bearings. I also assume the recirculating ball steering boxes in the V8 cars makes an already sloppy feeling front set up feel just that much worse.

[@overdosedaniel6025]

@@michalpalka1000 Yup, gonna be changing all of that in my 520 pretty soon, at least is cheap to do

[@ThaboTshuma]

Some say he once baked a cake using nothing but engine oil and a refrigerator, and that the only thing that terrifies him are the curtains at James May's house.

[@arbrimehdija5821]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@lesibamokobane8136]

... all we know is, he's named "The Stog"

[@stevennazar2102]

Split arse!😂😂

[@purwantiallan5089]

@@lesibamokobane8136 Stog? Thats more like downgraded The Stig. 😂

[@lesibamokobane8136]

@@purwantiallan5089 🤣🤣 its what Clarkson once wanted to call him on this Grand Tour clip 👉kzbin.info/www/bejne/bai2oXmIl86HY5I

[@snapwithchance]

The air footage! 🔥 with all that happened, the e39 M5 is still the winner in my books 😍

[@yerrie1908]

The M5 is boring, the Alpina is thumbs up everywhere

[@snapwithchance]

@@yerrie1908 yeah no doubt the Alpina’s are sick.. but the sound that the M5 makes 😭🔥 you have to admit that it’s crazy 😅 and it’s manual 😩🔥

[@yerrie1908]

@@snapwithchance I like to hear the engine, exhaust noice does nothing to me, but that’s why we have Alpina’s and M’s so there is a choice for everyone 😁

[@snapwithchance]

@@yerrie1908 couldn’t agree more bro 😄👊

[@rikwarren3999]

@@yerrie1908 never driven one I would guess. Besides you have to drive a stick, it's too much for Alpina fan boys

[@GGN-92]

This is... a Classic drag race. Thanks for sharing it with us.

[@its_jimmy_696]

loved the new camera angle mat. ive been subscribed for 3 years and this is the best drag race yet

[@mennobros]

Good to see ben onboard. we like to make similar content!

[@Messag__me_Reina_delcid]

Hit me up 🎉🎉

[@benlecluyse]

😉

[@sumithran1]

This Ben needs to learn how to change gear and turn the dsc off lol. How was he the stig?

[@darenzy]

@@sumithran1 could be something wrong with trans/clutch for all we know.

[@Maximilianboenicke]

@@darenzy But the DSC was definetly on. You can see the yellow warning light blinking in the middle of the tachometer as he launches. So he probably could have launched a lot better.

[@atlegangletsoge6165]

That camera view from the top (5:30) is stunning. Its like an action movie. Well done🤩

[@sunnyd5944]

I 100% agree I was about to comment this

[@Barthoization]

YES ! Money shot right there. More !

[@deemonbl4]

I'm with you on this!

[@benlecluyse]

Yeah it's absolutely insane !!

[@purwantiallan5089]

@@sunnyd5944 SunnyD, i belive the M5 E39 without TCS has 510bhp.

[@thatolouw2336]

It's great to see Ben! Haven't seen him in a while. I have complete faith in his driving skills.

[@mrksbrasco1655]

Ich habe noch nie einen besseren Fahrer wie ihn erlebt. 😉😉 Vielleicht sollte Ben Leuten Fahr Unterricht geben....

[@rneoman]

The v8s is more expensive not just because of the extra cc and hp but because it's a very limited edition car being one of only 88 built so it's a collectors item if you're into Alpinas. The holy grail for alpina collectors is the B6 3.5S which was an E30 m3 body with an alpina 3.5 straight 6 shoved in it mated to a manual gearbox only 62 of those were built if I remember correctly. B10 V8S is a gem.

[@AlwaysHardstyle100]

The sound of that M5... pure heaven

[@GAGA-the1]

The sound was incredible ⚡

[@MrMuz99]

You can literally only hear the M5, love it!

[@alexyooo1221]

The new drone shots are a real visual improvement. Keep up the good work.

[@deemonbl4]

More drone shots, please! Thank you for the E39 shootout. Even 20 years after the look great! Now you need to compare it to an E55 and and RS6 from the same era.

[@aysbg]

BMW e39 M5 is my favourite car, ever. My late father had e39 530d and I was always in love with the way it looked, how it felt to drive the car and especially after driving the M5 version - I was in love. So yeah, thank you Carwow & Matt, this was an awesome video for me to remind how much I love this car.

[@patriciovivas2270]

The BMW Serie 5 is better than BMW M5.

[@omarrazak5422]

The noise of the M5 ! Omg. The Ariel shot. Omfg ! 😊

[@mohammadalmajali5343]

The aerial shots is so dope 🔥🔥🔥

[@okithdesilva129]

Mat we want more classic car drag races like this one with more classic cars!

[@emjay1249]

+1 to that

[@thespalek1]

Those are real thrill! not just who presses the pedal the fastest👍👍

[@SanchoSEdgar]

Before watching the race itself and without caring for the result, just a massive thank you. All your videos are great to watch but this one really hits where it counts! Thank you

[@deaks25]

I love the MPG dial in the B10 V8s just dive for the floor. That is in equal parts the coolest and most depressing dial to watch swing that hard.

[@suicideattemptno.3696]

Matt did it again. A dragrace we didn’t know we needed until he brought it to us.

[@veturiveijo]

Protip to mr Collins, next time turn off tc so you won't bog down 1-2-3 gears on a damp track..

[@edgarsbraze3935]

He was scared maybe to turn dsc off ;D

[@yasarramzan8016]

That drone shot with all 3 was so majestic. Beautiful cars ❤

[@Beastnappy]

Soooo majestic 🤣

[@zanemiller9096]

Been watching Matt for years now. I know for a fact he made this one for me 🥺. I shed a tear during the Customary Car Wow sound-check. Matt Watson, you sir, are a man amongst men 🙌

[@zanemiller9096]

The guy driving the M5 is the worst shifter on the face of the planet!!! 🥴 Never seen a car jerk so badly between gears. All he has is excuses 😒 what car "drops" power after a change up.

[@chriso8485]

Zane, Matt says he hates you 😊

[@zanemiller9096]

@@chriso8485 he's always been a hater! Yani can testify to the fact 😅

[@usernamepleasehere]

Best sounding drag race till now

[@richmondlegacy]

E39 still my favorite 5 series 😍

[@confidentlywrong3363]

One of my great regrets is getting rid of my E39 M5....with a stage 1 Dinan package (god that sounded good!). Only problem with the car is I couldn't sneak back home...the rumble of the engine was like an early warning system!

[@carmadblanty5262]

The alpina vs M variant dragraces need to continue, would love to see comparisons

[@purwantiallan5089]

Yes. What about Corvette GT1 vs Chrysler PT Cruiser drag race??

[@carmadblanty5262]

@@purwantiallan5089 whatever floats your boat bud

[@patriciovivas2270]

The Chrysler PT-Cruiser is better than Chevrolet Corvette.

[@zimmerfanatics5095]

I was super surprised. I thought the m5 was going to be a clear winner. Great video Mat 👏👍

[@ELMAKINON254]

I love the aerial shots...we need more of those in future videos.

[@WilliRacing]

This might be one of the best looking race ever,those E39 look so damn good

[@paulharper4196]

I had an e39 m5 10 years ago, that car will always hold a special place in my heart. It also had the rear muffler delete and it sounded insane. This video doesn't do it justice just how good they sound.

[@Messag__me_Reina_delcid]

𝙃𝙚𝙮 ☝️𝙔𝙤𝙪'𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙣 𝙖 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙯𝙚 🎉⬆️⬆️

[@danielr.]

This is the drag race we all wanted to see, but can you also make on of every e46 model?

[@Reactz]

Never thought I’d see a B10 V8 on carwow, superb!

[@nikolaymihaylov902]

YES, YES, YES!!! FINALLY SOME CLASSICS! Continue with e34, please! 540, M5 and Alpina! Would be awesome!

[@patriciovivas2270]

The BMW Serie 5 is better than BMW M5.

[@sukita1905]

Camera quality so good wth. Love it

[@danielbakken7507]

YES! THOSE DRONE POVS ARE ASTONISHING!

[@robertlloyd7493]

Good to see Ben onboard, a talented professional driver 👍

[@Rbz2]

🙃

[@goldie8501]

He's not called The Stig for nothing!

[@jcat96]

He is one tame racing driver. Some say that his heart ticks like a watch, and that he’s confused by stairs...

[@goldie8501]

@jcat96 Some say he always clips the apex, and that he's touched every single member of the Untouchables

[@stoyanstefanov5460]

Those shifts didn't seem too professional though...or maybe something was wrong with the car

[@karraguer]

This time, the cinematography is superb. Even the coloured grain (maybe a byproduct of the late afternoon shooting because of the mechanical problems of the M5) is fantastic. Best drag race together with the one with Dani Pedrosa.

[@scottryan1989]

What a sight man seein them 3 epic versions of a legend absolutely bootin it like they should be driven

[@Messag__me_Reina_delcid]

𝙃𝙚𝙮 ☝️𝙔𝙤𝙪'𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙣 𝙖 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙯𝙚 🎉⬆️⬆️

[@evozzz]

Had a B10 4.6 a couple of years ago, loved it!

[@mrTm-bb3xg]

I love the E39, Would also love to see a drag race with an E38 and the competitors like the A8/S8 and the S-Class

[@patriciovivas2270]

1 Audi A8 2 Audi S8 3 Mercedes Class S

[@nyce46]

You killed it Matt , Car wow is the 🐐 of racing channels on KZbin

[@1Kurgan1]

Amazing video, E39's are so classic, an M5 is a dream of mine. I have a 99' 540i 6 speed, 02' x5 4.6is, and 14' 550i xDrive (tuned to 700hp). Even though the 540i is the lowest power it is the most fun to drive. But it made me a bit sad that TC was left on, I know from experience it is so aggressive in that gen of car. Ben mentioned that even during the rolling race his gear changes had hesitation, I'd be willing to put my money on it flicker the TC on. As soon as it does that it just kills anything that was happening.

[@vuchhcgjnk]

How long i‘ve been waiting for this😭😍

[@Tristanbirdyt]

We need more of Ben Collins and the car wow team thank you so much as always the starter keep on doing a fantastic job love the videos thank you

[@godlinaire]

😍😍😍😍😍That M5 sounded orgasmic . What a great feast Matt thank you mate

[@OblivionsEdge]

KEEP DOING THE AERIAL SHOTS, THOSE ARE REALLY GOOD!!!

[@qobiljonxojiakbarov9614]

I'm a big fan of Mercedes Benz, but honestly I'm really crazy about BMW E39 M5. It's just amazing

[@giovannilavaroni7095]

This generation Is the real boss! Next drag with all m5’s generations pleaseee

[@Alex-ud4tl]

The aerial camera angle looks cinematic. Would love to have more of those

[@blackwersus]

The cars looked pretty fast from air too

[@benboylan1878]

Absolutely love watching all of these videos awesome channel

[@Sennemk2]

Love the drone footage!!!

[@ntsindisomajezi7596]

That drone shot was 🔥🔥!!!!

[@Jahmed5635]

Ooh what a race!! Can’t beat an old bmw, they don’t make them like they used to, absolute beauties 👌 production quality is great

[@Zemjang]

That's one classy drag race right there.

[@inferring]

i love the drone shots keep them in the videos, also the M5 person really can shift lol

[@Messag__me_Reina_delcid]

𝙃𝙚𝙮 ☝️𝙔𝙤𝙪'𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙣 𝙖 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙯𝙚 🎉⬆️⬆️

[@floriantholl8217]

Liking the Videos after 2 seconds because i already know it’s gonna be great

[@NoNO-th3vv]

Love the new side camera angle🔥

[@GCTO239]

The sound of that M5 😍 Holy moly!

[@xzing7]

One of the Greatest mass production cars ever made. Matt can we please get this race done again but this time on a dry day and filmed in the "MORNING".

[@TerribleUsernameAmirite]

Oh man this is perfection. The E39 Alpina touring is a dream car.

[@v.s.727]

I prefer the M cars over the Alpinas. But M made only very few tourings, so the powerfull Alpina Tourings will always be special!

[@yhshah21]

Love that Camera angle at 5:30 you can really see the gears shift.

[@keefvance2256]

We need more older bmw races this was great!!!!💜

[@diodrip2780]

that m5 is nuts! it spit fire in the gear changes when i was laooking at frame to frame.

[@cosmopolitanranks3996]

That camera angle from 6:10 was awesome. Hope to see more in the upcoming videos.

[@tiisetsopietersonmoyana3357]

Hey Matty love your videos but you should have more videos on the Autobahn.. Topping the speed😂😂

[@kinkraktikus]

Nice view from drone please more like this 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@thisguy356]

The drone shots were absolutely fantastic

[@Deniz-tq4jt]

It would be more interseting E39: 540i v M5 v B10.

[@reyy1k]

as many others have pointed out please keep using more drone shots and gauge cluster cams, awesome drag race

[@Messag__me_Reina_delcid]

Hit me up 🎉

[@BenCollinsDrives]

Thanks for having me on Mat - lovely car but she could do with a little er.. tuning :) hope you all enjoy the races, they run a tight ship on CarWow

[@paulsachs9983]

Curious, why you did not turn off the DSC on the M5? (button on the dash next to the seat heater) Very aggressive traction control system. 🍻

[@BenCollinsDrives]

​@@paulsachs9983 the DSC was unusually unobtrusive on that one - I tried with it off on a practise run and it was the worst of all worlds. To overcome the dead spot in the engine's power curve I needed more throttle than normal to launch the car and was getting wheelsman, followed by no power. With DSC on I was able to get away with using more throttle and keeping the rpm in a better power band but the engine was still struggling a bit.. It was unusual I agree

[@purwantiallan5089]

This is now the 3rd best sounded cars drag race we ever witnessed.

[@gregmarking6716]

Great video, nicely done. Correct horse power and torque figures... M5 - 394hp 500Nm B10 V8 - 347hp 480Nm B10 V8S - 375hp 510Nm

[@slawensebl]

No!

[@siittavaa]

I LOVE THIS!

[@blackcloudz11]

I love those colors, congrats to the editor

[@bielup]

Great to hear v8s, see Ben and itcrowd cutscene 🎉

[@andykerr581]

My 1st car was a 2.8L E39 and I've got to say this drag race gave me a right old hard-on

[@735337707]

Mine as well. Back in '04 I bought my first car: E39 528 manual from 97. Bought a E39 M5 in '08. I still own one E39. 530d m sport wagon. Not planning to sell it.

[@mohis5664]

I got E39 as my first car too, awesome cars 💪💪💪

[@kingGfour]

My first car was a 540i v8 auto i loved that thing but it was a problem filled i kinda want another one in manual tho

[@v.s.727]

My first car is a manuel E46 330i M sport touring. BMWs of this era are awesome. Better than new ones!!

[@_-Anthony-_]

You know you were born in the wrong generation when all these replies above me had some sick ass cars as their first cars

[@okithdesilva129]

Mat thank you so much for this insane video!

[@darrenwhite5544]

Finally some Proper cars!!! Thanks Carwow

[@borjaborges4608]

The drone view was great!! Use it more, please!

[@stele22]

That S62 engine is a beast. The sound coming out of the exhaust is just wonderful

[@nkosiyaphathebe1461]

Beamer boy checking in😍😍

[@connorstubbs4087]

Fellow beamer boy 😎

[@AMG63]

Are you watching it in the comfort of a recovery truck ?

[@taxmanofficial7625]

This is the manliest car video I’ve seen in recent times. It brought a tear to my eye as I explained the difference between E39 M5’s and Alpina’s. More bonus points for the gearbox dying halfway through. Mine does that too: just turn it off and back on again and it’s happy as Larry 😅

[@Messag__me_Reina_delcid]

𝙃𝙚𝙮 ☝️𝙔𝙤𝙪'𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙣 𝙖 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙯𝙚 🎉⬆️⬆️

[@docbroc1]

Having owned a 2001 oxford green M5 Individual that car was such a joy at the time being and wouldn't mind having one as a sunday drive still.

[@docbroc1]

That M5 needs a cam timing and Vanos check up for sure thou.

[@TheKatWeasel]

I’m not convinced that the M5 here is necessarily a good enough example here, perhaps the exhaust system isn’t doing it any favours? And it probably needs the clutch delay valve taking out maybe some other associated work?

[@billib1547]

Nope a driver mod is what was needed!

[@tudorpopa3c85]

@@billib1547 Ben Collins the original Stig on Top Gear I don t think a driver mod is needed

[@Kelveron]

That M5 sounds sounds epic. I predicted the BMW or the Alpina would win! That's how good I am!

[@NEXUSACHAAR]

One of the best drag races and that V8 🥵

[@lansx42]

"you edge Ben .." Hahaahaaa .. you got a double meaning there Matt .. 🤣🤣