Power Drunk: The New BMW M5 Takes On the CTS-V, E63 S, and Panamera Turbo!

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Our test of 600-hp cars nine years ago looked very different from this one. Fenders bulged. Eight-, 10-, and 12-cylinder engines boomed. Hoods stretched to the horizon—except for that of the Italian, which carried its engine behind the cockpit. Because nine years ago, rounding up four cars with 600 horsepower meant coming face to face with rare and exotic sporting machines. We called them “the pinnacle of the automotive food chain.” They were a Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, a Dodge Viper SRT10, a Lamborghini Murciélago LP640, and a Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series. It was 2009, and as the economy cratered and stiff fuel-economy mandates brewed, it was tempting to assume that the halcyon days of horsepower would soon be behind us. READ MORE ››

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