Imagine lining your Corvette up at a stop light next to this very large Mercedes Benz S600 reminiscence in size of the Cadillac your grandfather used to own and when the light turns green all you see are its tail lights.

In 2003 Mercedes Benz’s flagship full size sedan packed a twin turbo 12 cylinder power plant with 493 hp and 590 lbs of torque that will thrust this 4610 lb behemoth 0 to 60 in a mind numbing 4.3 seconds. What makes the 2003 Mercedes S600 so impressive is the refinement that Mercedes added to compliment this super car power. They made the S600 capable of smooth relaxing driving or neck straining acceleration.

The 2003 Mercedes S600 is very good at going straight and fast, but on the twisting back roads you will need to slow down a bit. The used car market for the S600 is few and far between since the limited numbers created (considering the original $130,000+ MSRP). If you can find one, they can offer you a way to move 5 full size adults (and their luggage) in luxury, comfort and blazingly fast. With this type of power and luxury come maintenance costs that could put the pleasure of ownership to the test, so purchase wisely.

In 1986 BMW introduced what would soon become a legend among BMW enthusiasts the M5. This special 5 series BMW was introduced to the world in the 1984 Amsterdam Motor Show.

1986-1988 BMW M5 E28

The first of these special sports sedans was the BMW M5 E28 which came with an inline 6 cylinder that produced 286 hp at 6500 rpm (the North American model had 256 hp at 6500 rpm) and 251 lb/ft or torque at 4500 rpm (the North American model had 246 lb/ft torque at 4500 rpm) . The BMW M5 E28 weighs 3153lbs and came standard with a 5 speed transmission. The E28 M5 European version rocketed 0-60 mph in about 6.1 seconds and the ¼ mile in about 14.6 seconds at 85.7 mph.

1989-1995 BMW M5 E34

This second generation BMW M5 upped the performance to 315 hp. After 3 years of production, BMW upped the E34 M5’s hp to 340 at 6900 rpm and the torque to 296 lb/ft at 4750 rpm. The E34 M5 weighs 3788 lbs and came standard with a 5 speed transmission. This version managed 0-60 mph times less than 6 seconds.

1999-2003 BMW M5 E39

After a couple of years in hiatus the new BMW M5 appeared. This celebrated version of the BMW M5 has a v8 power plant with 394 hp at 6600 rpm with 368 lb/ft of torque at 3800 rpm. The E39 M5 weighs 4024 lbs and came standard with a 6 speed transmission. With 0-60 mph times under 5 seconds, the E39 M5 held the title as one of the best production sports sedans for several years. This example of the BMW M5 is truly a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

2005-present BMW M5 E60

The new E60 BMW M5 is an absolute monster among sports sedans. The new E60 M5 has a 500 hp at 7750 rpm V10 engine that has 384 lb/ft of torque at 6100 rpm. It weighs in at 4050 lbs and currently comes standard with a 7 speed auto clutch manual transmission (rumors are that they will be offering a standard manual transmission in the coming years). The new E60 BMW M5 will jump 0-60 mph in about 4.5 and do the ¼ mile in about 12.6 seconds hitting 115mph. The new BMW M5 E60 is a 4 door supercar!