BMW has a long standing slogan of being the "Ultimate Driving Machine" that dates back to the 1970s. Since then, it has been the German carmaker's unforgettable identity and transformed the brand into one of the most iconic in automotive history.
Throughout the years, and through different decades, BMW has always come up with their own era-defining cars that blend the perfect combination of looks and performance, and are widely considered as driver's cars. Here's some of the best examples from the German brand throughout the years that defined what a driver's car should be.
10 BMW M3 E30
With more than 1,500 victories in its participation in the world of touring car racing, the E30 M3 is hailed by journalists as the "greatest BMW driver's car ever made". It's a homologation model built to Group A specifications and was the car to beat back in the late 80s to the early 90s.
Its simplicity meant you don't really have to focus on anything else other than driving. The motorsport-bred machine has a no-fuss approach to creating the perfect driver's car — lightweight, no driver aids, a five-speed 'dogleg' gearbox, rear-wheel-drive, and a front-engined, high-revving four-cylinder engine.
9 BMW 1 Series M Coupe
BMW's 1 Series M Coupe is powered by a 3.0-liter straight-six turbocharged engine with 335 hp which was borrowed from the Z4. Okay, nothing too special about that, but its underpinnings such as the brakes, the limited-slip differential, the aluminum dampers, the rear subframe and its components were all taken from the M3.
So what's the result then? The best bits of the M3 made its way to the smaller 1-series body, making it another M car that is truly something special to drive. Driving enthusiasts can enjoy the fact that it is only available with a manual transmission, and back in 2011, this was the entry-level model into owning a BMW M car.
8 BMW M3 CSL
Back in 2003, the E46 M3 was already making huge strides in being a great driver's car. However, BMW did not stop there, as they fully realized the potential of the E46 chassis when they came up with the special edition M3 CSL.
CSL means Coupe, Sport, and Lightweight. This car pioneered many innovations that are found in newer BMWs, such as extensive use of carbon-fiber, which made this special model was 110 kg lighter than the standard M3, and the SMG transmission, which was a bit underdeveloped during its time that prevented the car to score a perfect ten due to its jerky gearchanges.
7 BMW M2 Competition
Hailed as the modern-day version of the legendary E30 M3, the BMW M2 Competition builds on to what made its predecessor such a successful car. It was a subcompact executive sports car fitted with all the bits and pieces for racing and performance driving upgrades.
Sports cars nowadays utilize a dual-clutch automatic transmission, but not the M2 Competition, as it comes standard with an old-school six-speed manual transmission for managing those clutch-kicking, rev-matching and heel-and-toe antics that driving enthusiasts sorely miss in today's cars.
6 BMW M1
BMW's first mid-engined sports car was designed to take on Porsche in the Group 5 class back in the 1980s. This was "BMW's foremost expression of its automotive art" according to Car and Driver.
The chassis was developed by Lamborghini and Dallara, and it was powered by a 3.5-liter inline-6 that had 273 horsepower. There were only 453 samples made from 1978 to 1981, making the M1 one of the rarest models BMW has ever made.
5 BMW 2002 Turbo
Unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show back in the 70s, the BMW 2002 Turbo was one of the very first turbocharged performance production cars. It was a pocket-sized sedan that bore the "Turbo" decal on its sides together with BMW's signature M stripes.
Like other primitive turbos during its time, the car suffered heavily from turbo lag. But once you reach 4,000 rpm, it would instantly quadruple its torque, and the car simply comes alive.
4 BMW M5 E39
It is widely believed that the M5 E39 started the trend of high-powered super saloon cars, with 394 bhp from its all-aluminum, naturally-aspirated S62 V8 engine. It was the first ever M car to have a V8 engine, and had a six-speed manual transmission with a limited slip differential at the rears.
Quite simply, this car was a muscular athlete in a suit, or more of a sleeper car, due to its unassuming looks, never knowing that this is the cream of the crop of BMW M cars during the early 2000s.
3 BMW Z3 M Roadster
When the Z3 was first released in the late 90s, it didn't get such a good response to enthusiasts, citing that the lack of power of the roadster never exploited the brilliant chassis shared with the E36 3-Series.
As a result, BMW's Motorsport Division put in the 3.2-liter straight-six engine of the M3 and voilà, you have one of the best handling cars in the world. Finally, 321 horses was enough to bring out the best out of the Z3 M Roadster's chassis, giving out a very neutral handling characteristic.
2 BMW i8
Back in 2013, BMW gave us a glimpse of what today's sports car trend looks like, when they unveiled the i8, a plug-in hybrid sports car, designed for the future.
Amidst the worry that hybrid and alternative fueled cars may not replicate the excitement of what fossil fuel-fed sports cars could give, the i8 became a reminder that the speed machines would still live on.
1 BMW E9 3.0 CSL
Nicknamed the Batmobile, the 3.0 CSL is only one of two BMW M road cars that was given the CSL treatment. The performance coupe was primarily designed as a homologation model built to satisfy the requirements for the European Touring Car Championship.
This was the Ultimate Driving Machine of the 70s, and became a touring car superstar that took BMW back to the pantheon of all-time racing greats.