M cars. Namely the M5 and the M3, they’re blisteringly quick saloons, right? Ok, in the past the M3’s been a coupe and a convertible, but what about a compact? Or an estate car ? Or how do you fancy an M5 convertible?
The following list consists of some of BMW M's lesser known secrets, it also happens to be a list of some of the coolest cars in existence. So prepare for what is almost definitely going to be an overwhelming sense of want for at least one car on this list.
1. E46 M3 Touring
This car recently limelighted in BMW's “30 years of M3” celebration. And what a masterpiece it really is. It might not be quite as pretty as it was in my dreams, it rides a little high, plus the wheel and colour combo don't exactly flatter it, (I'd have it in Interlagos Blue with the diamond cut 19" alloys). It is, however, infinitely cool. Who wouldn't want a high revving, 3.2 litre naturally aspirated straight 6, a manual gearbox, and enough room for all the family including the dog?
Considering BMW never made a saloon version of the e46 M3, the chances of a touring (that's BMW for estate car ) M3 were highly unlikely. Still, it's nice to dream.
2. E39 M5 Touring
Much like the M3 Touring, to most people, this looks like nothing more than an ageing estate car, to those in the know, however (hopefully that'll be you after reading this article), this is quite a special machine. BMW did make a touring M5 both in E61 and E34 , but this is an E39, arguably, the best generation of M5. 4.9 litre V8, 6-speed manual, and enough room for all your track tyres. Not bad eh? It's said that it was quite close to production too, but due to rear suspension issues (e39 Tourings had air suspension on the rear ), and relatively small market projections, the M5 E39 Touring was assigned to the history books. Credit photos to BMW Blog.
3. E36 M3 Compact
Less weight, same engine, more fun, right?
Forget about practicality, this one's about outright fun. It also happens to be rather dangerous too. You see, the E36 compact, carried much of its rear suspension components over from its for founder, the E30, namely, rear trailing arms. Those of you who are not technically minded will no doubt be thinking, so what ? Well, without going into too much detail, this means that if you lift off the throttle mid-corner, you've got quite a good chance of invoking a slide. Dangerous, to say the least, especially considering this baby M would probably be targeting a younger audience of drivers. Mix that with fears that this lighter more agile chassis might outshine its full-fat siblings, and the M compact was no more. Shame really, you'd probably have been able to pick one up at a reasonable price nowadays.
4. E34 M5 Convertible
This one is undoubtedly the star of this list. The others, they can be recreated with a couple of donor cars and a bit of know-how. This, however, is, and always will be, a one of one.
Handsome isn't it ? You can just imagine it cruising along a corniche in southern France, a gorgeous rouged sunset backdrop and a heavenly straight six rasp to go with it. Bliss?
But perhaps, the biggest blow of all is that this wasn't just an exercise of skill, or an outlandish concept, this was actually going to be produced. What happened ? One week before it was set to be unveiled at the Geneva motor show BMW pulled the plug. Their fear was that there would be a demand for non -M 5-series convertibles. Which would then hurt the sales of the 3-series vert.
While a floppy convertible version of a fast four-door isn't exactly a purist's favourite, the sheer amount of time and effort that went into this car, plus the fact that it looks effortlessly cool make it the best car on this list, by far.
So there we are, you’ve learned something about the inner workings of 90’s BMW, you’ve seen some gorgeous pieces of machinery, and you probably want one. Now get back to whatever it was you were supposed to be doing.
Ned Jasper
Photos in order of appearance… Credit to BMW BLOG for e34 and e39 photos.
This article was first posted to Engagesportmode.com, so head over there to read some of my articles first.
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Comments (1)
with the e34 convertible i would have preferred the 540i convertible