Dial M for motorsport and mettle
BMW’S M division, which is celebrating 50 years, has some roots in South Africa
As we look back at some of our favourite BMW M cars, it’s hard to comprehend a time span of 50 years of building focused performance cars. It’s the middle of a midlife crisis — 18 200 days or 436 800 hours — if we were to break it down.
They say it takes 10 000 hours to perfect a skill. The maths shows that BMW’S motorsport division perfected its ability to build fast, greathandling cars, of all shapes and sizes, some time ago.
For a car company’s performance division to have been there during the rise of the PC and the birth of the internet, and even to have survived the biggest recession of the modern era, as well as a pandemic, is nothing short of miraculous. Add to that its continued growth trajectory and BMW M deserves applause.
Founded in 1972 as BMW Motorsport, with 35 employees, the fast-car division’s first project was the E9 3.0 CSL. It was undertaken as a homologation model in an effort to make it eligible for the European Touring Car Championship and, as a result, a grand total of 1 265 units were built.
Power? Well, compared to modern M cars the 3.0 CSL boasted a relatively modest 152kw and 286Nm of torque — considerably less than the gold-standard hot-hatches of today. Still, this was one heck of an important model for M, since it would eventually lead to the first dedicated M performance car for sale to the public — the mighty M1.
The story of the M1 involves Lamborghini, which was supposed to build BMW a racing car but, legend has it, that there was a falling out between the two firms … It reminds us of another famous falling-out story. In any case, while we can speculate on whether it was due to the language barrier, or creative or technical differences, the point is BMW ended up building the car themselves — the first of only two mid-engined cars the company ever produced.
It was assembled by hand, ending up as one of the rarest BMWS ever built, with only 453 cars made. BMW sold 399 of these, while 53 were used to compete in motorsport.
Over the years, BMW has gone on to give most of its models an M endowment. Modern examples that are exempt from this rule are the Z1, its 7 Series flagship limo (if you discount the M Performance M760LI) and its compact X1 crossover.
While we could spend the entire span of this paper reminiscing about our favourite M cars, the fact of the matter is that BMW has cracked the code that has left many motorsport boffins scratching their heads — how to overcome the number one killer of speed: weight.
While many, and rightfully so, would argue “just add more power” it is, sadly, not that simple. It’s about balancing that power and using clever engineering to harness every centimetre of the speedy aptitude that courses through an M’s silicone veins.
Of course, a number of models have come through the M ranks but we have our favourites. We have to mention the 530 MLE, which is probably the first M road car to have the now much-vaunted M logo embossed on its bodywork.
However, one of the main reasons we admire the model is that it was built right here in Mzansi at the company’s Rosslyn plant, west of Tshwane. The 530 MLE’S South African roots and history place it on our list of favourite M cars — even though it wasn’t officially dubbed an M derivative.
It had a number of innovative weight-saving features, such as the holes drilled into the “body in white” under skin for weight reduction.
It was also the second production car to be homologated for race purposes after the inimitable E9 3.0 CSL “Batmobile”.
That accolade was bestowed upon the aforementioned M1 supercar, which remains somewhat of a unicorn, and was homologated to race in the Procar BMW M Championship in the hands of Formula One greats such as Nelson Piquet and the late Niki Lauda.
In the mid 1980s, another M homologation special, in the form of the E30 M3, broke cover and with it a legend was born that to this day remains highly revered on Mzansi streets. The E30 M3 was such a great race car that it was BMW’S most successful DTM racer, with a great number of accolades under its belt.
Another M3 that continues to resonate is the E46 M3, particularly in the lightweight, limited-edition CSL variant that is considered to be one of the M3 greats, and with good reason. It was also the car that truly took the fight to the Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997), a very focused car in its own right, but it further highlighted the specialness of the M3 CSL, and a suffix that has only been used only thrice in BMW’S entire lineage.
And how could we forget the E92 M3, with its screaming V8 engine, and one of the most balanced chassis in the business? While a trackfocused GTS was offered in other markets, Mzansi commissioned 25 Frozen Edition E92 M3s to commemorate 25 years of M3. It was a proper riot, sounding like a V8 Nascar, thanks to its Schnitzer intake and exhaust plumbing.
BMW’S 1M Coupé was yet another milestone in the M division’s history. Based on the 1 Series Coupé, it borrowed heavily from the E92 — from suspension to brakes — not to mention the fact that it had three pedals and a sweet-shifting, 6-speed gearbox.
All the M5s, perhaps save for the F10, have made an indelible mark on the entire team in some regard. The king of saloons, as we have christened it, continues to reign supreme. A proper family saloon that can bludgeon most supercars into submission with absolute ease … what a car!
The F90 M5 Competition is arguably the most complete of the lot but, emotionally, it would have to be the E60 M5, with its howling V10, that remains etched in our minds.
Many of the recent CS derivatives have proved somewhat, if not outright, special and definitely have a place in the hallowed halls of BMW M. The first production M3 Touring which was recently unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK, is something we truly lust after here at Mail & Guardian Motoring.
Also, a small number (15 to be precise) of the M4 CSL will arrive in SA later this year and all have already been spoken for.
BMW M continues to resonate with many enthusiasts around the world and the southern tip of Africa is no exception. The past 50 years of the brand have had more highlights than we can go into on these pages but the fact that we have documented so many of our favourites is testament to the brand’s mettle and prowess.
Here’s to another 50 years of the most powerful letter in the alphabet.
A proper family saloon that can bludgeon most supercars into submission with ease … what a car!