Of all the engines to power BMW road cars, the S85 V10—which powered the E60 M5—is among the most beloved by enthusiasts. The high-revving, free-breathing V10 easily sits among the very best engines the Roundel has ever made. Some BMW fans go absolutely bananas over the S85, so much so that some might even want to see it everyday, in their house, as a coffee table, like this one that’s currently for sale on Bring a Trailer.
The main part of the table’s stand is the engine, an S85 V10 that’s partially been painted black and given a couple of Roundels and devoid of its cylinder heads. Four pistons were then welded to the bottom of the table to act as legs and six pistons were welded to the top, to act as arms that hold up the glass table top. Speaking of the table top, it features longitudinal M-colored strips and a “BMW Motorsport plaque. It’s actually one of the more basic engine coffee tables I’ve seen but that helps it fit more rooms without looking odd.
Whoever buys this coffee table also gets some BMW-branded mugs, six rubber coasters, and a copy of BMW M5: The Complete Story, by James Taylor.
When the E60 M5 first debuted, and its engine was brand-spanking new for BMW, it was one of the gnarliest engines on the road. The 5.0-liter V8 makes a delicious noise that’s been unmatched from BMW since and was able to rev to 8,250 rpm. It’s probably the best sounding engine that BMW ever put in a car, with only the S65 V8 (which was actually very much an S85 with two cylinders chopped off) as a close second. On paper, it only made 500 horsepower but that’s actually what’s beautiful about it. It might not have a tidal wave of torque like turbocharged engines but that makes it more usable without feeling spiky and it also means to get to rev it over and over and over again.
What’s ironic is that the S85 V10 was also one of BMW’s least reliable engines, throwing its road bearings like confetti at a parade. Since it’s so unreliable, many enthusiasts are scared to buy E60 M5s, for fear of eating the cost of an engine replacement. However, if that does happen to you, just pull the engine out and make a coffee table out of it. This auction just started and the bid is at $1,000. Whatever it gets up to will likely cover a big chunk of the cost to replace an S85 engine.
[Source: Bring a Trailer]