BaT - E39 M5-Based, Custom-Bodied E9 CS by MKO

umm, not for me. I wonder what demographic this appeals to. I mean, who could NOT love the E9 shape. But all that modern stuff....well may as well be in a _____ fill in blank for whatever comes to mind. I admire the creativity and skill that went into this build, but it is simply a curiosity to me but nothing more.
 
What kind of chassis strengthening was incorporated to handle all that power? I mean, the racing CSLs were tube frame chassis cars, right? I hope some really good engineering was involved so that the torque doesn't destroy or bend stuff. I hope it was more than just "Hey, folks, lets marry one of the best BMW motors to one of the most beautiful coupes!"

Plus one in the negative for that wheel choice. Too much wheel for the E9 and thumbs down for style.

Admittedly ambitious build.
 
The build hours it must have taken!
Gotta respect the vision behind whomever thought that together. But I don't want to bid on it.
 
Funny how all of us here (me included) are just somehow turned off by this while on the whole the BaT comments are fawning over it. As someone who owns an E39 (540i) and whose son is always trying to convince me to upgrade to the M5 version, on the face of it this “kills two birds with one stone” as my son put it. Except here you end up just with the two dead birds - nothing about it is right. The body shape has lost something and the beautiful wooden interior is no longer. I love my e39 but these are two that should have been kept apart.
 
Have you guys seen this new offering on BAT?
bringatrailer.com

E39 M5-Based, Custom-Bodied E9 CS by MKO

Bid for the chance to own a E39 M5-Based, Custom-Bodied E9 CS by MKO at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #246,599.
bringatrailer.com bringatrailer.com
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I would like to ask an two honest questions:


1. What are your thoughts on the front to rear suspension setup ("hotrod rake")?

To me, the car looks aggressive.. with the slightly lowered front end, the E9 body line has racing feel to it.. much like Luigi or other race cars.
(To do this.. I ignore the Z8 rims and visualize something else in their place.)


2. How would you feel if the E9's console & interior had been grafted into the M5, instead of grafting the M5 interior into the E9?

For me, the car would be much more interesting if it had the E9 interior...


And finally as others have said.. I can appreciate the design and hours that went into this build, even if it's not the most aesthetically appealing car to my eye.
 
1. So it's interesting regarding the "hotrod rake" concept. I agree that something about the E39/E9 looks off - the lines between the door handle/stripe compared to the lower edge of the rocker panel look non-parallel, forming a trapezoid. Looking at the recent Malaga E9 that many of us thought was quite beautiful, it also has a fairly aggressive stance but that same line looks much more parallel and the whole car looks much more balanced. It's racy and ready to pounce while the E39 version looks too short and just off.
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2. The E39 interior is great in terms of layout, comfort, ease of reaching controls, visualization, etc. It's a perfect example of form follows function. Good design with the focus on the driver. I think that the whole car is much the same. The E39 feels like the culmination of BMW trying to make the perfect performance sedan. The body shape is great, the interior is well-sized even for 4, the trunk space is nice, the car feels balanced, etc. The E9 is a completely different beast. It's a work of art in which form and function are somewhat more separated. There are a lot of design choices that aren't ideal from a functional standpoint but the interior is so gorgeous that one's willing to overlook those flaws.
So the E39 in the E9 feels weird because I have external beauty and internal function, while the reverse would be even worse I think. The wood would feel out of place and antiquated inside a modern body.
 
I talked to MKO when shopping for an E9. They told me they could replicate this build for $250K and the project would take two years to complete. FYI!
 
Not exactly my cup of tea, but I do appreciate the massive commitment to fabrication and design.

Let the animated discussion begin!

Here are the full details:

bringatrailer.com

E39 M5-Based, Custom-Bodied E9 CS by MKO

Bid for the chance to own a E39 M5-Based, Custom-Bodied E9 CS by MKO at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #246,599.
bringatrailer.com bringatrailer.com
 
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