Brought to you by the letter M and the number 5
I don’t know if it’s true for little girls, but every little boy dreams about having a Fast Car which, at the push of a button, becomes The Fastest Car in the Universe. Back in the ’80s, that car was a Trans-Am named “KITT”. Today, that car is the 2006 BMW M5. CNN has a good story about it, here. (I think perhaps little girls dream of having a husband who, at the push of a button, goes from making $200,000 to $300,000 per year.)
You must understand, I’ve never bought a new car in my life. Ever. But I am seriously, like, this close to selling my house, my laptop, my wife and both kidneys so that I can own this car.
Under normal operating conditions, it’s got a stout 400 hp. But merely press a button and 100 additional horsies are added, dropping the gas mileage to 10 mpg, and boosting your top speed to … 190 mph. A four-door car that can go as fast as a Ferrari and go through gas as fast as a Hummer. Makes me proud to be German-American.
May 15th, 2006 at 12:05 pm
I’ve never been a big fan of the super-fast car. That’s great on a straightaway, but let’s face it, most chases happen on the backroads of the city, and that’s what you really need the speed for, right? Running away?
Actually, I wanted a Ferrari, which combines both speed and an astonishing ability to go around corners very quickly (I once has my doors blown off by one - it was almost a religious experience). “A brilliant red Barchetta / From a better vanished time”, what teenaged boy could resist that song?
Alas, like you, I’ve never owned a new car, and so have had to make do with flogging old Corollas and such around. Still, I like to think that I can drive better than most, and in an age of $3 gasoline, slower is better anyway.
I think the M5’s cornering abilities would make you happy. And hey - if you can afford to drop $90k on a car (not me) you can probably afford the gas, right? I need to ditch my 30-year-old BMW, which combines the gas-guzzling of the M5 with the performance of your average lawn tractor. An old Corolla sounds about right. -SF