BMW 540i - Speed Blind - German Car

Throttle to the floor and four-cam V-8 at full song, the nasty black BMW's speedometer needle swept past 155 mph as the tach became buried in the red zone. That's fifth gear, with one more to go, boys. Ahead, the vast German autobahn stretched out in front of me like an unfurling asphalt ribbon to dementia. Speed is as addictive as any drug, and the craving for more, stronger doses soon becomes impossible to resist. I'm as busy as hell right about now, however, with one hand on the wheel and the other balancing a camera. Click...flash... and there's our lead photo-a spooky exercise of looking through a wide-angle lens while traveling the length of an 18-wheeler in the blink of an eye. Should something go awry, it would be a very big wreck, indeed.

Fortunately, BMW's engineers designed the new 5-Series to be rock stable at these speeds, and I'm only slightly sweaty-palmed after completing the antic. We're in Germany this time to sample the famed Bavarian automaker's European Delivery Program and put some high-speed break-in miles on our latest long-term test car, the just-released 540i Sport. And trust us on this one: Anyone who ever tasted the rapacious charge of the bloodthirsty M5 will want a Sport of his/her own. Checking the Sport option nets you the sweet Getrag six-speed manual gearbox from the late, great 850CSi, M-Technic tuned suspension components (20-millimeter-shorter springs, larger-diameter anti-roll bars, and tauter shock valving), and 235/45ZR17 tires on drop-dead-gorgeous 17x8.0-inch seven-spoke alloys. With performance, handling, and braking as good as those of an LT1 Corvette, this luxo-sport sedan is, in a word, stunning.

BMW's Euro-Delivery Program is equally impressive. Created to give buyers the opportunity to drive their cars as the engineers intended-on the high-speed autobahns and twisty Alpine two-lanes-the system also lets you save up to 10 percent of your car's retail price, which can pay for a major portion of your trip. BMW's literature appropriately says "the hardest part is choosing a color"; since your dealer handles all the paperwork for delivery, insurance, and registration, you're left merely to choose the model, options, color, and date of your arrival. Just bring your passport and driver's license; the car will be fitted with "tourist" license plates (the big, red vertical slash warns locals to give you a wide berth) that are good for three months. So, head for the autobahn and enjoy. It really is as simple as it sounds.

Even presidents, potentates, and jaded journalists will feel special upon arriving at the BMW Delivery Center in Munich. It was black-car day when we showed up, and ours was the lone Sport model among a delicious assortment of ebony M3s, 5-Series, and 7-Series. A couple from Chicago-waiting for their 740iL-corroborated the ease of operation from a buyer's standpoint and agreed they'd definitely do this again. If there's time to kill, check out BMW's excellent museum, buy something at the car toy and apparel boutique, and enjoy a complimentary meal from the commissary.

Our travel plan was a simple one: Drive as fast as possible as often as possible. Oh, and stop by some castles and stuff for photo opportunities. Great roads abound in Germany, Austria, and parts of Italy, so that's where we'd go, pouring $7-per-gallon gas through the engine as fast as the fuel injectors could muster. In a week of traversing the Austrian and Italian Alps, the Rhine River, and various wine-making regions, as well as a flat-out autobahn trip to the famous Nrburgring racetrack (where anyone can do a bad Tazio Nuvolari imitation on the vintage 12.9-mile course for about $10 per lap), we learned a lot of things about Germany, the 540i, and ourselves.