autoevolution's BMW M Month
2022 marks an important moment for German carmaker BMW. It is the year when the brand celebrates the 50th anniversary of the M badge, a letter that over the years has become synonymous with high-performance machines.
Short for BMW Motorsport GmbH, today’s BMW M GmbH traces its roots all the way back to May 1972, when it was set up to advance the Bavarians' racing program, kicked into gear with the introduction of the 3.0 CSL homologation special, meant to open the doors for BMW to enter the European Touring Car Championship.
The immediate success of the model prompted M to quickly expand into the civilian market, and started producing vehicles that need not exist solely as a means for the requirements of some racing series to be satisfied. And this is how we got the M we know and love today.
At the time of writing, the M portfolio includes no less than 14 fully-fledged M models, 24 M-flavored upgrades of series BMW cars and SUVs, and two cooperation vehicles. You can add to that the ones that have stopped being made over the past 50 years, and you get one of the most comprehensive lineups of any high-performance brand out there.
We’ll celebrate them all, and possibly even more, this May, as we run the BMW M Month here on autoevolution.
Editor's note: This special feature by autoevolution was not sponsored or supported by a third-party.
Short for BMW Motorsport GmbH, today’s BMW M GmbH traces its roots all the way back to May 1972, when it was set up to advance the Bavarians' racing program, kicked into gear with the introduction of the 3.0 CSL homologation special, meant to open the doors for BMW to enter the European Touring Car Championship.
The immediate success of the model prompted M to quickly expand into the civilian market, and started producing vehicles that need not exist solely as a means for the requirements of some racing series to be satisfied. And this is how we got the M we know and love today.
At the time of writing, the M portfolio includes no less than 14 fully-fledged M models, 24 M-flavored upgrades of series BMW cars and SUVs, and two cooperation vehicles. You can add to that the ones that have stopped being made over the past 50 years, and you get one of the most comprehensive lineups of any high-performance brand out there.
We’ll celebrate them all, and possibly even more, this May, as we run the BMW M Month here on autoevolution.
Editor's note: This special feature by autoevolution was not sponsored or supported by a third-party.
A Very Controversial Ranking of All BMW M3 Generations
2 May 2022, 12:46 UTC · By: Silvian Irimia / The BMW M3 is one of the best and most known models of sport sedan cars. With six generations released, we ranked them all from worst to best.
This Man Chose M-Division to Power the World's Fastest Car, the Rest is History
2 May 2022, 03:43 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / he finished product was called the BMW S70/2. A naturally aspirated V12 that even modern engine builders can only aspire to in 2022.
BMW i4 M50: Proof M Division Won't Fade Away With Internal Combustion
1 May 2022, 20:19 UTC · By: Benny Kirk / This is the BMW i4 M50, proof-positive that M-Division sees the coming electric revolution as not an existential threat to their existence.
From 0 to 200 MPH: Rare BMW Reveals Why M Is the Most Powerful Letter in the World
1 May 2022, 20:10 UTC · By: Dragos Chitulescu / One of the rarest BMW M cars ever built heads to the Autobahn for a top speed test. With 444-hp on tap, its speedometer is rated for a maximum of 205 mph.