SPYSHOTS: BMW M5 mule – 50th anniversary variant?

There appears to be another iteration of the F90 BMW M5 in the works – or so it seems, based on the bodywork of this development mule sighted by our spy photographer sources.

Let’s start at the rear. The otherwise standard-looking bodywork on this development car wears rear wheel arch extensions to house the even more enlarged rolling stock, while in front, headlamps and the rest of the car’s front end appears to be from the pre-facelift (LCI) F90 M5.

Close-up images – included in the gallery below – show the rear tyres to measure 295/35R21, while the front wheels are shod in tyres measuring 285/40R20. These gain 10 mm in width over the tyres fitted as standard to the 635 PS, four-seater M5 CS, which use wheels of a 20-inch diameter all around.

The use of even larger wheels and tyres, along with the extended rear wheel arches on this development car suggest an uprated chassis for an upcoming variant of the F90 M5 that could be a 50th anniversary edition with increased outputs from its 4.4 litre biturbo V8, which is paired with an eight-speed automatic gearbox and rear-biased all-wheel-drive.

The wheel arch extensions seen here would make way for revised bodywork in that area. This would be a considerable undertaking, which leads our spy photographer source to suggest a second possibility, which is that this vehicle sighted could be a test mule for a future platform clothed in the current car’s body.

Either way, there will likely be future sightings of what could be a wide-bodied M5 in the coming weeks or months.