Switzer P700 BMW M5

With its twin-turbocharged power-plant, advanced engine management systems, highly computerized transmission, aggressive exhaust note, and 700 horsepower worth of pump-gas performance, the car you see here is everything you’d expect to see roll out of Tym Switzer’s Oberlin, Ohio-based supercar factory … with a few key differences. Unlike the Porsches and GTRs that put Switzer “on the map”, this car has 4 doors. Welcome, then, to the Switzer Performance P700 BMW M5.

Switzer has been teasing its BMW development program for several months now. The first fruits of the work put into the platform arrived in the form of a high-performance, stainless-steel exhaust system that helped M5 owners hear the twin-turbo V8′s song from inside the cabin. “BMW actually pumps engine noise into the cabin through the stereo on the new M5s,” explains Neil Switzer, Tym’s brother and Switzer’s primary performance consultant. “If I buy a twin-turbo V8, I want to hear the twin-turbo V8. The exhaust gave us just enough sound through the less-restrictive mufflers, and the larger-diameter tubing increased the maximum amount of air we were able to move through the engine.”

The new Switzer exhaust combines with high-flow drop-in air filters and a removable engine control module that works in concert with the factory systems to coax higher boost levels from the BMW’s twin turbos. “It’s a great solution for BMW clients who want to keep their cars mostly stock or have warranty concerns,” explains Neil. The combination of hardware and software tweaks boosts the 2013 BMW M5′s output from the factory’s 560 claimed hp and 502 lb-ft of torque to nearly 700 hp and 640 lb-ft at the crank - a huge improvement that can be felt in every gear, but particularly on long pulls like those found the Texas Mile or Airstrip Attack runway events.

“After the Ultimate Street Edition, we really wanted to continue to focus on usable, ‘no-excuses’ type cars,” explains Tym. “This P700 M5 package gives you that. It has the full factory emissions controls, it runs on pump gas, and it sounds exactly the way you’d expect a car like this to sound.”

Like the P600 GTR program, then (which we called “the GTR Nissan should have built”), you could this P700 M5 as the M5 BMW should have built! Neil is also quick to add that the new Switzer P700 PKG can also be seen as “a great ‘first-step’ tuning program for customers who want more power from their M5s, but who either haven’t committed to further upgrades and bigger power, or who might want to put the car back to stock for a lease return, for example.”

The new Switzer Performance P700 BMW M5 PKG is available now through Switzer Performance and Switzer-authorized dealers for $6995. Expect Switzer Signature series wheels and Switzer carbon-nano brake pads for the 2013+ BMW M5s later this summer. Contact Switzer Performance for more information.