Lumma Design CLR 500 R-S M5: Big, Bad, Orange

Motoring Channel Staff - 8/Mar/2007

California, America — Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm round of applause to Ford's hot Focus, with... Just a minute, that's not a Ford.

With its bright orange paint work, pumped wheel arches and aggressive five-spoke alloy wheels, it has a similar visual dynamic to Ford Europe's go-fast hatchback.

But where the turbo Ford Focus is a 5-cylinder engine displacing 2.5-litres, this vehicle doubles that, with a 10-cylinder power core that has a 5.0-litre capacity. 

And it's a BMW, not a Ford. Furthermore, as that black carbon-fibre engine hood, roof, and boot suggest, it's been modified as well.

Lumma is one of hundreds of German car tuners who take everyday cars and make them unique. The M5 could never really be termed as an 'everyday car' thanks to its strong performance credentials, yet asglobal sales of the BMW M5 eclipse all predictions, even prompting the development of a family-friendly wagon version, maybe this term isn't so out of place?

Taking the BMW M5 as its base, Lumma has made various modifications that result in the CLR 500 R-S.

Whether Lumma actually gets any orders for this daring design doesn't appear to be of consequence - no price has been supplied, which suggests you need own at least several hundred (large) properties in France - but they took some great photos, and it would be an interesting car to drive because it also develops more power than the standard M5 car.

The most obvious changes that the Lumma group has made include those that are visible to the naked eye - the new 21-inch alloy wheels, the bright orange colour, the black hood, the wide-body kit that includes hugely flared wheel arches, and the new fascias front and rear.

The rear end of the car is one of the most interesting, and as the Feann made mention in passing, the rear diffuser looks very much like the unit seen on the Ferrari F430. Lumma says that the car has been wind-tunnel tested - but by who?

With its lower road stance, flared wheel arches and the larger wheels, the car has the more aggressive looks that characterised the E46 BMW M3 that is still today considered a brilliant performance car.

Other modifications to the BMW M5-based Lumma CLR 500 R-S include a range of chassis and engine changes. The suspension is new, and using H&R sports package the car sits 40mm lower than the standard M5. This is good if you drive on the Nürburgring once a week, but won't be very practical if you live in Toorak and have to navigate a steep driveway four times a day.

With its stiffer suspension and big 21-inch wheels, this conversion for the BMW M5 is strictly for petrol heads, which brings us to the engine mods. 

The BMW M5 is an expensive car for one major reason - it's 10-cylinder engine. Lumma decided that 373kW of power (500hp) wasn't enough for this project, and by fine-tuning the car's engine control unit (ECU), and also adding a racing-type exhaust system with high-flow catalytic converters, the German tuner claims its tuned version outputs 417kW of power (560hp). 

With this improved flow of power to the rear wheels (and if the 250km/h speed restricter is removed) the CLR 500 R-S can surpass a top speed of 300km/h.

In standard factory trim, the BMW M5 costs $230,500 in Australia, and it would be understandable for this Lumma package to add another $50,000 to the price, particularly when the interior also gets modifications.Matching  the exterior, the cabin is finished in orange leather trim for that motor show look and feel, and there's orange dials and a specialanodized aluminium steering wheel.

Related articles:
- Brabus Mercedes S-Class (2006)
- Hamann BMW M6: Edition Race (2006)
- Hamann Lamborghini Gallardo SE (2006)
- Callaway C16 (2006)
- Hamann GT3, M3 (Various Tuned Cars, 2003)