{"id":77107,"date":"2026-08-22T14:04:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T14:04:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/77107\/"},"modified":"2026-08-22T14:04:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T14:04:10","slug":"bmw-and-kith-team-up-to-build-an-x5-with-a-v-10-and-a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/77107\/","title":{"rendered":"BMW and Kith Team Up to Build an X5 with a V-10 and a"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kith NYC is an urban-apparel brand that’s worked with BMW on previous special-edition cars.
\nThis V-10-powered, E53-generation X5 is just a one-off, but it’s a real \u201cWhat might have been\u201d moment.
\nThe build is subtle enough to look like it came right out of the factory.<\/p>\n

It seems hard to think that any crossover could age into being a modern classic, but if one has, it’s the E53-chassis BMW X5. Launched in 1999, it was a pioneer for the idea of a performance-oriented SUV, aiming to blend the poise and punch of the 5-series sedan with greater capability in all conditions.<\/p>\n

Not just a forerunner of a rising trend, this generation of X5 has also aged extremely well in the styling department, especially when compared with the warthog-from-the-Lion King looks of the current XM. However, like any car that’s over two decades old, a bit of a refresh and a tidy-up is needed to keep them on the road. And if you’re going to be taking things apart anyway, why not build the kind of X5 that BMW was never brave enough to sell to the public?<\/p>\n

\"Silver<\/p>\n

Kith<\/p>\n

This 2000 X5 was completely torn down and restored, and then built back up with V-10 power plucked from a BMW M5. It belongs to Ronnie Fieg, a successful entrepreneur in New York’s sneaker and urban-wear scene and lifelong fan of the Knicks. He’s also a longtime BMW fan, and his Kith NYC brand previously worked with BMW to craft a limited-edition version of the M4 Competition.<\/p>\n

The ultimate E53 is, of course, the insane X5 Le Mans, a one-off prototype that BMW shoved the V-12 from the McLaren F1 into. Complete lunacy, but it does emphasize that BMW’s motorsports division must have been a pretty fun place to work in the early 2000s.<\/p>\n

Kith’s V-10-powered X5 has a new front end that’s inspired by that X5 LM, with a widebody kit and rear aero treatment to match. It rides a little lower on a reworked suspension, but the look is pretty subtle. Visually, this X5 could basically be OEM.<\/p>\n

\"Close-up<\/p>\n

Kith<\/p>\n

Technically, so could the powertrain. The most powerful versions of the X5 got some punchy V-8s, but in its last year of production, 2006, BMW brought out the 10-cylinder M5 and M6. The engine here isn’t quite stock, having been built up with forged pistons and some custom tuning, but it’s again a subtle massaging rather than a SEMA-style show-off build.<\/p>\n

The interior sews it all together with an entirely factory look if you didn’t spot the 9000-rpm tachometer (taken from the M5). Best detail: the stick-shift transmission between the seats. Yes, this is a proper three-pedal manual transmission, paired with a 500-hp 5.0-liter V-10 and retaining the factory all-wheel-drive system.<\/p>\n

\"M<\/p>\n

Kith<\/p>\n

\"Close-up<\/p>\n

Kith<\/p>\n

It should be an absolute hoot to drive, and while plenty of customizing was required to get everything to fit, it largely contains parts right out of the BMW catalog. V-10 power in an X5? What might have been.<\/p>\n

Only a one-off, this project nonetheless raises the profile of the E53 X5 a little, to the point that collectors looking around for something cool but affordable might notice. With the X5, BMW set out to predict the future, and it mostly got it right. Building a potential collectible while doing so is something of a happy accident.<\/p>\n

\u27a1\ufe0f Skip the lot. Let Car and Driver help you find your next car.\"Lettermark\"<\/p>\n

Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citro\u00ebn 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kith NYC is an urban-apparel brand that’s worked with BMW on previous special-edition cars. This V-10-powered, E53-generation X5…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":77108,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20955],"tags":[6213,21041,56691,15295,15298,21042,56690,39588],"class_list":["post-77107","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bmw","tag-bmw","tag-content-type-news","tag-contentid-7722dbc5-16e8-4bbd-8e4c-9a913d388ca5","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-issyndicated-false","tag-locale-us","tag-shorttitle-this-e53-bmw-x5-has-10-cylinders-and-three-pedals","tag-sponsored-false"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77107","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77107"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77107\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77108"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77107"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77107"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77107"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}