BMW M: 50 Years of the Ultimate Driving Machines

Foreword

By Jochen Neerpasch, founding CEO of BMW Motorsport GmbH

The Power to Win

Inside the performance culture of BMW’s M Division

Motorsport Is in BMW’s Blood

A century of success on two wheels and four, in F1, Touring Cars, Le Mans—and in the air

From Racetrack to Road

The heat of competition breeds brilliant cars for BMW customers

M1: The Elegant Inspiration

The BMW supercar that became an icon—and how it nearly didn’t make it into production

The 1980s: M3, M5, M6—the Gen-1 Favorites

First generation M-Division customer cars deliver dazzling performance

The 1990s: Hitting the Big Time

Six-cylinder M3 and V-8 M5 raise the dynamic benchmark ever higher

The 2000s: Peak Performance, Peak Complexity

More cylinders, more revs, more power and speed—and arguably the best M3 of all

Excursion Off-Road: The M SUVs

Contentious at first, the hotshot X5M and X6M soon won the world over

The 2010s: First-Generation Turbos—M Takes a Chance

From the wild 1M Coupé via the svelte M5 to the fast and furious M4 GTS

The 2020s: M2, M3, M4, M5—Turbocharged to Perfection

Back in top form with spectacular speed and driver appeal

M6, M8: The High-End Coupés

Lavish lifestyle meets racetrack dynamics: a recipe for success?

M SUVs Spark Off a Race for Power

The need for speed pushes M’s heavyweight 4x4s into the 600-hp club

Turning Down the Heat: The Nearly-M Cars

M-Performance models are a tempting halfway point to full-house M Cars

Shaping the M Story: Inside the Design Studio

How does an M Car stand out from the crowd? Secrets from chief designer Marcus Syring’s studio

Today, Tomorrow, and into an Electric Future

CEO Markus Flasch on why zero-emissions M Cars will deliver even more thrills

Description

Product Description

BMW M-Series celebrates the 50th anniversary of these legendary German performance cars, detailing both its production and motorsport stories with expert commentary and fascinating photography.

BMW launched the Motorsport, or “M”, division in 1972 to formally support its growing and successful racing program. Wisely, BMW leveraged that racing credibility to create limited-edition, high-performance production cars, the first being the M1 supercar of 1978. Tested and tuned at a dedicated facility located at the legendary Nürburgring, BMW’s M cars are true “driver’s cars” focused first and foremost on handling and performance. Still, they are docile enough when not driven aggressively to serve as comfortable high-end daily drivers.

Since the late 1980s, the range of M models has broadened considerably and now includes coupes, convertibles, and sedans in M2, M3, M4, M5, and M8 flavors along with high-performance X-series M SUVs. Early M cars like the M1 and late 1980s M3 and M6 are now desirable collector cars welcomed at top collector auctions and commanding premium prices.

With decades of racing and production success and, literally, no signs of slowing down, BMW’s M cars hurtle full speed to their 50th anniversary in 2022. BMW M offers the history no Bimmer fan will want to be without.

Review

"Verdict: Highly Recommended. This fine book by automotive writer and industry analyst Tony Lewin provides a level of detail which will satisfy even the most ardent BMW enthusiast."―Joe Sherlock, The View Through The Windshield

About the Author

Tony Lewin is a lifelong automotive commentator and industry analyst and has spent most of his career testing cars, analyzing them, and reporting on the ups and downs of the global enterprises that build them. He has been a regular writer and editor for Automotive News Europe and launched several pioneering titles for The Financial Times as well as contributing regular columns for other national and international publications. Today, Lewin divides his time between journalism, books, and translation work. His titles for Motorbooks include BMW Century, How to Design Cars Like a Pro, The Complete Book of BMW, and Speed Read: Car Design. He also translated Junkyard: Behind the Gates at California’s Secretive European-Car Salvage Yard for Motorbooks. He lives in East Sussex, England.

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