Will General Motors declare bankruptcy?

[Joey D]

Granted, but it's still not about the 1/4 mile or getting a sick 0-60 time. It's about showing off the fact that you have the GMT900 with 400hp V8, AWD, and 6 speed auto.

I'm sure you could take the same money and buy a Vette. So, it's about status.

True, but hey if I had the money I'd take one, I love the new Escalades.

 

[Poverty]

Yeah, and people by an X5 because of the handling...yeah, right

Well maybe thats the case in america seeing as you =guys dont have corners of alot of roundabouts like us. Do you guys have roundabouts actually?

No they wouldn't you can order any part, to any production car, through a dealership. I just don't think you wouldn't like the price

Not with the RS4 you cant because its made by the quattro sport divison of audi and they have a very limited capacity. You can get a engine replaced however at a dealeship but they wont hand you one over. And it will be damn long wait for a new engine.

But everyone insist on the BMW M5 being the best thing one the road and takes two more cylinders and a whole host of electronic gizmos to get up to the Vette's horsepower rating.

Thats the whole beauty of the car. Theres no beauty in a great big stonking 7 liter V8. Thats just brute force whilst the M5 engine is more of a art form.

 

[Swift]

Well maybe thats the case in america seeing as you =guys dont have corners of alot of roundabouts like us. Do you guys have roundabouts actually?

Yes

Thats the whole beauty of the car. Theres no beauty in a great big stonking 7 liter V8. Thats just brute force whilst the M5 engine is more of a art form.

Totally subjective since you called it art. So, there's not substance to that point other then personal opinion.

 

[Joey D]

Well maybe thats the case in america seeing as you =guys dont have corners of alot of roundabouts like us. Do you guys have roundabouts actually?

Hmmm seems there are quite a few corners where I live, and roundabouts are everywhere in Michigan...and they are the stupidest idea known to man.

Not with the RS4 you cant because its made by the quattro sport divison of audi and they have a very limited capacity. You can get a engine replaced however at a dealeship but they wont hand you one over. And it will be damn long wait for a new engine.

Money solves everything, if I threw enough money at an Audi dealership I could get a crate motor.

Thats the whole beauty of the car. Theres no beauty in a great big stonking 7 liter V8. Thats just brute force whilst the M5 engine is more of a art form.

Mechanics > Electronics. The M5 engine is not an art form, it's a computer with some cylinders that puts power to the ground. I will always like something with mechanics over something with electronics any day.

Not saying the M5 is bad, but like I said, it's over rated.

 

[McLaren]

...Since when was the last time names like Lamborghini and Ferrari were matched with the idea of "Quality"? Drive the cars for more than 60,000 and they damn near fall apart. I seem to recall engine fires with the Muria, $8000 service costs for the 360 even with regular maintainence, and shift linkages and clutches going out on almost every Lamborghini test car given to Car and Driver and Motor Trend over the past couple years...

The Corvette on the other hand has had some electrical problems in the past, but as for everything else, its rock solid. And with almost 5000 dealers across the continental US, you arent going to have a hard time fixing it if anything was to go wrong.

Now the Porsche GT3 is a car that holds a special place in my heart. Compared to the C6 Corvette Z06, its close, but not nearly as fast. The $30K I would save between the two would be spent on a good everyday car like the BMW 325i or Impala SS. Things may change with the new 997-based GT3, but we will have to wait and see. Untill then, the Z06 is number one in my book.

As far as the Europeans testing the XLR-V, it couldnt have happened since the car isnt even out yet... Even in the United States... So for you Poverty to pull that comment out of your ass, thats impressive.

Eh, not true here. I've seen offers for the XLR-Vs for the dealers here, and 1 was already on showcase, bought first sight.

1) The Miura was over 40 years ago....but let's see, despite the fact it had problems and was Ferruccio's 1st major produced car, it still became THE supercar....

2)Every car magazines do nearly has a problem. The car's are constantly driven usually stopping for food, sleep and gas.

It's a d*mn hand-built engine...so I even I can see problems can arise with "faults", and that machine built engines are of mostly better quality.

But of course, 1 road test does not justify a car or any other of the models.
An old friend of my father's before he died shortly last year was a big Lamborghini collector.
He pushed a Countach LP5000 to over 154,000 miles before he had decided to start racing his Diablo Roadster.

The Countach had only 1 engine replacement at 100,000 miles. His Diablo only saw 63,000 miles before he died. Both cars were pushed hard during racing events. The Diablo only had minor fixes, nothing like failing transmissions.

Now I can't vouch for the cars anymore seeing as his son was given them, and moved, thus making it nearly impossible to tell if his son still drives them, though I know the Countach is still with him.

I've heard some of the newer Ferraris are having the mileage problem, but you do realize an engine can still run as long as its not constantly worn out, and taken care of.

 

[High-Test]

*McLaren* hit the nail on the head. Any motor can run nearly forever if it's maintained. E39, LS7, what have you, one must take care of it. Granted, the fact that the Chevy motors are machined will make them slightly more reliable, but even the smallblock can fail massively. One could say that the chevy is less prone to breaking because it's simpler, but the OHC motors don't have 16 pushrods to break.

Well maybe thats the case in america seeing as you =guys dont have corners of alot of roundabouts like us. Do you guys have roundabouts actually?

Believe it or not, there's a roundabout in Olathe, KS. Not near anything important either. It's a waste of a roundabout.

 

[neanderthal]

But everyone insist on the BMW M5 being the best thing one the road and takes two more cylinders and a whole host of electronic gizmos to get up to the Vette's horsepower rating. Also it gets worse fuel mileage.

you forgot the part where it does it with about a third less capacity. thats the hard part. isnt the LS7 pretty much a race car engine? (thier words, not mine!) but its horsepower is matched by a significantly smaller engine? doesnt that make you think a little.

lets put it this way: its more amazing when a 5'8 guy dunks than when a 6'10 guys does. your 7.0 liter engine is the 6'10 guy.

the fuel milage is moot. so you can stop harping on it. if you do want to keep comparing it please feel free to post the curb weight, Cd, sixth gear ratio of the vette and M5 side by side. i posted the M5s earlier, the numbers were pretty staggering compared to the vettes. i can pull some numbers out my arse right now that would be close but its really no contest. YOU know that, which is probably why you didnt post the vettes figures after i posted the BMWs.

The way people talk about the M5 it should be able to do everything, including get up and cook you breakfast in the morning.

But in reality it doesn't, proving that the M5, while a great car, is not in fact God himself in automobile form.

its a compromised sports car that is amazing. the vette is not nearly compromised as much as the M5.


SPORTS SEDAN!!!! thats the elementary difference. there are many cars on the road that can outperform the M5. but there arent many of those that can carry four and their luggage and do it. in fact i dare say there arent any.

theres a huge chasm between sedans and sports cars. huge. that this sedan can be so sporting is what makes it great.

take a few sports cars, any price range. what do you get, performance wise? vette, porsche, ferrari, lamborghini, aston V8 vantage, TVR, noble, marcos and a host of other lesser known makes maybe.

now name a sedan with nearly that performance.

theres precious few; M5, E55 (handily outclassed,) RS4, RS6 (also handily outclassed,) CTS V and maybe the bentley continental. so about 5 total. how many of them are nearly on par with those sports cars in performance? you can cross most of them off.

thats why the M5 is such a vaunted machine.

 

[Joey D]

you forgot the part where it does it with about a third less capacity. thats the hard part. isnt the LS7 pretty much a race car engine? (thier words, not mine!) but its horsepower is matched by a significantly smaller engine? doesnt that make you think a little.

lets put it this way: its more amazing when a 5'8 guy dunks than when a 6'10 guys does. your 7.0 liter engine is the 6'10 guy.

the fuel milage is moot. so you can stop harping on it. if you do want to keep comparing it please feel free to post the curb weight, Cd, sixth gear ratio of the vette and M5 side by side. i posted the M5s earlier, the numbers were pretty staggering compared to the vettes. i can pull some numbers out my arse right now that would be close but its really no contest. YOU know that, which is probably why you didnt post the vettes figures after i posted the BMWs.

The only reason I keep bringing it up, well I didn't bring it up first but I continue to talk about it, is because people make the M5 out to be super duper can't go wrong anywhere car. I'm just pointing out a flaw in the car.

Yes the Z06's LS7 is a race motor.

its a compromised sports car that is amazing. the vette is not nearly compromised as much as the M5.


SPORTS SEDAN!!!! thats the elementary difference. there are many cars on the road that can outperform the M5. but there arent many of those that can carry four and their luggage and do it. in fact i dare say there arent any.

theres a huge chasm between sedans and sports cars. huge. that this sedan can be so sporting is what makes it great.

take a few sports cars, any price range. what do you get, performance wise? vette, porsche, ferrari, lamborghini, aston V8 vantage, TVR, noble, marcos and a host of other lesser known makes maybe.

now name a sedan with nearly that performance.

theres precious few; M5, E55 (handily outclassed,) RS4, RS6 (also handily outclassed,) CTS V and maybe the bentley continental. so about 5 total. how many of them are nearly on par with those sports cars in performance? you can cross most of them off.

thats why the M5 is such a vaunted machine.

The M5 is good in it's class, but people make it out to be the best thing on the road. It's not, it's just currently at the top of the Sport Sedan class. Give it some time, someone will beat it. But the M5 is not the God of Cars, it's merly the king of the sedans at the present time.

 

[YSSMAN]

...The LS7 is hand built just outside of Detroit... I doubt were going to see any of those blow up after 60,000 miles... Same could have been said with the LT5 (Corvette ZR1), that was actually hand built in Indiana (right?) at a watercraft engine plant.

So if were going to talk about fuel mileage against the M5, lets talk about it...

Remember, the M5 Achieves 12/18 on the city and highway respectively...

Its two closest compeditors:
- Cadillac STS-V @ 14/20
- Mercedes-bens CLS55 AMG @ 14/20

Other interesting cars/trucks:
- Mustang GT @ 17/25 (thats on a 5-speed)
- Chrysler 300C @ 14/29
- 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe @ 16/22
- Mercedes-Benz S550 @ 16/24

...Anyway, getting off the fuel mileage thing...

My biggest gripe against the M5 is that it has been so watered down by computer-controlled gizmos that it is nowhere near as perfect as it's prececessor. I'll give credit where credit is due, and BMW is a pioneer in going as radically F1-oriented in the M5 when compared to it's competition... But in the process, they took all the fun out...

Maybe thats why the US market is getting a 6-speed manual transmission, because we Americans cant possibly comprehend the necessity of a computer controlled transmission that aparently can shift better than we can...

 

[Ghost C]

Well maybe thats the case in america seeing as you =guys dont have corners of alot of roundabouts like us. Do you guys have roundabouts actually?

No, we don't really have corners in the US...

Say it with me. US Highway 129. Roundabouts suck, but we have all kinds of corners - Better corners, at that.

 

[Swift]

No, we don't really have corners in the US...

Say it with me. US Highway 129. Roundabouts suck, but we have all kinds of corners - Better corners, at that.

I've always wanted to go there. But I think I'd need to bring an extra set of brake pads.

 

[McLaren]

...The LS7 is hand built just outside of Detroit... I doubt were going to see any of those blow up after 60,000 miles... Same could have been said with the LT5 (Corvette ZR1), that was actually hand built in Indiana (right?) at a watercraft engine plant.

Untrue. ANY engine can blow up under 60,000 miles. It all depends on how you take care of it.

 

[Disturbed07]

I'll be the first to blame the owner when a car breaks a lot.... however, lambo's ferrari's, have been breaking, catching on fire etc, way too long to still blame owners... they may not help, but it aint just them..

why do people still bring up individual cars? 100,000 miles is great for a Lambo, on one engine, but how many Vette's, firebirds, BMW's, anything's, could other people name, with far more miles, and no engine replacement? seriously now...

 

[neanderthal]

YSSSMAN & Blazin

please post the 0- 60, 0- 100, 60- 80, 80- 100, 1/4 mile, trap speed, slalom, lateral Gs, 60- 0, 100- 0 times and other performance criteria for those other cars, please.

that should settle the argument.

 

[Joey D]

I've posted the Z06 stats many times, what the hell do you want to know about them. I know it's lighter and what not then the M5, you missed my point on the M5 though, I was merely saying that the car wasn't perfect.

why do people still bring up individual cars? 100,000 miles is great for a Lambo, on one engine, but how many Vette's, firebirds, BMW's, anything's, could other people name, with far more miles, and no engine replacement? seriously now...

Who'd drive a Lambo a 100,000 miles? You'd have to have it a long time...same goes for a Vette. These aren't daily's

But I have seen F-bodies with 120,000+ miles...or my Mustang I had with, jesus something like 175,000 or something on the same 5.0.

 

[Wolfe]

Detroit still owns the German car company, it's easier to bring stuff over from Europe and put it into the American market then spend billions to come up with a new platform. If anyone things GM is stealing from Opel they are idiots because Opel is a branch of GM, it's be like saying Scion steals stuff from Toyota.

I wasn't saying GM steals from Opel. What I'm saying is that GM relies on Opel, without actually getting anything worthwhile done at home in Detroit. Sure, they build good trucks, good SUVs, and the 'Vette, but much of what's left is either Opel-based and mid-pack, or simply outclassed by the competition.

Anyway, Blazin, the reason why many people consider the M5 to be the god of cars is like neanderthal said -- it's sports-car performance in a sedan package. Obviously, you do not desire such a car, and prefer something more dedicated to performance, like the Z06. If someone's criteria for "the god of cars" is the absolute best bang for your buck, then yes, the Z06 is a strong contender, if not the winner. However, if someone values practicality, or luxury, or even environmental-friendliness, they'll be looking at something else.

Who'd drive a Lambo a 100,000 miles? You'd have to have it a long time...same goes for a Vette. These aren't daily's.

If I had the money for a Lambo, it'd be a daily driver for sure.

But I have seen F-bodies with 120,000+ miles...or my Mustang I had with, jesus something like 175,000 or something on the same 5.0.

Whoopee. How about 176,000 on an '89 Celica, or 206,000 and counting on my '85 BMW. Better yet, how about 250,000 and counting on an '85 Accord, or a solid 280,000 on an '88 Camry? No rebuilds or replaced engines.

 

[Joey D]

I wasn't saying GM steals from Opel. What I'm saying is that GM relies on Opel, without actually getting anything worthwhile done at home in Detroit. Sure, they build good trucks, good SUVs, and the 'Vette, but much of what's left is either Opel-based and mid-pack, or simply outclassed by the competition.

So GM isn't stupid, Opel has some of the better selling platforms so might as well make use of them. Just like instead of coming up with a new AWD system for the Saab's they just based them on the Subarus. It's simpler and cheaper to platform share then to keep making new ones.

Anyway, Blazin, the reason why many people consider the M5 to be the god of cars is like neanderthal said -- it's sports-car performance in a sedan package. Obviously, you do not desire such a car, and prefer something more dedicated to performance, like the Z06. If someone's criteria for "the god of cars" is the absolute best bang for your buck, then yes, the Z06 is a strong contender, if not the winner. However, if someone values practicality, or luxury, or even environmental-friendliness, they'll be looking at something else.

The Z06 isn't the God of Car either, there are stil faults in it. In order to be God, the car must be perfect. I can't think of one that has been produced yet.

Whoopee. How about 176,000 on an '89 Celica, or 206,000 and counting on my '85 BMW. Better yet, how about 250,000 and counting on an '85 Accord, or a solid 280,000 on an '88 Camry? No rebuilds or replaced engines.

Disturbed made a comment about Firebirds and I was just adding to his point.

 

[neanderthal]

I've posted the Z06 stats many times, what the hell do you want to know about them. I know it's lighter and what not then the M5, you missed my point on the M5 though, I was merely saying that the car wasn't perfect.
.....

then youve missed the point AGAIN :MAD: the corvette is a sports car the M5 is a sports sedan i dont compare the M5 and vette. i compare the M5 and CTS-V, RS4, etc. i compare the vette with the other 2 dr high performance cars.

now will you post those figure comparing the M5 to its competitors, or will you keep comparing it to cars that are obviously superior to it, but in a different class.
what you're doing is akin to comparing a nice GTi with an EVO. both have sporting pretensions, but one is in a whole other class. then you want to call the underdog "overrated." not nice. play fair.

 

[Disturbed07]

then youve missed the point AGAIN :MAD: the corvette is a sports car the M5 is a sports sedan i dont compare the M5 and vette. i compare the M5 and CTS-V, RS4, etc. i compare the vette with the other 2 dr high performance cars.

now will you post those figure comparing the M5 to its competitors, or will you keep comparing it to cars that are obviously superior to it, but in a different class.
what you're doing is akin to comparing a nice GTi with an EVO. both have sporting pretensions, but one is in a whole other class. then you want to call the underdog "overrated." not nice. play fair.

I hope you understand that will include such great cars as the Mercedes SL55 AMG, and Audi RS-6 (not RS-4), Audi S8, (the V8) and even the Bentley Continental GT, since we're talking full-size sport sedans....

 

[neanderthal]

thats the whole point. those are the cars the M5 should be compared to. not the vette. they are sedans. (and i hope you mean E55 AMG instead of SL55!!)

acceleration times (0- 60, 0- 100, 1/4 mile etc) will be pretty close for the whole bunch. its handling, braking and in gear speeds that will tell the tale of the sports sedan champion.

the vette should be compared to the porsche 911, ferrari 360/ 430, gallardo, V8 vantage, lister storm and co, TVRs, marcos', viper etc etc etc, those are sports cars.

 

[YSSMAN]

Ok, let me see what I can dig up...
From C/D Comparo:
..........2006 BMW M5..........Cadillac CTS-V..........Mercedes-Benz CLS55
HP:...............500...................... 469 ..............................469
Torque:.........383...................... 439 ..............................516
lbs/hp:..........8.2...................... 9.3 ..............................9.2
0-60:............4.2...................... 4.6 ..............................4.2
0-100:..........9.4...................... 11.4 ..............................9.8
1/4 mile:........12.5@118............ 13.2@107 .......................12.6@114
Top Speed:....161 (gov)............ 155 (gov) ......................157 (gov)
Skidpad:........ .089g................ .87g ............................. .93g
lane-change:....65.6................. 63.5 ..............................63.7
EPA:..............12/18................ 14/20 ..............................14/20
C/D Comparo:...1st................... 2nd ..............................3rd

Smaller Sports Sedans: From C/D and Motor Trend
.................Audi S4..........Cadillac CTS-V (LS2)..........Mercedes-Benz C55
HP:...............340..................... 400 ......................362
Torque:.........302..................... 395 ......................376
lbs/hp:..........11.3.................... 9.7 ......................9.9
0-60:............5.1...................... 4.7 ......................4.7
0-100:...........13.2..................... 11.1 ...................11.3
1/4 mile:........13.7@102.............. 13.1@110 ............13.3@108
Top Speed:.....160 (gov).............. 161 (LS6) ............155 (gov)
Skidpad........ .87g.................... .90g .................... .85g
lane-change:..63.8..................... 66.4 (LS6) .............66.4
EPA:..............14/20................... 15/23 ...................16/22
C/D Comparo:.1st...................... 2nd (LS6) ...............3rd

Scoop on the CTS-V... Most of the performance figures are from a Motor Trend Comparo between the LS2-powered CTS-V, LS2-powered GTO, and HEMI 6.1L-powered SRT-8... The Caddy got the nod in the Motor Trend comparo mostly because of it's value, manners, and performance... C/D on the other hand last tested an LS6-powered CTS-V against the S4 and C55, and a few things have changed since... Some performance figures werent available in the Motor Trend test, so I substituted them with the LS6 designation next to it...

Here are some other figures for the M3 and RS4:
...................RS4......................M3
HP:...............414......................333
Torque:.........317......................262
lb/hp:............8.9 ......................10.2
0-60:............4.8*......................4.8
0-120:..........16.6*.....................17.7
1/4 Mile:........13.3@105*.............13.6@105
Top Speed:.....155 (gov)...............159 (gov)
Skidpad:..........N/A...................... .87
EPA:..............12/23*...................16/24

*Estimated on RS4 preproduction model tested by C/D in Europe

Its pretty easy to see that the Cadillac CTS-V is the closest compeditor to the M5 (at the moment), and it would come down to how much you are willing to put down on a Uber-sedan, and if you actually want to shift your own gears (I know I do!)...

 

[LeadSlead#2]

So, this might make somebody laugh... Why a 7-spd in the M5, geared so much quicker than the Z06? it's limited to 161(what happened to 155?), so why not make 6-7th gears be for gas milage?

Maybe they arent comparable, but it kinda sounds like an evasion of the fact that the Z06 gets better gas-milage than any 500HP car in history....(likely, anyway)

 

[Wolfe]

So, this might make somebody laugh... Why a 7-spd in the M5, geared so much quicker than the Z06? it's limited to 161(what happened to 155?), so why not make 6-7th gears be for gas milage?

Maybe they arent comparable, but it kinda sounds like an evasion of the fact that the Z06 gets better gas-milage than any 500HP car in history....(likely, anyway)

I don't know why that one there is limited to 161, but the gears stretch much further:

The official press release of July states 0-200 km/h in 15 s and 0-100 km/h in below 5 s. The top-speed is limited to 250 km/h and BMW M press release states that it would to 330 km/h (205 mph) unlimited.

@YSSMAN: How is the CTS-V the "closest competitor" to the M5 when the CLS55 offers better performance (barely behind the M5, acceleration-wise), based on your numbers there?

 

[Poverty]

So, this might make somebody laugh... Why a 7-spd in the M5, geared so much quicker than the Z06? it's limited to 161(what happened to 155?), so why not make 6-7th gears be for gas milage?

Maybe they arent comparable, but it kinda sounds like an evasion of the fact that the Z06 gets better gas-milage than any 500HP car in history....(likely, anyway)

All the uber german executives are electronically limited. Not limited by their gear ratio. If you disable the limiter most of the german executive rockets would go past 180MPH and I belive the M5 does 205MPH unlimited and the RS4 does 194mph.

 

[Tornado]

Its pretty easy to see that the Cadillac CTS-V is the closest compeditor to the M5 (at the moment)

The CTS is too small. It's 3-series size.

How is the CTS-V the "closest competitor" to the M5 when the CLS55 offers better performance (barely behind the M5, acceleration-wise), based on your numbers there?

You missed the end of his post:

and if you actually want to shift your own gears (I know I do!)...

All the uber german executives are electronically limited. Not limited by their gear ratio. If you disable the limiter most of the german executive rockets would go past 180MPH and I belive the M5 does 205MPH unlimited and the RS4 does 194mph.

In addition, it has traditionally been quite easy to do so. There are only a couple cars it's impossible in, one of them being the Mercedes AMG SL's.

 

[McLaren]

Who'd drive a Lambo a 100,000 miles? You'd have to have it a long time...same goes for a Vette. These aren't daily's

But I have seen F-bodies with 120,000+ miles...or my Mustang I had with, jesus something like 175,000 or something on the same 5.0.

A F-150 with 120,000 miles isn't nothing. They're so common and easy to keep driving everyday.

What's remarkable for any $100,000+ car to have that many miles is because of their price, most owners would rather
1)Own the car until the next best thing came
2)Can't afford to keep it anymore
3)Are too afraid to take it out all the time
4)Only want it for track and show uses until they want to sell it.

This was a 1983 Countach LP500S that reached 100,000 miles which is actually very impressive for most Lamborghinis, espcially Countachs which are all nearing 20 years of age.

BTW, my appologies for mixing up the models.
The LP5000 was the prototype for the Countach line-up.

 

[YSSMAN]

1) The Cadillac CTS is actually between the BMW 3 and 5 in terms of size, atleast that was the case with the previous generation models. The CTS-V was the closest compeditor overall because it's acceleration figures could keep up with the M5, and it's other handeling capabilities either matched or beat the Bimmer.
2) I'm sure that the M5 and RS4 if unlimited could both outpace sportscars like the Aston Martin V8 Vantage and 911 Carrera without a problem... I can recall a preview story about the RS4 where Audi engineers had it running upwards of 170 on the Autobahn, and a similar press story with the M5 knocking on the 200MPH door.
3) Things can change quickly in this segment, and there are rumors flying about the Cadillac and BMW putting both of them again, at the top of the class. GM has apparently been working on a LS7-powered CTS-V to commemorate their success in the SCCA racing, and with 505HP on tap, knocking off the M5 wouldnt be a problem in a much lighter (and somewhat smaller) car. Of course it's technicaly competition would be the new V8-powered M3, but with all the rumors pointing twards 400HP, who knows?

 

[Wolfe]

You missed the end of his post:

Very true. I'm not one to argue against the usage of three pedals.

 

[LeadSlead#2]

All the uber german executives are electronically limited. Not limited by their gear ratio. If you disable the limiter most of the german executive rockets would go past 180MPH and I belive the M5 does 205MPH unlimited and the RS4 does 194mph.

Thank you Poverty, and Wolfe...

I understand the gears go farther than these speeds, but as you said, the gears only go to 205. that's my point right there.
A. Why not have 6th just go to 205, and make 7th longer?
B. The Z06 (gearing) goes to (I Believe) over 200 in 5th, let alone 6th, which would likely make close to 270+ mph...
So why does the M5, even with 7 gears, feel such a need to be finished with gears at 205? This is also a likely reason Vette's and other American Sports cars last as long as they do, if your cruising at 80mph, your cruising practically at idle, whereas in a European sports car, your running 3000 plus RPM's....

 

[YSSMAN]

The Z06 hits it's top speed at 198-ish in 5th gear, it cannot keep accelerating in 6th gear because it is outrageously tall... its a 0.5:1 ratio, wich pretty much stops acceleration altogether... Combine that with the rather tall 3.42 axle ration, its no wonder that the Corvette can pull 30MPG when cruising down the highway.

As for the Bimmer, all seven of it's gears are wound up pretty tight, 7th being a 0.85:1 ratio (The Corvette has 1:1 in 4th and 0.75 in 5th), it keeps the revs up high... What gives it it's higher top speed is the 3.62 axle ratio, but being that the top speed is governed, and that there isnt a posting that tells what the engine is spinning at 161MPH, its hard to figure out where the M5 would run out of breath...