What’s BMW, and when did it start making cars?
Rather like the Queen, BMW has several birthdays (and German blood). The initials stand for Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, which in turn translates as ‘Bavarian Engine Works plc’.
It can trace its roots back to 1913 and a company called Rapp Motorenwerke, which made aircraft engines during – inevitably – World War One. You can guess which side for.
And now you know where the apocryphal idea of the propeller on the badge comes from.
BMW considers its actual birth date to be 7 March 1916, though, and after numerous company name changes and alterations to what it actually manufactured post-war, it produced its first road transport via the BMW R 32 motorbike in 1923, and the BMW 303 car, which was born in 1933.
01 BMW 2002
The 2002 and its ‘Neue Klasse’ cousins effectively saved BMW from financial ruin in the Sixties. They established the company as a major player, and set an enduring precedent that would serve it well for decades to come. Nowadays hugely desirable.
04 BMW 3-Series
Just as the VW Golf is the definitive, benchmark hatchback, the BMW 3-Series is the small, posh saloon. Hugely popular and hugely good, the 3-Series has been around since the midSeventies and isn’t going anywhere soon. Everywhere, and will be for years to come.
07 BMW M5
The original super-saloon. Initially fitted with the M1’s straight-six, the M5 has since used nat-asp and turbo V8s and even a screaming V10. Nowadays they’re a bit showy, but early cars were barely distinguishable from a 518i. Pity BMW doesn’t do an estate anymore.
02 BMW M1
Remained BMW’s only mid-engined ‘supercar’ until the plug-in i8 arrived in 2014. Widely regarded as the first-ever M car, it was a homologation special designed by Giugiaro with a legendary 3.5-litre inline-six that would later be installed in the first M5. Proper.
05 BMW 5-Series
The 5 came before the 3 and 7, setting a template that BMW could scale up or down as required. Like the 3, it’s always been the best of its ilk to drive and hugely competent in pretty much every way. You really do not need more car than this.
08 BMW X5
A hugely important car in BMW’s history. Revealed in 1999, the first-gen X5 borrowed much from the contemporary 5-Series. It wasn’t the first posh SUV (BMW actually called it a ‘Sports Activity Vehicle’ instead of an SUV) but it was the first one that was half decent to drive.
03 BMW 3.0 CSL ‘Batmobile’
Another homologation special, built to compete in the European Touring Car Championship. BMW used thinner steel, aluminium panels and perspex instead of glass to keep weight low. Later cars were shipped with an extreme aero pack and nicknamed ‘Batmobile’.
06 BMW M3
The first M3 was built to homologate the 3-Series for the DTM and Group A racing. It was a huge success and became an instant icon. There has been an M version of every 3-Series since – each one more controversial than the last, but pretty darn good all the same.
09 BMW i3/i8
BMW’s unorthodox i cars were way ahead of their time, with CFRP structures, outrageous designs and clever EV/plug-in powertrains. Both brilliant – the i3 is actually still on sale, and remains one of the best EVs available. If only more people knew that.
You won’t find many more diverse ranges on any configurator. And you can thank the niche-busting one-upmanship of BMW and its key rivals – Audi and Mercedes – for a good chunk of that.
Technically the cheapest car BMW builds is a Mini. But the cheapest car you can buy with a BMW badge is the 1-Series hatchback. Though it still starts at a chunky £25,000 with a threecylinder engine and weeny wheels. Rest assured that a fair chunk of that cash is shown off to onlookers via the sheer quantity of raw material in its front grille. Most expensive is the £140,000 BMW M5 CS – the lighter, more hardcore, more powerful version of the regular M5 saloon. That’s the largest sum any road-going BMW has cost, and no doubt you could add an entire 118i in options if you wish.