BMW M: History

BMW M has a history of producing some of the most iconic and desirable high-performance cars, known for excellent performance and handling. But how did BMW M start?

Early Years

The M originally stood for Motorsport and the original name was BMW Motorsport GmbH, but from 1993 it is just BMW M GmbH. Founded in May 1972 with just 35 employees, it was initially set up for BMW's racing program.

When BMW M began it was headed by Jochen Neerpasch and started developing race cars based on existing BMW models. The goal was to create competitive cars particularly for touring car racing. The first M car was the 3.0 CSL (E9), a beautiful car in my opinion, launched in 1973 and was powered by a 3.2 litre, inline-six engine – of course BMW are kings of the “straight six”. With aerodynamic enhancements and a light weight body, the 3.0 CSL had a lot of racing success, particular important for BMW winning the European Touring Car Championship in 1973, 1975, and 1976. Becasue of the large rear wing the car got the nickname the batmobile. "CSL" stands for Coupe Sport Leichtbau or Coupe Sport Lightweight.

M1

The M1, BMW M’s first mid-engine sports car was launched in 1978. The M1 was powered by a 3.5-litre, straight six engine – did I say BMW are kings of the “straight six”!!.

The M1, BMW M’s first mid-engine sports car was launched in 1978. The M1 was powered by a 3.5-litre, straight six engine – did I say BMW are kings of the “straight six”!!. Original it was to be a collaboration with Lamborghini but they pulled out of the project. It is said the reason there are two BMW badges on the back is that one was to be for Lamborghini – I don’t know if this is true though.

Designed primarily for racing but there was a road version. The cars completed in a single car race format in 1979 and 1980 with some pretty famous racers; Lauda, Prost, Piquet, and Andretti. Unfortunately, the M1 was a sales failure, but these days it is considered to be one of the most iconic M cars ever produced. Let’s be fair, it has 1980’s super car looks. The M1 is generally considered a classic and collectible car today and is now recognised as the "first" M car.

1980s and 1990s

The M5 (E28) w2as launched in 1985 as a high-performance version of the 5 Series. Guess what engine it had, 3.5 litre, straight six. For many this is consider the first true M car because it was based on a current series. Regardless of its "first" status, this was the start of a long line of high-performance M5 and M models.

In 1986 the M3 (E30) was launched. To find out the history of this iconic car and what engine that used, see my M3 article.

M continued to add cars to its catalogue with the M6 (E24) in 1986, and the M8 (E31) in 1992. In 1994, M launched the Z8, a two-seater roadster that was inspired by the 507 from the 1950s – but this didn’t have the M name.

Always been at the forefront of automotive technology, BMW M introduced new features like the SMG (Sequential Manual Gearbox) and the M xDrive all-wheel-drive system.

In 1986 the M3 (E30) was launched. To find out the history of this iconic car and what engine that used, see my M3 article.

Always been at the forefront of automotive technology, BMW M introduced new features like the SMG (Sequential Manual Gearbox) and the M xDrive all-wheel-drive system.

In 1992 BMW M's engine division developed the V12 engine for the Maclaren F1 hyper car.

New Millennium

In the 2000s, BMW M continued to expand its catalogue with SUV style cars. The naming convention was a little different with an M suffix on these vehicle types; X5M and X6M. I think it would be correct to say that the X6M was the first, or least one of the first commercial successes of a coupé style SUV which has been adopted by other manufactures since.

In the 2010’s, M Performance vehicles were added, the first being the M135i, which were a great entry point for true M’s. Often M Performance cars are considered better as they are cheaper, with more than adequate performance, and better day-to-day cars because they are less motor sport tuned. The current M Performance line up runs across most of the series, including electric vehicles.

Logo

The M logo is simple three colour strips. For the original M logo, the blue is said to be for BMW (the blue of their logo), the red for motorsport, and it the violet is nothing more complicated that a combination of blue and red! Seems to make sense (and I got this information form the BMW website!). Today the colour tones have changed a little but are still recognisable.