Image via Complex Original
BMW’s M GmbH division recently celebrated its 40th anniversary. For just as long, enthusiasts and armchair auto execs have argued over what an M car is or isn’t. By now we’ve seen four-, six-, eight-, 10- and 12-cylinder engines, both naturally aspirated and turbocharged, clad in the classic tri-color cover, shoehorned between expertly tuned suspension struts and crowned with aluminum hoods. The line-up includes two-doors, sedans, grocery-getters, and street-legal race cars.
Although the trajectory through the last four decades has more turns than the Nürburgring, nothing about an M happens by accident. If you want to build one, you have to improve on an already exceedingly roadworthy ride. To own one, maybe you scour ads for years, perhaps you get on a waitlist, and you probably pay over sticker. For 40 years, they’ve been worth the trouble. Here are our picks for the greatest BMW M cars so far.
Written by Jacqueline Bates
15. M550d Xdrive
Years: 2012 and on
Market: Europe
Take a look at the specs: All-wheel drive, a six-cylinder diesel with three (really!) turbochargers, 546 lb-ft. of torque, 0-62 in 4.7 seconds, and 44.8 miles per gallon. It's like they took all of our automotive fantasies and shoved them into a single vehicle. The future of BMW M GmbH promises to be amazing, as long as they filter out that whole swimming-pool-in-a-pickup-truck-bed thing we see pictures of sometimes.
14. E36 M3 Sedan
Years: 1994 - 1998
Market: Europe, North America
The four-door version of the M3 boasted a wheelbase and curb weight identical to the coupe, but allowed your less-agile friends ride in BMW's first car to get a 100-horsepower/L street-legal motor. You don't have to do the math. The European engine was a 3.2-liter making 320 horsepower.
13. E61 M5 Touring
Years: 2007 - 2010
Market: Europe
Station wagons hold a special place in our hearts. We like to think of them as dumped SUVs for people who like to drive. The E61 M5 Touring combines the sleeper body type with a 507-horsepower V10, which seems both wholly unnecessary and pretty much perfect. We sincerely hope those racing neck braces come in children's sizes.
12. F10 M5
Years: 2012 and on
Market: Europe, North America
The latest M5 catches a lot of heat for one particular feature: replicated engine noise that plays through the stereo. This car is still ridiculously fast, hitting 60 in 4.3 seconds, and is available with a six-speed manual in the US. It's probably best that the windows are up anyway, so you don't have to listen to that Benz driver whose doors you blew off a few lights ago.
11. E46 M3 Coupe
Years: 2000 - 2006
Market: Europe, North America
The E46 was the third generation to be released, but was the model that helped M go mainstream. It showed up in race paddocks and attached garages in unprecedented numbers, with the Coupe sales outnumbering all E36s in America. The famous BMW Art Car was reinvented, and the fender vents became an icon. In the Coupe, M engineers finally achieved a perfect 50/50 front-to-rear weight distribution.
10. E39 M5
Years: 1998 - 2003
Market: Europe, North America
The E39 M5 came along at a time when BMW was putting out deceptively mild-looking body styles and was played up even more with the textured black rub strips. To the uninitiated, it might appear to be a base model, but any fan perked up at the sight of all those exhaust tips. Of course, it still ran and handled like an M5, and the E39's 370 lb-ft. of torque drove the point home.
9. E28 M5
Years: 1984 - 1988
Market: Europe, North America, Japan, South Africa
The E28 was the first M5 and set a high bar for subsequent body styles. Although it looked similar to the regular 5er of the day, it was hand-built and laid down nearly triple the power by utilizing a tuned version of the M1 engine. At the time of release, it was the fastest sedan in the world, blazing the trail for decades worth of “wolf in sheep's clothing” reviews.
8. E24 M635CSi
Years: 1983 - 1989
Market: Europe, North America, Japan
The E24 was the first production car to run the M1's race-bred motor. BMW's M division, true to form, squeezed even more horsepower out of it before it was built and installed by hand in the engine bay of the large, somewhat-unassuming cruiser, nicknamed the Shark. The 6 series didn't reappear in the Bimmer lineup until 2005.
7. E30 M3
Years: 1986 - 1990
Market: Europe, North America
The E30 is a legend. The street version boasted almost 200 horsepower and weighed just 2,800 pounds. The first 3 of the iconic line that's still going strong today, it was easily identifiable by its wide fenders. Even 20 years later, those hips catch your eye across the freeway or under a dusty tarp in a barn upstate.
6. E31 850CSi
Years: 1993 - 1996
Market: Europe, North America
An M8 was in the works, but that 550-horsepower 48V V12 project was scrapped. The engineers, apparently still in the mood to tinker with the 8 series, gave the production model an M treatment, including a slightly calmer 370-horsepower 12-cylinder. On European models, all-wheel steering was standard to help counteract weight shift when throwing this monster around corners.
5. E36/8 M Coupe
Years: 1998 - 2002
Market: Europe, North America
Sure, you could get the bolsters wrapped in green leather from the factory, and it was affectionately referred to as the Clown Shoe, but all that awkwardness was for good reason. In the States this Z3-based hardtop can only be found with an M3 powerplant. With space for that and, allegedly, two golf bags in the trunk, it might look a little strange. With so many color options, sometimes you spot a gem like the black on orange. Totally worth it.
4. E30 320is
Years: 1987 - 1990
Market: Portugal, Italy
Finding that 2.0-liter engines demanded lower taxes, BMW thumbed their noses at the man and gifted the 320is to the spirited drivers of Portugal and Italy. Wrapped in an unassuming 3 series shell, the shortened-stroke M3 motor put down more power than the 325 both countries had been paying so dearly for. This car was a finely crafted act of defiance.
3. E26 M1
Years: 1978 - 1981
Market: Europe
The M1 was the first car Motorsport GmbH engineered from the ground up, and it was available to the public thanks to FIA Group 4 homologation requirements. Put another way, it was a race car that around 400 people got a chance to own. If the envy is killing you, just appreciate that it was the first car to sport an M badge.
2. E12 M535i
Years: 1979 - 1981
Market: Europe
With plenty of Bimmer fans yearning to wield their own M power, the Motorsport group improved on the 5 series of the day by tuning the motor, brakes and suspension. Suddenly, suburban dads realized their need for speed and space could be sated, and a market segment was born.
1. E9 3.0CSL
Years: 1971 - 1975
Market: Europe
The E9 was M GmbH's first car and it sported the now-famous tri-color livery on tons of tracks and podiums back in the early days. Certain iterations put out as much as 800 horsepower, but it also managed to find its way off the circuit. Although the consumer version was technically street legal, later years would find a race-ready aero kit stuffed in the trunk.
