The greatest cars in 50 years of BMW's M division
Five decades after its formation, we salute the magnificence of the M division. - By Graham Hope
2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of one of the true icons of performance cars, BMW’s Motorsport division. As the name suggests, the department was initially formed to give extra impetus to the Bavarian company’s efforts in the sporting arena, but it evolved to deliver some of the finest road cars of the past five decades – all marked out by that magical ‘M’ badge. To mark the anniversary, let’s take a look at the machines that earned the M division its hallowed reputation.
3.0 CSL ‘Batmobile’ (E9)
We know what you’re thinking… where’s the M? And the simple answer is it’s nowhere to be seen, because although the CSL was developed by the motorsport division for competition, the M designation had not yet been determined at that stage. The CSL was a lightweight version of the standard CS built from 1971-1975 that was fitted with a straight six-cylinder engine that ultimately delivered 203bhp and became known as the Batmobile on account of its wild looks, in particular the fins along the side and huge rear wing. The racing version enjoyed great success in touring cars; the road car was much coveted.
M1 (E26)
The most lusted after BMW ever? Quite possibly. While the fiberglass bodied mid-engined supercar was only in production between 1978 and 1981, and relatively few were made – a total of 399 plus around 50 race cars – its iconic status has grown over the years, with Giorgetto Giugiaro’s dramatic design a perfect snapshot of the wedge look popular in the 1970s. The engine was a 273bhp 3.5-litre straight-six, which may not seem too powerful now, but made the M1 one of the fastest road cars of its era. The first BMW to wear the prestigious M badge may not have been appreciated at the time, but now seems a worthy car to carry that accolade.
M635 CSI (E24)
Another BMW with a great nickname, in this case The Shark – on account of its distinctive nose –the 635 CSi is a car that represents the 1980s particularly well, and still has a likeable retro charm today thanks to details such as the black rubber boot spoiler. The M version used a 282bhp version of the M1 supercar’s straight six to post a 0-60mph time of 6.4 seconds, but this was an M car that wasn’t so much about outright power as delivering a desirable – and cool – overall package.
M3 Sport Evolution (E30)
A true all-time classic and one of the defining M cars. The first-ever M3, made from 1986-1991, saw BMW attack the touring car racing programme again, where it had great success winning Germany’s domestic DTM series and the European championship. But in order to compete, road-legal versions had to be sold first – and it soon became clear that BMW had a phenomenon on its hands. Perhaps the pinnacle of the E30 range was the limited Sport Evolution model in 1990, fitted with a 235bhp 2.5-litre engine and lightweight components that cut the weight significantly for an even more focused drive. It’s also worth pointing out how good it looks now; will the current BWM range look so desirable in 30 years’ time?
Z3 M Coupe (E36-38)
A full version of this article was first published on YesAuto UK.
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