Highlights Known to the seller for seven years Wonderfully original New Michelin tyres all-round Excellent history - stamped from new Litchfield exhaust back boxes Overview The automotive personification of the phrase ‘iron fist in a velvet glove’ the E39 M5 is wonderfully understated, yet packs a 400bhp V8 under the bonnet; not that a casual observer would ever know from a quick glance.

That glance would certainly be quick if the driver has anything to do with it, with a sub-five-second 0-62 sprint time and an electronically limited 155mph top speed.

All this performance doesn’t come at the expense of style or practicality, however.

Whilst these days we’re used to making sacrifices in the pursuit of speed and irrelevant circuit lap times, the E39-era M5 retained all the practicality of its pedestrian 5-Series brethren, though you may find yourself visiting the local petrol station a little more often than you would in, say, a 525d.

This example is finished in the classic shade of ...