Wütend Deutsch Review:
Its a beautiful day in Suzuka, Mie Prefecture in Japan...the small, quiet industrial town is awash with its inhabitants going about the average hustle and bustle of every day life. In the heart of this small town lies a race track bearing its name. Suzuka Circuit.
As youd come to expect on a race track, there will be racing on this day. The track is lined with some of the best Japan has to offer. Mines has brought their BNR34 Skyline GTR, Amuse makes an appearance with its flagship GT1 S2000 sporting something most Hondas never see...a turbo. Of course it wouldnt be a race day without Nismo on the grid, the 380RS Super Leggera seems right at home. Even the venerable Polyphony Digital has graced this track with its presence, presenting 2 entries in the forms of the Gran Turismo 350Z RS and the Gran Turismo Skyline GTR (2001.)
However...in the middle of the pack sits something not quite right. These are all fit and trim street cars tuned to absolute perfection by the best shops Japan and the tuning world has ever known. But what is it? Its a large, portly family sedan...bearing a German badge...in Japan? Its a BMW M5, tuned by RKM Motorsports...better known as Wütend Deutsch. However...this is no normal M5. This is a 650+hp snarling beast of a car. Its large, its heavy (relatively), and its pissed. Ever since its inception the M5 has been referred to as a wolf in sheeps clothing, well this car exemplifies that title as no other. This car truely is the wolf, waiting to dine on the blood and flesh of the Japanese sheep surrounding it as the clock winds down to the green lights.
This gentlemen...this is not your dads M5. This M5 is not at home in the executive parking spaces at the headquarters of financial powerhouses around the world. This M5 is at home on the track.
The lights go green...the flag drops. We are in for 7 laps of a tuner battle. The M5 sits in the middle of the pack in 7th place. Apparently the driver missed the qualifying session. As the flag drops and the 5.0 liter V10 at the heart of this beast snarls to life. The SMG transmission quickly flips through the gears, accelerating this monster forward, gobbling up 4 of the flock before the first corner. Third place is a comfortable spot for any racer in any car, its a good place to visit, but its not home. We want first and will accept nothing less.
The M5 patiently sits and waits. Remember, its a wolf in sheeps clothing...cant give away its identity just yet. We sit comfortably in third place for the first 4 laps. The finely tuned suspension is doing a great job as I coast into 200R and hustle my way to the Spoon corner. Then its onto the crossover straight, hammer down, the rear wing working hard and doing a fine job of keeping those back tires on the pavement to maintain an optimum contact patch. No lifting here!
I grow weary of third place. Its time to make my move. WOT and 5th gear through 130R and holding on to that momentum into turns 15 and 16. I slam on the brakes, they clamp down hard bringing this beast to almost a stand still as I dive inside of 15 to take second place.
My cover is now blown. Surely everyone here knows that this is no oridinary sedan. The sheeps clothing has been torn away to reveal the charcoal colored wolf that was lurking beneath. In fitting fashion, the Amuse GT1 Turbo S2000 that currently occupies first place is white...like a sheep.
Both cars dart through the Casio triangle, and make their way onto the front straight heading into turn 1. Hammer down once again, SMG transmission burning through the gears and as fast as I can hit the paddle, this wolf has gobbled up the last of the flock. Three laps left and its smooth sailing from here. Its great to be home, in first place, where this wolf belongs.
Now that there is some space between me and the rest of the field...its time to enjoy the car. The M5 is a great platform to start with, boasting 500 hp and a nimble suspension setup. RKM has taken that and amplified what makes the M5 great, and done away with what some might consider faults. You dont need any traction control or ASM here, friends. The finely tuned suspension of the Wütend Deutsch handily keeps all four wheels planted firmly on the pavement. But a word of caution...this IS a wolf, after all. It will bite your hand if you try to slap it around. It doesnt want to be controlled, its wants to be guided. Guide it right and it will reward you.
This is Wütend Deutsch. This is what AMG drivers have nightmares about.