Development for the E34's successor began in 1993, and ended in 1995. The final design by Joji Nagashima was selected in June … See more

The E39 was one of the first vehicles (alongside the E38 7 Series) to have curtain airbags, which protect the occupants' heads … See more

Manual transmissions
Six-cylinder petrol models and 535i were fitted with either the 5-speed Getrag 250G or ZF 320Z (S5-32) transmission, depending on the year and model. Diesel models with the M51 engine were fitted with the 5-speed … See more

Compared with its E34 predecessor, the E39's wheelbase grew by 68 mm (2.7 in) and overall length by 55 mm (2.2 in). Torsional rigidity … See more

• E39 sedan post-facelift - front
• E39 Touring Post-facelift - front
• E39 sedan post-facelift - rear See more

Petrol engines
At launch, the petrol engines consisted of the BMW M52 straight-6 engines and the BMW M62 V8 … See more

Unusually, two different steering systems were used for the E39, depending on the engine. Models with four-cylinder and six-cylinder models use See more