The best of 50 years.
Throughout 2022, BMW is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the ‘M’ division, a time in which it has developed some of the most important cars in automotive history. Here are 10 milestones for BMW Motorsport in its 50-year history.
The current BMW M GmbH was born as BMW Motorsport, so celebrating its 50 years of birth we go through its best models and its most special milestones in the world’s circuits throughout this time, because the engineering and technology that is applied to racing then it goes to street models.
BMW 3.0 CSL, the king of Touring Cars
This version was created based on the 3.0 CS and was the beginning of BMW M’s successes in competition.
Manufactured by Karmann, the addition of the ‘L’ to the name meant lighter weight, with a thinner body and with aluminum as an element for the doors and bonnets, and a bespoke aerodynamic pack was designed, with that spoiler that earned it the nickname of the “batmobile”.
The engine was gaining displacement over time and therefore power, reaching almost 210 hp. In competition he was the undisputed king of the European Touring Car Championship winning six consecutive years from 1973 to 1979.
But not only did he dominate sprint races, in endurance general victories were achieved in 1975 at the 12 Hours of Sebring, the following year at the 24 Hours of Daytona, and at Le Mans three victories in his category in 1973, 74 and 77.
In addition, it has the honor of being the first BMW Art Car, specifically the car with number 93 that raced at Le Mans in 1975 and that Alexander Calder decorated for history.
BMW M1 Procar
Designed as a racing car, the mid-engined BMW M1 soon became a legend. The 3.5-litre inline-six M88 engine went from 277hp to 500hp in the Group 4 spec M1 Procar.
It was lighter, only 1,020 kg, it required special aerodynamics, and its performance was already spectacular in 1978: with a 0 to 100 km/h time of 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 300 km/h.
He was a clear dominator in the American IMSA GTO championship, with a season-ending first and second place finish in 1981. Only one driver in the top 10 that year did not drive an M1.
Also, in 1979 and 1980, alongside F1 was the Procar Series, where 19 renowned touring car drivers raced against the five fastest F1 drivers from Friday practice, with Niki Lauda and Nelson Piquet winning both years, whose prize could not be other than a street M1. A total of 399 street M1s and 56 Procars were built.
BMW M3 E30
Another of the milestones of BMW Motorsport in its 50-year history. The first BMW M3 was born to homologate a competition tourism, a compact coupé that soon began to win titles. The naturally aspirated 2.4-liter engine produced 300 hp, up to 380 in its final versions. The suspension was fully adjustable and the powerful brakes ensured precision on the track for the drivers.
The M3 E30 can be considered the most successful Group A touring car of all time. In 1987, Roberto Ravaglia took over the WTCC and, in the European Championship, the first two places were for an M3.
The DTM conquered it from 1987 to 1989. But the key year was 1988, when the E30 took first and second in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, the same result as in the famous Macau race.
BMW M3 E46 GTR
Since its arrival, the BMW M3 E46 became a racing car. However, BMW Motorsport created a special version in order to win the ALMS championship in North America, the BMW M3 GTR.
This version changed, among other elements, the traditional in-line six-cylinder engine for a V8, a block called P60B40, derived from the Formula 1 V10 block, which reached up to 500 hp.
In 2001 the BMW M3 GTR swept North America, winning six of the eight races it entered and thus securing the manufacturers’ title. For the following year the regulations were changed, but history could no longer be rewritten.
The BMW M3 GTR officially left the competition, but made its mark for the last time with two one-two finishes at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in 2004 and 2005.
BMW Williams F1, Sauber F1 and BMW iFE.18
Not only passenger cars has lived BMW Motorsport. In its 50-year history there are success stories in Formula 1 and also in its electric sister, Formula E.
Between 2000 and 2005, BMW was in charge of manufacturing the engines for the BMW Williams F1 Team. The BMW E41 engine was a naturally aspirated 3.0-litre V10 and it debuted at the Australian Grand Prix with a third position in the race. It was the best start for an F1 engine manufacturer in 30 years.
During these six seasons, BMW achieved, as its most relevant successes, two third places and two second places in the F1 Constructors’ Championship, in addition to nine Grand Prix victories with the drivers Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher.
After several years as an engine supplier, BMW Sauber was born in 2006, the first official team of the house. It started in the atmospheric V8 era, participating with the BMW F1 0.6, F1.07, F1 0.8 and F1 0.9, until 2009, achieving a total of 17 podiums, including victory in the Canadian GP in 2008 , from the hand of pilots like Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica.
On street circuits for electric single-seaters, BMW has been present for seven seasons. The first four as a partner of the Andretti Formula E team and from the fifth season as an official brand.
Here debuted the first 100% electric single-seater from BMW Motorsport, the BMW iFE.18, the second generation of the 370 hp Formula E racing car, lighter and more compact. The drivers achieved several victories and podiums, and the engineers a lot of experience and information for the future sustainable mobility of BMW i.
V12 LMR and McLaren F1
Another of the milestones of BMW Motorsport in its 50-year history was to provide an engine to the legendary McLaren F1 in 1992. The block is the renowned S70/2, a 6.1-litre V-12 cylinder that delivered 630 hp and 650 Nm, associated with a six-speed manual gearbox.
Three years after its debut, the F1 premiered at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the GTR version, with 600 CV by regulation and, after an intense and eventful race, the F1 GTR with the number 59 and BMW engine won on its debut. .
Le Mans, the race of the races, should be in the list of winners of BMW Motorsport. And it succeeded in 1999. That year the BMW V12 LMR, a prototype equipped with a naturally aspirated 580 hp V12, won the legendary French race, with drivers Pierluigi Martini, Yannick Dalmas and Joachim Winkelhock at the wheel.
On a technical level, it marked a before and after with the design of a single roll-over protection hump that improved aerodynamic flow, since the following Le Mans prototypes included that design until 2006.
The GT3 BMW Z4 GT3, M6 GT3, M4 GT3
BMW Motorsport and GT3 are synonymous with victories. In 2010 the BMW Z4 GT3 was introduced for endurance racing and GT championships. It had a hardtop and the 4.4-liter V8 engine that produced up to 535 hp, leaving the six-cylinder for the street model.
It was lighter and shorter than its rivals, with a transaxle configuration and highly studied aerodynamics. He won the Dubai 24 Hours, he was second in the Spa 24 Hours, he won the Japan Super GT.
Its replacement was the BMW M6 GT3. Introduced in 2015, it used the 4.4-litre V8 biturbo engine again and demonstrated its experience and level with a hat-trick at the 2016 VLN Endurance Championship race at the Nürburgring, a win at the Spa 24 Hours and a second place finish in the 24 Hours of Nurburgring 2017.
In 2018 he conquered the Asia Le Mans Series, made a first and second place at Spa and won the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, including a third place.
Now it is the turn of the latest generation BMW M4 GT3, offering drivers the opportunity to fight for victories and titles with the new GT3 model based on the latest M4.
Compared to its successor, it is easier to drive, cheaper for the teams and performs better in the race. The BMW M4 GT3 mounts the P58 block of six cylinders in line biturbo that can reach up to 590 CV, according to the regulations.
From the BMW M3 DTM (Spengler) to the BMW M4 DTM (Witmann)
Based on the E92 coupé body, the M3 DTM used the same naturally aspirated 4.0-litre V8, but with 480 hp. In 2012 Bruno Spengler at BMW Team Schnitzer took victory that year with six podium finishes, of which four were victories, also winning the manufacturers’ title for BMW.
However, in 2014 a new generation of M3 arrived, the F80, whose coupé version was renamed the M4. That foundation was used to create the M4 DTM, which kept the V8 racing engine. That season was won by Marco Wittman, with four wins and a second place.
BMW M8 GTLM
Presented at the 2017 Frankfurt Motor Show, the BMW M8 GTLM or GTE was the successor to the successful M6 GTLM, sharing the Gran Tourer DNA for competition, but with the difference that it did not start from the M8, but from the street model, being the first BMW Motorsport model designed from scratch with LM/GTE homologation.
It had a transaxle transmission and the central front engine was the V8 biturbo with up to 600 hp. The M8 GTLM debuted at the 24 Hours of Daytona and the first podium finish comes at the 12 Hours of Sebring.
The first victory came in Virginia, in the IMSA championship, and the second in Laguna Seca, in the GTLM category. The M8 came to compete on two continents at the same time, with podiums at Fuji and Road Atlanta and, a year later, won the 24 Hours at Daytona.
In 2020 the M8 GTE won the driver and brand title in the GTLM category of the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup and, in 2021, it retired with another round of podiums on the American continent.
BMW M Hybrid V8 LMHD
BMW M returns in 2023 to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, in the hands of the BMW M Hybrid V8, it will also fight for the WEC top category crown in 2024, in the Hypercar class, including the racing race, Le Mans.
Designed to be recognized as a model of the brand, but taking full advantage of the regulations of the championships, the M Hybrid V8 is an imposing racing car that also honors 50 years of BMW M with its test livery. It makes use of a V8 derived from the DTM, biturbo, and integrated into an efficient and forceful hybrid system to reach the maximum power in the category, almost 700 CV.
