The new BMW M5 Touring, Nilu Hypercar, MG EV and more
Photos by Vijay Sankar
BMW M5 and M5 Touring
The 7th generation BMW M5 made its North American debut on the concours awards ramp at The Lodge at Pebble Beach at an event hosted by racing great and broadcaster Justin Bell. The premiere was preceded by a parade of all six previous generations of BMW M5, leading up to the reveal, which was presented by BMW M CEO Frank van Meel. Making its world premiere alongside the sedan, the 2025 BMW M5 Touring (wagon) delivered race-bred performance with a new dimension of utility.
Nilu Hypercar
Nilu27, the hypercar brand recently founded by celebrated sports car designer Sasha Selipanov, is thrilled to showcase its first vehicle: the self-titled NILU hypercar. Following a number of social media teasers, which created a stir among the sports car community, the car can finally be revealed in its entirety.
The NILU hypercar challenges traditional automotive industry trends. By avoiding electrification, digitalization, and other technological aids, NILU will deliver a raw, unfiltered, uncensored driving experience.
Taking inspiration from sources such as ’60s F1 and Le Mans racers, classic Italian design houses, the Bauhaus “form follows function” philosophy, old school American muscle, drift cars, mathematics, and avant garde metal music, NILU’s no-nonsense design is as eclectic as it is original.
Sasha’s goal was to create a car with an “inevitable” design: fresh and yet somehow familiar. The resulting NILU exterior, with its tight cross sections and sinuous curves, is functional, lean and aerodynamic. For maximum contrast, it juxtaposes clean sculptural surfaces with its mechanical, exposed and intricately detailed engine bay. True to Bauhaus philosophy, NILU eschews superfluous styling features to celebrate essential functional beauty.
The NILU chassis features a bespoke carbon fiber monocoque with lightweight aluminum-alloy tubular subframes. In contrast to “fashionable” composite subframes, the designer deliberately chose a tubular approach to improve access to the drivetrain components while effortlessly facilitating heat extraction and celebrating the mechanical aesthetic.
The NILU cabin was designed to provide perfect viewing angles with ideal ergonomics and safety. The designer was able to achieve an incredibly low roofline and compact cabin dimensions without sacrificing comfort. NILU seats two adults in a traditional side-by-side layout with best-in-class ingress and egress made possible by substantial gullwing doors, low sill heights, and fixed, sunken seats, which do not obstruct the door apertures with their side bolsters.
The NILU hypercar is Sasha’s vision in its purest form; a vision he’s been perfecting since 2006. It will initially be available in an extremely limited run with production capped at 15 units. Nilu27 has partnered with Hartley Engines in New Zealand to produce one of the most powerful and visually striking naturally aspirated engines in the world. The NILU engine bay is fully exposed, showcasing the beautiful 6.5-liter, 80-degree V12.
As NILU will not rely on electrification, it aims to be the world’s most powerful, naturally aspirated hypercar. To achieve this, the V12 will deliver more than 1000 horsepower. And while its large bore and short stroke will make it rev like an electric motor, the even-fire engine will provide the driver with the perfect amount of tactile vibration.
The NILU hypercar employs a double wishbone, pushrod suspension, with its extremely long wishbones visible from the rear; the length contributing to the exceptionally precise and compliant handling characteristics. The initial NILU prototype vehicles and first batch of customer cars will be assembled by Aria Group in Irvine, CA, allowing Nilu27 to ramp-up its own facilities overseas.
Nilu27 is simultaneously developing a street homologated version. This variant will be limited to 54 units, four of which will be unique, one-off designs.
Other exclusive unveilings included Pininfarina’s unique coach-built cars and the RBW EV launch at the Concours Village.