The all-new BMW M5 will deliver its power to the ground via an elaborate all-wheel drive system - but don't think for a second the four-door performance sedan has lost any of its sideways abilities.
To prove just that, BMW has gone about setting not one, but two new drifting records, simultaneously.
The first was to reclaim the title for the world's longest vehicle drift - a record previously held by the older BMW M5 in 2013, but broken twice since - and secondly a drift record that hand never been attempted.
Firstly, BMW driving instructor Johan Schwartz went about setting a new record for the greatest distance traveled in constant drift in 8 hours - key word, constant.
To keep the M5 moving for eight hours, BMW had to work out how to refuel on the move. They found a solution with U.S. fabricator Detroit Speed who fitted the sedan with a dry break fuel system that operates in much the same way as a mid-flight fighter jet refueling system.
Read our preview of the 2018 BMW M5
During the eight hour drift the M5's fuel tanks needed to be topped up five times by a second BMW M5 - a previous generation M5 (F10) similar to the one that Schwartz used to set his original record in 2013 - piloted by BMW Performance Center Chief Driving Instructor Matt Mullins.
“We knew going-in that if we were going to recapture the world record for longest sustained drift and set the bar as high as possible, we would need to find a way to keep the M5 going without stopping to refuel,” said Schwartz.
“In the end, the refueling system worked flawlessly and the M5 performed as expected. It was a big win all around.”
Eight hours and five fuel top ups later and Schwartz had drifted the M5 232.5 miles (374.17km) around a skid pad at the BMW Performance Center South Carolina, U.S.A, shattering the previous record by over 230km.
With the first record ticked off the list, BMW attempted - and successfully completed - a second title for Longest twin vehicle drift (water assisted), which saw Schwartz and Mullins drift in tandem for 1 hour / 49.25 miles (79.26km).
How did the an all-wheel drive M5 drift?
Well the new M5 debuts the first M-specific all-wheel drive system - dubbed M xDrive - which has various modes including 4WD, 4WD Sport and 2WD, with the latter providing the tyre shredding abilities ever M5 should be capable of.
