Is the BMW E39 M5 the perfect car for a Utah desert road trip?

We put the BMW E39 M5 to the ultimate test on a desert road trip that takes the fastest saloon in the world across the Colorado Rockies and through the Utah Desert on some of the best driving roads in the west, with some unexpected places along the way.
0:00 The fastest saloon car in the world
0:27 What made the e39m5 so special?
3:10 Three days in the desert
3:53 The Trifecta
4:18 W on I-70
4:34 Mac Mesa
5:26 Day Two: Utah
6:14 Goblin Valley
7:35 Little Wild Horse Slot Canyon
8:43 Outdoor Clothing Calendar Camp Spot
9:59 Day Three: Driving Roads
10:48 St. Route 95
11:38 Dirty Devil
12:42 Bear's Ears National Monument
13:07 Faux Falls / Moab
13:48 One car to do it all
Learn More
GlenShelly.com
Credits:
Executive Producer
Alex McCulloch
Jeremy Heslup
Directed by
Jeremy Heslup
Special Thanks
Jeff O’Brien
Nate Bloom
Tyler White Simply Clean Auto Studio
Mack Mesa Airport
Underwriter / Producer
Jon Kleppe
Created by Valkyr | valkyrproductions.com | / valkyrfilms

[@pacamizer92]

I recently travelled around around Wales, camping using my E39 M5 and honestly the car made the trip. It's so good to see other people using these cars what they are made for and not hiding them away

[@pacamizer92]

@@jamesmay6950 you've just watched a video of a guy driving an M5 and then pitching up a tent, and to answer your question yes, it's far better than driving on brilliant roads in a van.

[@a8f235]

Wow, it made the trip. A car that drives... Does the doors work too or are they just for show?

[@famus801]

This guy is what i aspire to be when im older

[@TakesTalent]

When BMW created the slogan “The Ultimate Driving Machine”. It was during THIS era. It truly was a remarkable machine that engaged the driver in an immersive and exhilarating driving experience allowing you to feel each gear, and spring react to YOU. Although the BMW M5 of today has much more power, they still lack driver engagement. Aside from engagement, take a look at the craftsmanship. Crafted and engineered with sheer excellence and precision, taking into consideration far more details than they do today. In fact, i personally believe that part of the reason the car’s timeless design had aged so well, was because of its symmetry and balance. Each component, each curvature, was precisely thought out prior to implementation. The engineering during this era had really reached its pinnacle. Comparing this to bmw’s being mass produced today is an insult to the effort that was put into creating this masterpiece. Simply put. The Greatest BMW Of All Time.

[@p00pie]

The opening shot looks like a genuine BMW ad from the golden era.

[@SinaBagheri]

why isn't this video viral yet?

[@dillonjayanthan123]

This video deserves a few more millions of views

[@ZERONEINNOVATIONS]

This channel is sooo underrated.

[@stevendiamond9642]

Alex has helped me out on many occasions. He's a good friend first, someone you can trust and never worry about a thing, he's a one of a kind! He wears his passion and value of friendship as if it were invisible . Alex keep bringing your passion and goodness to our world my friend! Steve

[@MrJosephbelfi]

Who’s Alex?

[@FlorianNuernberg]

@@MrJosephbelfihe is the guy in that video. He runs the company named glen shelly

[@michaellaflamme9501]

I echo all you stated. I have had much less interactions with him but I concur. He's a very honest and trustworthy guy. Love this series he is doing.

[@trentlanning2111]

Enjoyed my drive to work today! Purchased my Black, 2000 E39 M5 from Glen Shelley about 2 years ago. Love the car more every time I drive it!

[@rathodstreaming88]

Loved this video. Amazing to see people using these classics for daily duties. Too many are getting tucked away by collectors these days. Keep up the great content.

[@massimilianofaccio2407]

High quality well mounted video, incredible place, beautiful car, so underrated this channel

[@CityEstates]

Incredible video, inspired me to take my 2003 M5 out this afternoon. Thank you.

[@afghanboy103]

When ever i drive other brand cars then i know better how e39 is far better and good....in Afghanistan.

[@Manualv12sonly]

I need to get in contact. With your detailer. I’ve never seen an imola red car look that perfect before.

[@stevec9704]

Love the attitude and the car! The ultimate driving machine and ultimate trip!

[@bigolbootycheeks9138]

Even if they haven't been made in 20 years, still the best BMW to ever be made, in my opinion. doesn't need to have the ability to make 500+HP on a tuned, motor like all the newer I6 turbo cars. These cars are just genuinely awesome. Anyone who's owned one, I promise will agree with me.

[@cmweek19]

Amazing idea. Take a sports sedan on a road/off-road trip. Love your style of narrating

[@brentd8462]

Proper use of one of BMWs finest! Great to see some video content from Alex, longtime reader of his BMWCCA content.

[@deppen123]

Nice a new and veeery intresting m5 video. Wish i could have one 😂

[@ineedabubble]

Love that perspective towards the end of the video...wish more people thought the same way! Great video!

[@jt3sd]

love the E39 M5 - Envy :) . Took me too Long but I finally have an M5 - 2023 E90 M5 Comp - last yr of ICE

[@gob7116]

Awesome production quality! Would be nice if you’d have a series where you take each of the M5s to different road trips that would suit each car. Classy Green and Caramel when going through more cities, winding roads with the sporty silver and out to the vast areas with the exciting red one. Definitely deserve more subs, you get one from me!

[@totallyuneekname]

My buddy out in CO loves Glen Shelly. Great stuff you guys!

[@jordeboy]

First time I’ve seen any of your content and I love it. I’ve just got a 540i and am so excited for the adventures I’m going to have with it!

[@e30life_91]

what a great video thank you ........I remember I bought a 2003 e39 540i and I drove it from Portland all the way to Atlanta Ga amazing experience it was 40 hour of drive 2600-2700 mile crazy...

[@livewoutlimit]

This is one of the best videos (or should I be calling it a film) I've seen that expresses enthusiast's feeling when enjoying a vehicle of choice - a truly fine one in this case. And how a car, for many of us, isn't always about getting from point A to B, but rather enjoying the journey itself; beautifully displayed with the stops on the way, tied with its perspective narrative. I feel like I got what I wanted to say off my chest watching this.

[@MyCarGuyChris]

BEAUTIFUL video. The shots you captured really share how special the southwest really is. Great video and thanks for taking us along your journey!

[@justincremdf]

This is great! I drove my 2003 M3 to many many *many* mountain bike races from 2003 to 2010. Most of which included camping. Many of which included off-road excursions. Zero issues attributed to my alternative ///M lifestyle. God bless that car for putting such ridiculous misuse. haha

[@whitneyrides]

What an awesome video! I've owned 2 E39M5s and by far the best car ever made! I currently have my 02 Jet black in California and had a wonderful time throwing it on some sand back roads outside of Joshua Tree. It can do it all! p.s. one more E39M5 difference to that of the regular 5 series is the oval rear view mirror vs square. cheers!

[@maxclark6544]

Thank you for this. Mine is in for rust repair and I've been living vicariously through other owners. I can't wait to get it home, convince the family to get our cars out to go somewhere, and get out and drive, man.

[@joakim5465]

Incredibly well made clip! And fantastic car! Greetings from Sweden!

[@DaveTony206]

Very cool video! Thanks for sharing! 😎👍

[@car-collector]

What a fantastic video!!! I enjoyed it so much that I had to watch it twice!

[@danileuenberger5620]

In my teenage years, i totally crashed down on me, lost myself and lived like 10 years in the streets only with my dog, my backbag, and me. With the age of 30 i started to get my shit together, found a job, earned some money, got an apartmen,t made my driving license and got myself a car. My first car, a VW golf mk2. Drove it to the southest point of Italy and back. I sold that car some months ago and buyed an e39 520i.. and again i made a trip. Slept at beaches, made some campfires there and just felt the moment. And while i'm still learning about the car, it just feels amazing just to sit in my ''small'' 520ï.. for me, it already became the car that can do it all. I feel like the king of the streets inside, just because the way it feels to drive it, the look of it and i woudn't be ashamed to take out the women i love and want to spend the rest of my life with it. And if i won't find her, i'm still happy to own and drive a car like this. My friends that are into old cars like it, and the one's that like new cars.. At this point, the e39 M5 became a unicorn to me. It really is my dreamcar, and i would take it over any Ferrari, Ford, Nissan or whatever. For me, it really is the car that can do it all.

[@olephill2]

Awesome video, Alex! 👏👏👏

[@ron8566]

Great video Alex! Thank you for the experience.

[@robsower2963]

What a great video - always great content Alex! Keep up the great work!

[@Oliver-xh7zl]

What a great video. Thank you for sharing.

[@anthonyk]

The shots and editing is spot on 👍

[@cooly350]

Awesome 👌 Great video

[@benjaminkaric2874]

Amazing Content. I enjoyed the Video ! Subscribed!

[@lmcdltd]

Love Alex! He always has his finger on the pulse with all things cars and planes.

[@TwoToneProduc]

It is the first time I'm encountering this channel, this video gave a feeling of relief through testing this E39 M5, while traveling the beautiful natural sites of the US Great video

[@KelvinR79]

I have always been a fan of the E39…as a fellow owner, I really enjoyed this video (movie) as it was so detailed…thank you! New Subscriber!

[@gerardoflores6534]

Amazing video! Definitely a love letter for the ultimate driving machine 🙌🏼

[@astonmartinzz]

Finally subbed brother. You ate hitting the nail on the head man!! Beautiful all around.

[@erik_saulkalns]

Stunning, more of this.

[@pghardin]

A great reminder of why I own a 2000 Lemans blue with under 100,000 miles. I'll share with my wife. Thank you, sir.

[@joaolourenco2252]

Amazing, no words..... Great video

[@AnthonyMichael504]

this now makes me want to do a trip like this with my e39 M5....thanks for the inspiration...

[@Manualv12sonly]

Best BMW ever made

[@SwastikaHinduSansrkit]

Not even Merc get the respect and desire like the E39///M5. This ///M5 actually paved the way for other manufacturers to take ideas from this into their own design. The new electric car company Lucid, based out of California, designed their 350k electric innovative electric sedan off the E39///M5 style and platform.

[@AngelDiaz-nv2is]

Such a solid video. Please make more about the Beast

[@Lenoch_]

Awesome, beautiful work. Subbed!

[@BMWM5E39]

I used the M5 E39 as daily when we tried to open a gold mine in the badlands of Utah. It could have used some rock crawler tires, but other than scraping everywhere, still made it out okay... only like 50 scratches and dings/dents.

[@BMWM5E39]

6:19 I blew a front tire on M5 E39 on Highway 24 between Hanksville and Goblin Valley. The hard sidewalls of the run-flat Dunlop SP1's, combined with massive heat, extremely coarse asphalt and triple digits on all sensors.. the combo heated the tire and the tire started disintegrating on the edge of the sidewall and thread. It was 102F, no spare and the aux fan was dead, so AC only works while driving.. with no phone signal.. sitting in middle of desert and laughing that "now we screwed up!" Best place on earth to blow a tire. No passing cars in any direction for over 1 hour. We decided we must do something so we limped back on a partially disintegrated run flat tire to Hanksville to get signal, about 15 miles @ 20mph. 10:44 is same spot we called from 9AM to 3PM searching for a tire. My AAA membership had ended 2 days earlier (normal "when it rains it pours" occurrence). Closest new tire was in Provo, Utah at 187 miles distance. Found a used 245/40/18 tire in Moab, Utah @ 107 mile distance. The tow truck was $900. So we decided to limp for 107 miles to Moab on a broken run-flat. The closer we get, the cheaper the tow truck becomes. The guys at the tire shop said "You will never make it"... but eventually we made it and as we drove over the 'bump' of the sidewalk at the tire shop the tire sidewalls completely fell apart and the thread section came off the sidwalls,. The shop had to put a jack with wheels to push the car for the last 30 feet into the service bay. We stayed in Moab for the night and next day continued our search for heavy mining equipment for the yet to-be gold mine.

[@vadim3031]

Great cars, great scenery, nice video!

[@andreileordean1902]

Woooow ❤ great content! Superb work.

[@halladunne75]

What a fantastic and inspiring video! Beautiful country and amazing car!!

[@uniwersalnykabanos]

fantastic material!!!! great car so far ! best engine sound ever

[@stevenpower3780]

Wow what an amazing video!

[@Running111]

What a enjoying to watch road trip!👍

[@martinnaylor]

Ive owned my E39 525i Sport almost 16 years now,thse cars are built on a different level.

[@gabrielperez3137]

to me this is what the american dream is about...just to be free and thrive, buy the car of your dreams (that green M5 blew my mind) and enjoy life 😍

[@pographics81]

Love this

[@Singlespeedjo]

Great video!!!!!

[@faki0007]

Great car!💙

[@FlorianNuernberg]

I looove your videos and i love that scenerys! 🙏

[@Dan_Leno]

Cool adventure on crazy car!!!

[@user-df3dj7hb8k]

I’m so glad we decided to build a wagon M5, it’ll will never leave the family. Absolute beast and beauty!

[@malamutekid8871]

omg what a great video. reminds me back when I lived in AZ

[@sidlazzar1002]

Goals to be like you, driving a nice car and outdoors enjoying this wonderful earth we live on ✨🤙🏼

[@af96965]

just beautiful!

[@Azizdesign_]

Great vid. Most fitting song for this journey would’ve been desert rose by sting

[@silversurfer6756]

"Your metaphysical discourse is what humanity should abide. Excelsior, my friend!"

[@TheKeenMechanic]

Just came across your channel. Very well presented. +1 sub from a fellow BMW fan and a youtuber🙌

[@anthony-j-alibrandi-369]

Sweet video I got 2007 328 xi wagon. I love the idiot light Aspect As You Hit The Road To MOAB. Bimmer is Awesome experience. Expensive☹️ Too.

[@r.weaver3769]

Never driven the M5 version, but I sorely miss my 98 E39 528i. Medical bills...

[@classiccarssp]

Best sport sedan ever 🙌 B7 RS4 is another analog monster of that era 👍

[@siddarthaone7355]

Sheer poetry.

[@pyite100]

I have had a couple of these including an Imola and they can do anything as long as the road is smooth. Rough roads will shake out the fillings from your teeth! Maybe keep a spare set of strut towers with taller springs if you really want to do this.

[@bmwbob51]

I had a BMW 540i 6 speed and wish I still had it along with the $$$ to maintain it!

[@e_mov94]

great car. great video. im also a fan of the e39. please say where can these cars be restored?

[@dvsur]

I own a E39 530D, such an amazing engine and car 😍👌

[@steel1527]

Got to say even a basic E39 520i 2.2 6cyl is a fantastic driving experience

[@QuantumBlu9x]

Nice 🎉

[@Kryojenix]

This is why I chose it as my One car after making all the calculations, Venn diagrams, diagnostic sieves etc. The only thing it doesn't really do is offroad, which my previous car was. So I kept it too. Even though, I'd never been interested in offroad prior to living in an oceanside beach town for a few years...

[@Kryojenix]

WHOA - HE ACTUALLY WENT OFFROADING! Okay, I'm going to confess - I've done some of my best dirt-tracking in my M5, and some of my best urban 'performance' manoeuvring in my Pajero iO. Likewise, I've done my best posing in my Asics Gel Kayano 16 and my best jogging in my leather dress shoes. Life just works out that way ...

[@AutomotiveRush]

I’m longing for something like this, even an E30

[@vagabondroller]

Oh damn, an SBACH at 5:35.

[@tomlabarb2640]

I think if they made the E39 today it would sell like crazy. Non in place of the current 5 series, but instead of wasting time on the X1 or X2 that look practically the same... bring back the E39 just as it was .... with some new electronics.

[@TooColdS4]

my dream car

[@danielbiederman5408]

Hoping to buy a car from Alex someday . .

[@user-vs4gi7gh2o]

Классный фильм

[@flypawels]

👍

[@aymanfaris6782]

Mother-in-law to church on Sunday baby!

[@Silver891_]

The best Bmw ever made .

[@jaroslavzaruba2765]

0:31 -the fastest saloon in the world- Opel Lotus Omega says hi

[@MatiKosa]

Song name 5:30 - 7:30 ?

[@irvincerna4033]

iv owned a e53 4.4, 02 540i with sport pkg 03 525i sport pkg and 04 zhp and i can tell you that all 4 of those cars all linger around the quote "best car ever" they just never really nail it, esp the zhp and 540i they just barely fall short due to horsepower. That being said i do understand the claim you are making beacuse this has the power behind it. its something that you have to expierence becuase the paperwork and mathmatics dont do it justice like the sweet endulgance of automotive engineering.

[@bradleys2857]

Was looking forward to watching this video after KZbin recommended it, but gave up immediately after the “super car performance” and “can go around a corner like any sports car” lines. I own one of these, those are definitely untrue statements.

[@allannschwartz604]

Trust Alex. Believe me, I know.

[@philippk1125]

Unfortunately it can't do it all, I love my M5 but it's way too small and it has rear wheel drive, which is nice but you can't really get up hills/mountains from a stand, even with nice winter tires. And of course a collector's piece like an E39 or E60 M5 should not be driven in winter. For winter, every M owner which has a real M (not the new crap) should have a second car he can beat on.