IN GOOD SHAPE.

When BMW Motorsport GmbH was founded on May 1, 1972, the goal was immediate success – and the BMW 3.0 CSL touring car coupé developed shortly thereafter dominated international racetracks for years, surpassing all expectations. Jochen Neerpasch was the first head of the newly-founded team of specialists to gather a group of race car drivers at BMW – making M the fastest letter in the world. As early as 1973, the racing world was increasingly red, violet and blue – especially on the bodywork of the CSL Coupé, which Hans-Joachim Stuck and Chris Amon drove on the Nürburgring for a 6-hour, 42-lap race to the finish line. In the same race, Niki Lauda set a new 8-minute, 21.3 second lap record with the second BMW factory car. But this was only the beginning. Since 1979, no one has surpassed the BMW 3.0 CSL at six European Championships.

An important part of BMW M’s success story that followed was based on an unexpected need which became a virtue. Before it became a series-standard model, the 270 km/h fast BMW M1 was presented at the Paris Salon for the first time in 1978 as the “BMW Turbo” concept car. The impressive 6-cylinder engine turned the daydreams of countless car models into reality and generated a lot of pre-orders in a short time. And those orders would prove tough to fill for those responsible at BMW. The M1 was not to be built as a BMW series model, but by Motorsport GmbH, where there wasn’t enough capacity. And so the plan arose to build 400 series cars of the BMW M1 in two years, and get formal approval to participate in motorsport competitions.

The legendary solution: the company’s own championship. The BMW M1 Procar Championship was designed by Jochen Neerpasch, together with Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley. A grand prix where each of the twenty drivers sat behind the wheel of an identically modified BMW M1. An absolute sensation. The cars were not only driven by racing professionals but also private drivers, all of whom competed against the five best from the respective Formula 1 practice. The fans were enthusiastic. After all, it provided an accurate test of each driver’s skills with everyone drifting around the corners in practically the same vehicle. In 1979, Niki Lauda secured the Procar title. In 1980, Nelson Piquet stood in the centre of the podium, but then the series disappeared. In that same year, following production of 399 road models and 46 racing models, the last car finally rolled out of the BMW M factory – already born a legend.

BMW Motorsport GmbH collects trophies. It dominated the Formula 2 as engine supplier of the March team (titles for Jean Pierre Jarier, Patrick Depailler, Bruno Giacomelli, Marc Surer and Corrado Fabi), won the Manufacturers’ Championships of the IMSA championship in the USA, and developed a turbo motor in the premium class of Formula 1 that won the title in 1983 with the Brabham and Nelson Piquet. In the end, the successes of the fast-paced BMW subsidiary in the mid-1970s caused drivers to sit up and take notice, like a shot of adrenalin in the petrol. So from 1974, the BMW 530, 533i and 535i with genuine BMW M Power engine under the bonnet and modifications on the chassis and brakes went into series. At the same time, the trade in accessories and the individual extension and conversions of standard models for speedy BMW owners was continued with great success.

In 1985, the heartbeat of many car enthusiasts rose. The BMW M5 developed and manufactured completely at BMW M, brought almost three times the power of the BMW 518i to the road with 296hp, but it can hardly be distinguished from its series relative. The “Businessman’s Express”, dressed for its powerful interior, simply surpassed many other sport cars on the highways of its time at 245 km/h. In the German Touring Car Championship, BMW is now establishing itself as regular on the podium and took its sixth title in 2016 – in a tradition which began with the BMW M3 of the E30 series, with more than 1,500 individual races, and it’s still the most successful touring car in the world. Today, the BMW M is still fascinating –the racing legend creating new legends even today. Perfection and performance. Lifeblood and adrenalin. Welcome to BMW M.

Further information about the official fuel consumption and the official specific CO2 emissions for new passenger automobiles can be found in the 'New Passenger Vehicle Fuel Consumption and CO2 Emission Guidelines', which are available free of charge at all sales outlets, from Deutsche Automobil Treuhand GmbH (DAT), Hellmuth-Hirth-Str. 1, 73760 Ostfildern, Germany, or under http://www.dat.de/en/offers/publications/guideline-for-fuel-consumption.html. The figures are not based on an individual vehicle and do not constitute part of the product offer; they are provided solely for the purposes of comparison between different vehicle types. CO2 emissions caused by the production and provision of fuel or other energy sources are not taken into account in the determination of CO2 emissions pursuant to Directive 1999/94/EC.