In 2022, BMW Motorsport, which later became BMW M, simply celebrated its fiftieth anniversary. Back in pictures on a saga of mythical cars from the 3.0 CSL to the M8 via the iconic M1, M3 or even M5.
BMW Motorsport GmbH, the high-performance division of the propeller-driven automotive brand was founded on 1er April 1972 in Munich. The pharmacy is first of all dedicated to competition vehicles in supertourism as well as in Formula 2, without forgetting to boost the BMW 2002 with the help of a Turbo.
The first production vehicle to come out of the “M” workshop was the BMW M1 in 1978. The following year, BMW Motorsport continued with the M535i (E12) with 218 hp then with the M635 CSi which delivered 286. The machine was launched and was very suitable for wealthy customers from across the Rhine who had plenty of to take advantage of these bodybuilt “BMs” on a motorway network at free speed on certain dedicated sections. But on the other side of the Atlantic, these slumped “Europeans” also bring their share of exoticism and are very popular there. Find in our captioned photo gallery, generation by generation, all the cars that have ensured the success of BMW Motorsport for half a century.
>>> 50 years of BMW M models in pictures <<<
BMW M, a family affair
Since the M535i systematically all generations of BMW 5 Series have been entitled to an M5 version, on the floor below, the same for the M3 declined on the basis of 3 Series since the second opus of the model called E30. Finally, apart from the Series 8 type E31 (1989-1999) too typical GT which escaped it, the Series 6 and Series 8 were all entitled to a sharp variant badged M. The wave also swept over SUVs, whether standard (X3 M and X5 M) or coupe (X4 M and X6 M).
Today, apart from a few models such as the Series 2 Active Tourer minivan, the X1 and X2 SUVs, and, at the other end of the range, the Series 7 and X7, very few models in the range of the Munich manufacturer escape the Magic potion. The race for power has never stopped, to approach 700 hp today. We have just reduced the displacements and the number of cylinders over time, which have been compensated for by the addition of one or more turbochargers. Next for BMW M? Certainly electric!
TO READ. BMW M: the most amazing concepts and prototypes
