BMW M

BMW M GmbH

File:Bmw M logo.png
Company type	Subsidiary of BMW
Industry	Automotive industry
Founded	1972
Products	High performance engines and cars, Automotive sports accessories
Owner	BMW

BMW M GmbH (previously: BMW Motorsport GmbH) is a subsidiary of German car manufacturer BMW AG.

BMW M, also known as M-Technik or just "M" (for Motorsport) was initially created to facilitate BMW’s racing program, which was very successful in the 1960s and 1970s. As time passed, BMW M began to supplement BMW's vehicles portfolio with specially modified higher trim models, for which they are now most known by the general public. These M-badged cars traditionally include modified engines, transmissions, suspensions, interior trims, aerodynamics, and exterior modifications to set them apart from their counterparts. All M models are tested and tuned at BMW's private facility at the Nürburgring racing circuit in Germany.

History

Origins

BMW E36 M3 in United Kingdom

Established in May 1972 with just eight employees, it grew to 400 employees by 1988, and is currently an integral part of BMW's market presence. The first racing project was BMW’s 3.0 CSL.

After the success of BMW M products like BMW 3.0 CSL in racing venues and the growing market for high performance sports cars, M introduced cars for sale to the public. The first official M-badged car for sale to the public was the M1, revealed at the Paris Motor Show in 1978. The M1, however, was more of a racecar in domestic trim than an everyday driver. The direction of the M cars changed with the 1979 release of the M535i, which was a high performance version of BMW’s popular 5 Series mid-size sedan.

BMW Motorsport GmbH supplied the 6.1 litre V12 DOHC 48 valve engine that powers the McLaren F1, which, like its engine supplier and manufacturer, has enjoyed plenty of racing success, famously winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995, the first year of competition for the GTR racing variant.

Recent history

At present, BMW M has offered modified versions of nearly every BMW nameplate, except for the 7 Series flagship luxury sedan and the X1 and X3 compact crossover SUVs. There is no BMW M version of the 7 Series, as BMW did not want its flagship saloon to be powered by a high-revving engine, and as the recent top-performing versions (usually the BMW 760Li) have V12 engines which while powerful are considered too heavy for a sporty offshoot. So far the unofficial "BMW M7" is the Alpina B7, which is produced on BMW's assembly line though its engine and finishing touches are done by auto tuner Alpina. However, as BMW M shifted to turbocharged engines, there are rumors that there is an in-house BMW M7 in the works, and it is speculated that its performance may exceed that of the BMW 760Li and Alpina B7.

Most recently, the BMW X5 and X6 sport activity vehicles received M derivatives for the 2010 model year onwards. These are the first M vehicles with xDrive four-wheel drive and automatic transmissions, and also the first M-badged SUV models.

Although these are considered the most well known in-house tuning divisions, BMW M has a considerably different philosophy than Mercedes-AMG. BMW M has emphasized tuning only vehicles with "Lateral agility" (which has long been only been 3 Series, 5 Series, and roadsters), while AMG has created high-performance versions of many of its nameplates, including flagship sedans and SUVs. Accordingly, "an M car has to be responsive and fundamentally keen on turning as well as accelerating. The M5's technical spec is all about connecting the driver to a steed that reacts blindingly fast, whatever request the driver hands down."

BMW M vehicles typically used manuals and semi-automatic transmissions (the most recent type being a dual clutch transmission), in contrast to Mercedes-AMG which largely has automatic transmissions (the 7-speed AMG SpeedShift MCT dual clutch transmission was used on new models from 2009 onward). However, the BMW X5 M and X6 M were the first M-vehicles offered with automatic transmission, a 6-speed Steptronic unit, since this works with xDrive.

BMW M engines were traditionally low displacement naturally aspirated high revving engines, particularly the S85 V10 in the E60 M5 and E63 M6 and the related S65 V8 in the E90 M3. These are the most powerful engines BMW has ever built without supercharging or turbocharging, with an output of 100 hp per liter of displacement, and each has won numerous International Engine of the Year Awards.

However, the late 2000s international regulations trends on reducing CO2 emissions and fuel consumption are cited as the reasons not to continue further development on naturally aspirated high redline engines. Starting with the X5 M and X6 M, and featured in the F10 M5, BMW used the twin-turbocharged S63 which not only produces more horsepower and torque while being more efficient than the S85 V10. Also unlike the S85 and S65 which do not share a design with non-M BMW engines, the S63 has significant parts commonality with the base N63 V8 engine (which is also has twin turbochargers) making them less expensive to build.

As of the 2011 model year, the BMW M3 (E90) is the only "traditional" M car left, as the rest of the M lineup features turbocharged engines, and the next iteration of the M3 (F30) is expected to feature a twin turbo straight-6 engine.

M-Cars vs. M-badged cars

There are several BMW models which BMW Motorsport made changes on, without them becoming M-Cars. This succession of styling (M-tech I, M-tech II) and performance cues came from BMW Motorsports; e.g. BMW 530i M packet or 325i M packet etc. Vehicles which have been modified by BMW Motorsport, but are not full M Cars, may feature "M" badges, whilst full M Cars will have "M" badges with the model number (e.g. "M3" or "M5"). Two exceptions would be the M Roadster and M Coupe models, both Z3, Z4 and 1-series variants, which only have an "M" badge with no number displayed on the trunk. These cars are full M Cars.

In recent years, there have been M-badged accessories available on non-M cars, usually as factory options or as part of the "M Sport" package (which is usually more expensive than the regular Sport package). Examples of this include the E39 and E60 5 series sedans had optional aerodynamic packages strongly influenced by M5 styling (for example bumpers). It is not unusual to see "standard" BMW's with "M" badges or ribbons accenting the design. The plain motorsports Badge simply stands for M-tech upgrades on the car, suspension, brakes, looks or any other mod that has been developed by the ///M division. So therefore the ///M badge should not under any circumstances be compared to the ///M+number badge (except the Z-cars, as mentioned), as they are not fully fledged M-cars, just M-equipped. BMW has for example, had these ///M options on the regular cars since the late 1970s, which explains why some cars that carry these ///M-badges from factory. The E60 BMW 550i and E63 BMW 650i with the M Sport package did have an optional Sequential Manual Gearbox (SMG) until after the 2008 model year, without the M Sport package the BMW 5 Series and 6 Series only had a choice of a manual or automatic transmissions.

M-enhanced cars

BMW M has also created intermediate vehicles that bridge the gap between regular and full-fledged M cars, which are known as M-enhanced.

The 2011 BMW 335is coupe and convertible (sold only in Canada and the United States) is considered an M-enhanced car, although not a full M-car. The 335is has a more powerful engine than the regular 335i, plus the front bumper intake and rear exhaust manifold influenced by the M3, and an optional dual clutch transmission instead of a conventional automatic transmission. (The same engine is also found in the 2012 BMW 1 Series M Coupe, which is considered a full M car.)

In a similar vein, the 2012 BMW M550d saloon and touring is also an M-enhanced car, although not a full M-car, as BMW M has tuned the M550d's Dynamic Stability Control and the optional Dynamic Damper Control. This is BMW M's first diesel powered vehicle, and it is powered by a tri-turbo 3.0-litre aluminium diesel engine that makes 381hp and 546lb ft of torque.

Nomenclature exceptions

• The 2010 X5 and X6-based M vehicles bore their normal model designations followed by the "M" stripe badge (the X5 M and X6 M). Had the nomenclatures followed tradition, the vehicles would have an MX5 and MX6 model designation, already used by Mazda.
• The Z3/Z4-based M Roadster and M Coupe bore numberless "M" badges as standard fitment.
• The M635csi followed the M535i naming tradition but was a fully fledged M-Car (the M6).
• The BMW 1 Series-based M vehicles are called the BMW 1 Series M Coupe (originally as M135i to follow the M535i naming tradition). This was done to avoid confusing it with the BMW M1 sports car.

Lineup

Current M cars

• M3 - E90 Sedan, E92 Coupe, E93 Cabriolet (2008 to present)
• M5 - F10 Saloon (2011 to present)
• X5 M - E70 SAV (2010 to present)
• X6 M - E71 SAV (2010 to present)

Previous M cars

BMW M1

• M1 - E26 Supercar Coupe, no relation with the modern E81/E82/E87/E88 1 series
• M3 - E30 Coupe/Cabriolet, E36 Coupe/Sedan/Cabriolet, E46 Coupe/Cabriolet
• M5 - E28 Sedan, E34 Sedan/Touring, E39 Sedan, E60 Sedan, E61 Touring
• M635CSi/M6 - E24 Coupe
• M6 - E63 Coupe, E64 Cabriolet (2005 to 7/2010)
• M Coupe - E36/8 and E86 Coupe
• M Roadster - E36/7 and E85 Roadster
• 1 Series M Coupe - E82 Coupe (2011)

M Badged cars

All these cars are true BMW Motorsport models, not M-line sport models that bear BMW Motorsport features such as sport body kits, and interior specs.

• E12 M535i (1979–1981) - Often considered the first mass production vehicle built by BMW Motorsport
• E31 850CSi (1992–1996) - An M car in all but name; it had a BMW M–sourced engine and its VIN indicated that it was developed by BMW Motorsport, like all other M cars.
• E31 M8 Prototype - A vehicle which was for unknown reasons canceled by BMW

BMW 320is E30 is a de-tuned version of the E30 BMW M3. It has a 2.0 litre engine instead of the regular 2.3. This was done for cheaper taxing purposes, nevertheless the car had a full-on developed M engine.

Competition

Audi's RS models, Mercedes-Benz's AMG models, and more recently Lexus F model(s), are often reviewed in direct competition to a similarly-sized BMW M car, such as the Lexus IS-F vs. Audi RS4 vs. Mercedes C63 AMG vs. BMW M3.

BMW M cars are still the best known in-house high performance derivatives, due to the longevity of their nameplates, and as they occupy the undisputed position at the top of their lineup from BMW. For instance, while the BMW M3 has always been the top-performing version of BMW's compact executive classification, their competition has either undergone designation changes or not been consistently produced. For instance the Audi RS4 has not been offered for every generation or sold in every market, and while earlier generations of the Audi S4 previously competed with the BMW M3, the current incarnation of the S4 has been moved downmarket and is now aimed at the BMW 335i. The C-Class's AMG performance variants are at the top of the C-Class lineup but they have had several different badges (C36, C43, C55, and C63).

BMW M also faces competition from several independent companies offering their own performance versions of BMW models; some performance packs can be retrofitted to existing cars while others are applied to new cars bought directly from BMW AG and converted prior to first registration. Such companies include Hamann Motorsport, Alpina, Dinan Cars, AC Schnitzer and Hartge. The fastest and most powerful BMW M conversions are made by G Power (www.g-power.de) in Germany which holds several World speed records including the M5 Huricane RR with 372.1 km/h (231.3 mph).

See also

• BMW in motorsport
• BMW model designations
• History of BMW
• Mercedes-AMG
• quattro GmbH

External links

• BMW M (about) German website
• BMW Motorsport (competition) website