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Most Memorable BMWs in Movies

BMW has made a name for itself over the decades as being a manufacturer of high quality luxury cars that have a distinctly sporty edge. The fact that the company’s motto used to be “The Ultimate Driving Machine” still stands true to its ethos even today.
BMW Z8 in The World's Not EnoughBMW 7 SeriesBMW Z3
The BMW badge is, as are the two other premium German brands, a status symbol, so it’s no wonder that it’s a very common presence in movies (where the car is often one of the stars). And because the sporting associations, BMWs in movies are usually driven recklessly to highlight their spritely handling.

Unlike Mercedes cars whose movie presence is usually associated with more tame driving that highlights the character’s affluence and relaxed lifestyle, BMWs are usually driven hard, often to destruction, so it’s usually quite memorable.

Who could forget the 2000 BMW Z8 from The World’s Not Enough, released in 1999? Back then there was a lot of hype around BMW’s new and quite pretty two-seater roadster and the James Bond movie perfectly captured the car ethos. Or at least the ethos that BMW wanted to portray with it, because it wasn’t really as good to drive as you might imagine. No wonder it gets cut in half at one point in the movie.

BMW Z8 in The World's Not Enough
Photo: BMW
Another BMW drop top featured in a Bond movie is the 1996 BMW Z3 from Goldeneye. At the time, Bond movie franchise fans were not pleased by the car’s choice, since it was the first non-British car to be Bond’s main set of wheels in any film in the series. However, it didn’t really get as much screen times as other Bond cars did and unlike many of the other vehicles before or after, it actually doesn’t end up getting destroyed (it’s traded for a plane, actually).

The Z3 did achieve one goal, though, and that’s to promote the new line right before it was set to reach showrooms. This worked wonder - the entire first year production run of 15,000 examples was sold out before the cars actually reached dealers.

Because fans complained that the Z3 didn’t get enough screen time, they gave a much bigger part to the E38 sedan that was featured in the next movie in the series, 1997’s Tomorrow Never Dies. The E38 7 Series featured in the movie was a 750iL, the top of the range long-wheelbase, V12-powered model with all the bells and whistles as well as the usual assortment of Bond gadgets and weapons.

The E38 was also featured in 2002’s The Transporter, although that particular example was a 730i with a manual gearbox, as well as 2007’s Shoot ‘Em Up.

BMW 7 Series
Photo: BMW
Probably more famous than the E38 7 Series is the E34 M5 that was prominently featured in 1998’s cult classic Ronin where it’s the star of one of the most exciting movie car chases ever. The chase itself is very well shot and packed with action, even though the car giving chase is a pre-facelift Peugeot 406 (with Robert DeNiro at the wheel and Jean Reno as his passenger). And, spoiler alert, the M5 ends up on its roof, before falling off the edge of an unfinished bit of elevated road.

While these are the most renowned BMWs in movies, there are some notable mentions like the E36 3 Series that led the police on a wild chase around a sunny Newport Beach. Another worthy mention is the E46 3 Series present in TV series like Breaking Bad and Gossip Girl as well as movies like 2017’s Wheelman or 2004’s Taxi (where a couple of convertible M3s give the main protagonist’s Peugeot 406 a run for its money).

The most recent memorable BMW appearance was the F80 M3 driven in 2015’s Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation where it is driven to destruction by Tom Cruise’s character.
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