Supercharged V10 S85 680bhp BMW M5 E60

Putting out almost 700hp from its supercharged V10, when this beast of an E60 M5 rolls by, the ground shakes, and it feels like the world is about to collapse…

Words: Elizabeth de Latour

Photos: Michał Fidowicz

Awesome supercharged monster takes V10 power to the next level

680hp E60 M5 Magnitude 10

Subtle on the outside, with just a selection of styling additions, this E60 M5 hides a supercharged secret, and it’s a 680hp force of nature.

Remember when BMW thought it would be a good idea to put a V10 in a family saloon? Sure, Audi did that too, but BMW was the first car company crazy enough to stuff 10 cylinders under the bonnet of something unassuming and otherwise sensible. The E60 M5 (and its E61 Touring counterpart) became a legend in its own lifetime, and even now, almost 18 years on from launch, it remains an iconic performance machine that sits atop many a BMW fan’s dream shopping list. And while super saloons may have reached another level of performance in recent times, with 507hp on tap, the E60 M5 is anything but slow, even by modern standards. This means that it takes a particular kind of person to look at that power figure and think: ‘Hmmm, it’s a bit on the small side…’. That’s pretty much what Uvis Cevers (@ultimatevelocityofficial) did, and it’s led to him building this incredible M5.

I found the car on eBay. It was advertised as being for spares or repair, and it was probably the cheapest M5 for sale in the country

Now, we love power as much as the next person, but to extract almost 700hp from what started out life as a highlystrung NA V10 takes dedication, and before we proceed any further, we need to know what sort of person we’re dealing with here. For Uvis, motoring began with a Russian-made ZAZ 968M when he was 14; that’s the definition of starting them young right there, but in 2001 he got his hands on his first BM and it was a big moment. “My first BMW was an E21 316, and ever since, I have always had BMW models, and I try to modify them all, more or less. BMWs have always been special to me from the early days, being RWD with powerful engines, great-looking, tuningfriendly etc.,” he enthuses, and he’s preaching to the choir. Since that E21, Uvis has owned a lot of BMWs, and it’s been a really eclectic mix that has allowed him to sample a wide range of Bavaria’s finest offerings.

There was an E30 325ix Touring equipped with a GT35R turbo, a 325i running a 2.8 M20 stroker, a stanced Z3 Roadster, a VIP E65 745i on 22s, a host of M cars including an E39 M5 and an E46 M3, plus E32s, E28s and loads more. He’s also turned his personal passion into a professional one, as he runs his own garage, Ultimate Velocity, which he opened in 2020. With all that background knowledge Uvis is exactly the sort of person you might expect to own a build of this calibre.

“I always wanted a V10 M5 or M6,” Uvis tells us as we chat about his magnificent M machine. “I remember meeting my friend Sam with his M6 back in 2018 when I had the E65 745, and I told him I would buy an M5 soon, even though I didn’t have any money at the time. But, one year later, I bought my E60 M5,” grins a triumphant Uvis. Admittedly, the lack of substantial funds meant he hadn’t been shopping for a minter, but none of that matters now, considering how incredible the car has become. “I found the car on eBay. It was advertised as being for spares or repair, and it was probably the cheapest M5 for sale in the country. I went to see it, the seller was genuine, and we made a deal, so I trailered it back to my workshop and started on the repairs,” says Uvis. “The plan was to get it running and do a few mods like spacers and springs etc. It already had Hayward and Scott back boxes, which I replaced later, but as time went on, my ideas never stopped,” he grins.

The first round of mods was largely cosmetic, with Uvis looking to give the car a few personal touches. He kicked things off with a set of spacers for the standard 19s to help with the stance and fill out the arches a little, before swapping the Hayward and Scott exhaust for an Eisenmann Sport setup. “I wasn’t happy with it, so I bought an Eisenmann Race system with oval tips,” says Uvis, and this delivered a proper V10 soundtrack, while the massive quad oval tips do a great job of filling out the rear bumper, and it’s no surprise to see this E60 M5 is still wearing the Eisenmann system. Uvis’s next move was to add the Hamann-style carbon front splitter, and not only does it fill out the bumper really well, but the aggressive design with winglets on the sides also gives the M5’s front end a much more purposeful appearance with a lot more road presence. The car was then treated to a tasty drop using some H&R springs, and to go with that, Uvis decided it was time to get it sitting on something more purposeful than the stock wheels.

“When it came to wheels, it was hard to find ones I liked,” he explains. “I didn’t want to go deep-dish or splits on this car as wanted it a bit sporty and concave, so I went for the Strom STR2 19s. They are 9.5”-wide at the front with 275 Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tyres and 10” at the rear with 285 tyres, finished in satin grey, and I love the look,” he enthuses. The Strom wheels look great on the M5, the fitment with the spacers is very nice, they deliver that sporty look that Uvis was after, and the satin grey finish looks great against the Interlagos bodywork.

After fitting the new wheels, Uvis decided it was time to get serious about the suspension, and the springs were swapped out for a set of coilovers. “I always run BC coilovers on my cars, and I like them; there are other coilovers on the market, but BC ticks my boxes and I will continue to use them on my next cars as well,” he smiles. On the M5, the BC RS coilovers deliver a serious drop, but beyond the enhanced aesthetics, they also improve the handling, ensuring this super saloon is more than just about the substantial straight-line speed it can muster.

With the E60 coming along nicely by this point, Uvis turned his attention to the engine and unleashed a whole host of NA upgrades upon the S85. It was treated to a primary de-cat and an Evolve Stage 3 tune and Eventuri intakes, a Macht Schnell underdrive pulley kit was fitted, and this added up to a healthy 543hp. It’s tough to get gains out of any NA engine, so to extract almost 40hp out of the V10 was good going, and that was enough to give the M5 a welcome performance boost.

Uvis now focused his attention back on the styling, because while that front lip was looking good, it needed a bit of a helping hand to give the M5 a little more visual oomph. “I always wanted to keep it looking OEM+ so only added custom-made real carbon front grilles, custom-made carbon mirror caps, LCI rear lights and light front window tints as the rears were factory tinted,” he explains. “My friend Tony made me a custom bonnet to get rid of heat from the engine and to give it that different look. I had it painted and ended up with a full respray for the car,” he smiles. The finishing touches include the Magna Plates magnetic front number plate holder for the Full House Customs 3D gel plates and a 50th anniversary M bonnet roundel has been added since the shoot. These are all subtle additions, but they combine to give this E60 M5 that little extra something, all while staying within Uvis’s OEM+ styling brief.

And subtle was also the watchword when it came to the cabin. “The interior is full black leather with active seats, black roof lining and brushed aluminium trims, which I like, but I wanted to replace all the black plastic parts with carbon fibre,” Uvis explains. “I had all of them made in carbon, and I’m very happy with the look and quality. I used a company abroad called Carbonized BG for all the carbon parts on my car except for the front splitter, and the quality is outstanding.

I also added a custom plaque with the car and my company details, which built the car,” he says. The carbon interior trim really looks good, it makes the interior feel more upmarket, and exactly what an M car deserves. While Uvis was happy with his BC coilovers, the rest of the chassis needed some attention. At this point, he replaced all the suspension arms, added Powerflex Black Series front control arm bushes and a 21mm rear anti-roll bar, and fitted a Brembo four-pot BBK up front along with EBC Yellowstuff pads and braided brake lines. That little lot endowed the M5 with some serious stopping power and really sharpened up the chassis, but for Uvis, there was still something missing from his M5 project.

“I always wanted more power. The car was running 543hp with all the NA mods, but that wasn’t enough, so I got a great deal on an ESS 680 supercharger, which was the latest version for the S85. I got it and fitted it over a weekend, and the difference was crazy,” grins Uvis. “The engine had a full rebuild, all the NA mods were removed and the ESS supercharger kit went in. It came with massive Bosch injectors, a large heat exchanger, upgraded Radtec oil cooler, a colder thermostat, de-cat exhaust manifold, secondary air pump-delete, and an ESS engine and gearbox tune,” he says. That is a seriously impressive array of performance upgrades. All of that has taken power into the stratosphere, and this E60 M5 is making a monstrous 680hp and 479lb ft of torque. We’ve seen the dyno graph to prove it – the power curve is more of a straight line soaring past 7000 rpm, and it’s just beautiful, and Uvis has achieved a Dragy 100-200kph time of just 6.66 seconds. The supercharger is the crowning glory of this M5, and it truly takes this car to the next level.

It’s taken Uvis three years to go from non-runner to a near-700hp E60 M5, and it was time very well spent, and he is naturally over the moon with his car. “My favourite modification is probably the supercharger kit, but I love everything about this car. All the mods were what I wanted, and it’s still the fastest and most powerful S85 car in the UK,” he grins and you can feel the joy and satisfaction emanating from him.

Naturally, Uvis has more mods on his mind, but he’s got something else to keep him occupied now… “My next car is an F10 M5 M Performance Edition, one of 30, finished in Frozen blue, and I have already started to modify it,” he laughs, and we’re not surprised. The E60 M5, though, is going nowhere, firstly because it’s just too special, but also because why limit yourself to just one M5 when you can have two? This incredible E60 M5 makes a big impact that sends lesser cars scurrying for cover, and Uvis is going to go even further with his F10 because he’s someone who doesn’t know how to do anything other than going all out, and we love it.

All of that has taken power into the stratosphere, and this E60 M5 is making a monstrous 680hp and 479lb ft of torque

Custom carbon interior trim really makes the cabin feel special.

The styling additions are subtle, but they make all the difference.

TECHNICAL DATA Supercharged V10 S85 680bhp BMW M5 E60

ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION: 5.0-litre V10 S85B50, ESS 680 supercharger kit, de-cat exhaust manifolds, Eisenmann Race exhaust, secondary air pump delete, Stant thermostat, K&N filters, ESS front-mount heat exchanger, ESS engine and gearbox software. SMG III seven-speed gearboxPOWER AND TORQUE: 680hp and 479lb ftCHASSIS: 9.5x19” ET27 (front) and 10x19” ET22 (rear) Strom STR2 wheels in Satin Gunmetal with 275/35 (front) and 285/35 (rear) Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tyres, Macht Schnell 18mm spacers (front), Bimecc wheel stud kit, BC Racing RS coilovers, Powerflex Black Series front control arm bushes, upgraded 21mm rear anti-roll bar, Brembo four-piston calipers (front), EBC Yellowstuff pads, Goodridge braided brake lines, Motul RBF 700 brake fluidEXTERIOR: Interlagos blue, custom vented bonnet, Hamannstyle carbon fibre front splitter, Carbonized BG custom carbon fibre kidney grilles and door mirror caps, LCI rear lights, tinted windows all-round, BMW M 50th anniversary bonnet badge (fitted after the shoot), Magna Plate front number plate holder, Full House Customs number platesINTERIOR: Black active seats, LCI steering wheel, Carbonized BG custom carbon steering wheel trim, gear surround, climate control panel, light switch surround, window switch panels and rear centre panel, AutoTecknic red M buttonTHANKS: Thanks to Ultimate Velocity, my girlfriend Anete, Sam, Tony, Andrei, Delano, Carbonized BG, Troy Jeup, Martini, Elitar V10 Klub and all my car friends, sorry if I forgot someone!

ESS supercharger kit makes a monstrous 680hp, and the S85 plays its V10 symphony through an Eisenmann Race exhaust