Go-Fast Luxury SUV Craze
High-performance SUVs are everywhere these days, and it could be said that the BMW X5 was one of the pioneers of the genre. Granted, it wasn’t the first (see: GMC Typhoon and Mercedes-Benz ML 55), but the X5 4.6is was instrumental in making it popular in the luxury market.
The 4.6is later became the 4.8is. After that, the hot X5s eventually gained official M car status by the second generation. Today, nearly all luxury marques have a go-fast SUV. Like it or not, these are here to stay.
BMW
A New Kith Collab
So, why are we bringing up the first-gen X5? That’s because BMW is, once again, tying up with Kith for yet another special project. The two will soon reveal a special-edition 2027 X5, but the highlight has to be the epic build using an original X5 as its basis.
Kith founder Ronnie Fieg is a BMW superfan, and for his latest retro collab with the brand, he’s gotten an E53 X5 and stuck in the engine from an E60 M5. Yes, that’s the one with the F1-inspired V10 that revs up to 8,250 rpm. Not only that, it’ll have a stick shift and retain its all-wheel drive system.
BMW
The Build
According to Fieg, the build took over a year to develop and complete. While it sounds like a long time, ask anyone with a project car if they’re done with it, and they’re likely to respond with ‘it never ends.’ By all means, this was relatively quick, especially considering the X5 was never meant to accommodate a ten-cylinder engine.
The crossover underwent a full rotisserie restoration, and there are likely some modifications to the front end to fit that V10 at the front without making it a hack job. Pairing that same engine to an all-wheel drive system couldn’t have been an easy job, either. As the build used a 2000 X5 as a basis, this still had the basic all-wheel drive arrangement and not the more advanced xDrive system that was introduced in 2004.
Fieg called the build “the most detailed and intensive rebuild out of all the BMW projects I’ve worked on,” and we’re very much inclined to believe that. So far, only pictures of the build process have been shared on Kith’s Instagram page, while the V10 keeps its stock rating of 500 hp and 384 lb-ft. As for the final product, it’ll make its debut at Pebble Beach during Monterey Car Week alongside the 2027 X5 by Kith.
BMW
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