BMW has made a name for itself for building some of the greatest cars ever seen not just in Europe but in the rest of the world. The company’s portfolio has expanded over the decades, stretching its expertise from building luxury sedans to top-of-the-class SUVs and sports cars.
In their vast selection of vehicles, there is one emblem that clearly distinguishes one BMW from another. That is the M badge. The M is to BMW what AMG is to Mercedes. It is BMW’s high-performance division that takes a regular BMW, cranks it up to 100, and delivers a car far more brutal than what the average customer would imagine.
And that’s what a performance-oriented BMW enthusiast would want. In this piece, we’ll look at the 10 coolest BMW M cars ever built that every enthusiast should own.
10 BMW M1
The BMW M1 first saw the light of day in 1978. This was the first BMW car to ever spot the M badge. The BMW M1 came into existence thanks to homologation requirements in the FIA Group 4. Therefore, 400 units were built for the public.
This mid-engine masterpiece featured a classic body designed by Giugiaro, which still looks timeless and legendary to date. Under the hood of this masterpiece was a 3.5L straight-six that could churn out 273bhp and take this pioneering car to a top speed of 162mph.
9 BMW E28 M5
Born in 1984, this was the first BMW M5. It was based on the E28 5 Series after the market demanded a vehicle that had the carrying capacity of a saloon car but the looks of a sports car. The BMW E28 M5 was thus born with the chassis from the 535xi and an evolved body kit from the M535i.
The job done by BMW on this car was impressive. At the time of launch, the E28 M5 was the fastest production sedan in the world. It ran on M88 and S38 engines that were lifted and developed from the 24-valve inline-six that powered the mid-engine M1 supercar.
8 BMW M635 CSI
It’s hard to forget the BMW M635 CSI E24 with its shark-nose. It featured the M88 power unit from the M1 supercar, which produced 282bhp. This power was channeled to the wheels through a limited-slip diff and a five-speed gearbox which made this car very fast for its class and era.
The car was inspired by the 6 series, thus being marketed as the higher performance version of the marque. This specific model happened to be the first generation M6 ever built. The car debuted in 1983 in North America, Japan, and Europe.
7 BMW F87 M2 Competition
This is a very modern M product from BMW, but one which carries a lot of the original BMW M1 heritage. The only difference is, the F87 M2 Competition is a lot more powerful, faster, and better built for driving in this modern age.
The F87 M2 competition truly shines in its styling. It dons a very aggressive exterior that compliments the performance of the Bavarian machine. The interior is also one of the nicest you’ll ever find in an M car. Despite all these improvements, it still manages to share the same DNA with the original marques.
6 BMW E60 M5
The BMW M5 E60 first went through the production line in 2005. At the time, it was the first race-inspired saloon car that featured a V10 engine and a 7-speed sequential manual gearbox. That 5.0L V10 S8 engine made an absurd 500hp at a ridiculous redline of 8250RPM. The torque came in way earlier, with the crank hitting 384lb-ft of torque at 6100RPM.
Just like the E28 M5 that came before it, this also became the world’s fastest and quickest sedan when it was launched, clocking just 4.5 seconds to go from 0-60mph.
5 BMW 1-Series M Coupe
This was one of the most anticipated releases from BWM in 2011. The BMW 1-Series M Coupe was taunted to be released with a marvelous engine and other exciting toys that it would carry. And sure enough, the vehicle did not disappoint.
The engine running this monstrous machine was a 3.0L inline-six with twin-turbos and 340hp on the crank. That motor was connected to a six-speed manual transmission, with BMW not releasing an automatic version of the car when it launched. The chassis, rear diff, and braking system were also very similar to those in the M3.
4 BMW E46 M3 GTR
This is real. BMW did produce an E46 M3 GTR which they sold in a very limited production run of 10 cars. The E46 M3 GTR was not built because of a special customer order. Rather, this marque had to see the production line for BMW to meet the homologation rules put at Le Mans.
Under the hood of these 10, incredibly rare, marques was a V8 good for 380hp. Each of the 10 BMW E46 M3 GTRs built was sold for $250,000 in 2001, making them not only very rare but also very expensive.
3 BMW M5 E39
The BMW M5 E39 first popped into the scene in 1998. This Bavarian masterpiece was described as a wolf in sheep’s clothing given how simple it looked compared to how brutal it performed when pushed. Some diehards claim that this is the car that started the “let’s fix a massive engine and superb suspension into a mild-looking car” trend. Plus, some critics also claim that this must have been the car that started the German sedan horsepower wars of the 2000s.
The M5 E39 was the first M5 to ever get a V8 fitted under the hood. That power unit was good for 400bhp and 370lb-ft of torque, both of which were wild performance figures at the time.
2 BMW E46 M3 CSL
The BMW E46 M3 CSL made its debut in 2003 and it was an instant hit. Firstly, BMW had managed to shed 240lbs off this M3, making it lighter than the previous model. This 240lbs was shed by getting rid of most of the sound insulation, navigation systems, and electric seats. BMW went further with this and used thinner glass windows for the E46 M3 CSL plus lightweight materials for the structure and body.
The E46 M3 CSL also got a revamped handling package that included a redefined suspension system, which included racing dampers and springs plus a tightened steering ratio. Finally, the engine got a 17bhp boost which resulted in a mad M3 no one expected.
1 BMW E36 M3
This is the M car that launched the cars from BMW’s M division to the masses. The target for this car was the executive who’s interested in a speedy car but in a tamed package, compared to a true enthusiast who would want more beans. The latter would get that from an E30.
The E36 M3 thus came with a 3.0L inline-six that could do 240hp. That engine was not only solid but also silky smooth. The brakes and suspension in the base 3 series were replaced for something beefier. For 1996, the engine got a light upgrade that bumped the torque, albeit with the same horsepower, from a 3.2L inline-six.