Kith x BMW is back for round four, and this time Ronnie Fieg is looking backwards and forwards simultaneously. The latest instalment of their ongoing partnership is built around two one-off X5s: a comprehensively reworked example of the original E53 and a bespoke version of the all-new, fifth-generation 2027 BMW X5.
It's the older car that will have BMW enthusiasts paying attention. Kith founder Ronnie Fieg has taken a 2000 X5 and subjected it to a full rotisserie restoration, a process that took more than a year to complete. Finished in the original Titanium Silver Metallic, it looks relatively conventional from the outside. Underneath, it is anything but.
BMW's 5.0-litre S85 V10 – best known for its role in the E60 M5 – has been installed beneath the bonnet and connected to a six-speed manual gearbox. Better still, the conversion retains the X5's factory all-wheel-drive system. A custom exhaust, recalibrated suspension and BMW M Sport brakes complete the mechanical overhaul.
Inside, black leather is embossed with Kith's monogram, while the instrument cluster receives its own Kith for BMW graphics. Otherwise, the transformation is pleasingly restrained, allowing the clean lines of BMW's first-ever Sports Activity Vehicle to do most of the talking.
In with the new
The second car brings the story right up to date. The 2027 BMW X5 by Kith previews the fifth generation of the SUV, complete with its first entirely new body design in more than eight years. Its smoother, more minimal exterior introduces flush surfaces, a sweeping roofline, new double-X headlights and an illuminated kidney grille.
Kith's version is finished in Frozen Titanium Silver, deliberately referencing the colour of Fieg's restored E53. It also receives 23-inch wheels, M Carbon Sport front seats, Kith badging and another monogrammed black leather interior. Power comes from an updated B58 straight-six assisted by a 48V mild-hybrid system.
The two X5s sit at the centre of the wider Kith for BMW 2026 collection, which also spans clothing and accessories. The collection launched globally on 17 August through Kith stores and online, but these two one-offs are the real attraction – one celebrating where the X5 came from, the other showing where BMW is taking it next.
