MANHART MH5 GTR Is A Uber BMW M5 CS
When BMW created the 5-series, it was meant to be an all-around expression of performance and practicality. Then BMW decided that they wanted more, so that is when the M5 was born. As powerful as the M5 is, it wasn’t enough for BMW.
What could be a more powerful performance sedan than the BMW M5? The BMW M5 CS (Competition Sport). The current BMW M5 CS is equipped with a 4.4 liter twin-turbo V8 engine that makes 635 horsepower and is on a carbon fiber diet. The BMW M5 CS is when the brand’s engineers dusted off their hands and walked away. Perhaps they thought that any further modifications would be unreasonable.
It turns out that the mechanical alchemists at German tuning house MANHART are unreasonable in the best way.
MANHART MH5 GTR
The MANHART MH5 GTR is a one-of-one tuning package based on the BMW M5 CS. The crew at MANHART did a full inside and out makeover of BMW’s brutish sedan. If the name MANHART sounds familiar, that is likely because you may have seen our coverage on their MH4 GTR, which is based on the BWM M4.
How the MANHART MH5 GTR changes the BMW M5’s exterior
The MH5 GTR has a stealthy appearance. This is due to MANHART’s choice of giving the car a matte dark “Moonlight” blue vinyl wrap. Grey decals were added to contrast the “silky” dark blue colored wrap. The BMW M5 CS comes with gold accents from the factory, but those would clash here, so they were removed.
A set of forged MANHART Classic Line Y-spoke 21-inch alloy wheels sit at the corners of the MH5 GTR. Naturally, the wheels are staggered, with the front wheels being 9 inches wide and the rear wheels stretching to 10.5 inches wide. A set of spacers is added to the front wheels to keep the wheels flush with the body. There are high-performance tires wrapped around the wheels, but MANHART neglected to specifically call out the brand of rubber that they are using.
MH5 GTR upgrades the BMW M5 CS’ performance
MANHART’s performance goal for the BMW M5 CS was two-pronged. The tuners wanted to improve the M5’s handling, and obviously, they wanted to add more power to the already powerful turbo V8 engine.
The challenge that the BWM M5 CS provided to MANHART was how they would extract more power from an engine that is seemingly pushed to its limits of reliable horsepower.
MANHART decided that their answer to this problem would be software and airflow. MANHART’s software engineers tuned the BMW M5’s stock ECU to make several engine adjustments. While MANHART did not reveal those adjustments in detail, we speculate that they changed the fuel maps and significantly increased boost pressure. To help the V8 breathe easily, a carbon fiber cold air intake and cat-back exhaust system are installed.
The result is an increase of 153 horsepower over stock, bringing the total to 788. Torque has also been pushed to 670 ft-lbs.
MANHART plans to show off the MH5 GTR and MH4 GTR at the IAA Mobility 2021 show in early September. Currently, the MH5 GTR is meant to be a one-of-one vehicle, but we can’t help but think if there is enough interest, more examples will be built for willing customers.
