The 10 Most Iconic And Important BMWs Ever Made
Throughout the decades of its existence, BMW has gone through everything from tumultuous times to raging success. Since 1927, when it released its first car – the 3/15 sedan – BMW has gone on to produce hundreds of model variants. So to choose just ten was quite the task. But we’ve braved it through the night to find ten of the most iconic and influential BMWs to have ever roamed the streets.
101955 BMW Isetta
An Unlikely Savior
Engine
247cc one-cylinder
Power
13 hp
Torque
Not published
0-60 mph
Not possible
Top speed
53 mph
It seems like an odd one to start the list on, especially considering the Isetta was actually an Italian-designed microcar. But the Isetta was licensed to BMW at a time when the brand was struggling to survive. Post World War II, BMW’s future was uncertain, but the Isetta changed all that. Powered by a 247cc one-cylinder BMW motorcycle engine that generated 13 horsepower, BMW produced a total of 161,728 units in a 7-year production span. It may have been an unlikely savior, but BMW wouldn’t be around today if it weren’t for the Isetta.
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91972 BMW E9 3.0 CSL
Set The Stage For BMW M
Engine
3.0-liter inline-six
Power
197 hp
Torque
201 lb-ft
0-60 mph
6 seconds
Top speed
137 mph
Based on the BMW E9, the 3.0 CSL was a homologation racing special built to make the car eligible to compete in the European Touring Car Championship. The lightweight road-racer was ahead of its time, using Perspex windows, aluminum body panels, and thinner steel in its construction. Under the hood lay a 3.0-liter 6-cylinder engine, which increased to 3.2-liters in 1973 when the final version was homologated. The 1973 version also featured aerodynamic upgrades including fins on the fenders, a roof spoiler, and a large trunk-mounted spoiler, earning the 3.0 CSL the nickname of ‘Batmobile.’ BMW brought the CSL back in 2023 as a 50th anniversary present to the M division. Only 50 of these carbon-bodied monsters were built at $780,000 each, but these days they cost well over a million.
8BMW 2002 Turbo
Small And Turbocharged
Engine
2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder
Power
170 hp
Torque
180 lb-ft
0-60 mph
7 seconds
Top speed
131 mph
Widely regarded as the predecessor to the BMW M2, the 2002 was never planned for existence. In what could be described as pure happenstance, BMW’s director of product planning and lead engineer on the M10 engine both had 2.0-liter engines installed into their personal 1600-2 BMWs. Upon learning of this, and of the desire for a sportier 02 Series for the US market, BMW developed the 2002, and unveiled the 2002 Turbo – BMW’s first turbocharged production car – in 1973. Its 2.0-liter motor developed 170 hp and 180 lb-ft of torque. Sadly, the 1973 oil crisis struck shortly thereafter and only 1,672 models were ever built. Because of that, they cost an arm and a leg these days.
71978 BMW M1
The First Standalone M Product
Engine
3.5-liter NA inline-six
Power
273 hp
Torque
243 lb-ft
0-60 mph
5.4 seconds
Top speed
162 mph
In the 1970s, BMW and Lamborghini came to an agreement to co-develop a mid-engined sports car in sufficient quantities to be homologated for production racing. BMW cut ties with Lamborghini, but continued production anyway with a group of ex-Lambo engineers. Powered by a 3.5-liter inline 6, the M1 generated 273 hp and featured a dog-leg 5-speed manual gearbox, with an impressive top speed of 162 mph. This was the first ever BMW M-car. Only 453 BMW M1s were produced, making it one of the rarest BMWs ever made, of which 20 of them were race versions for the BMW Procar championship.
The M1 might not have had a massive impact on the automotive industry, but it made mass-produced M models possible. After developing this engine and having no car to put it in, the engineers decided to bless the humble 5 Series with this engine. And so the first-generation BMW M5 was born.
61989 BMW Z1
Building Roadsters For The Masses
Engine
2.5-liter NA inline-six
Power
168 hp
Torque
164 lb-ft
0-62 mph
7.9 seconds
Top speed
140 mph
The first in BMW’s Z-car series of vehicles, the Z1 was most known for arguably the coolest doors of any production vehicle that slid vertically into the door sills. It was one of the first BMWs to utilize a multi-link rear suspension to improve handling. Only one drivetrain was available on the BMW Z1, a 2.5-liter inline-6 from the E30 325i that developed 168hp and 164 lb-ft. To accommodate the low body, the engine sat tilted to the right by 20 degrees in order to fit under the low hoodline. Since the Z1, the Z-car lineage has developed proudly to include the Z3, Z8, and Z4.
51998 BMW M5 (E39)
The Best M5
Engine
5.0-liter NA V8
Power
394 hp
Torque
369 lb-ft
0-62 mph
4.8 seconds
Top speed
155 mph
Widely regarded as BMW’s best M5, the E39 presented a massive leap in performance compared to its predecessors. The S62 engine under the hood was a 5.0-liter V8 engine that developed 394 hp and 369 lb-ft, with redline at 7,000 rpm. All E39 M5’s featured a six-speed manual gearbox and a 25% locking limited slip rear differential. The leap in performance was characterized by a 0-60 mph sprint time of 4.8 seconds and a restricted top speed of 155 mph.
Derestricted, the E39 M5 was capable of topping 186 mph. This was the last of the truly lightweight M5s – after this they got bigger, heavier, and less nimble – which is why the E39 M5 is widely regarded as one of the greatest driver’s BMWs in its history.
4BMW M3 GTR (E46)
Banned For Being Too Fast
Engine
4.0-liter NA V8
Power
382 hp
Torque
269 lb-ft
0-62 mph
Not published
Top speed
Not published
Fans of the original Need For Speed: Most Wanted will instantly recognize this one. It’s not widely known, but this was the first road-going BMW M3 to feature a V8 engine under the hood. But it wasn’t just an ordinary road-going M-car – it was a homologation special for American Le Mans Series racing, which stipulated that 100 cars needed to be sold across two continents, with 1,000 engines being built to qualify without penalties. In road-going form, the M3 GTR’s 4.0-liter V8 developed 382 horsepower, and it featured a six-speed manual transmission and variable locking M differential.
After the 2001 race season, BMW put 10 GTRs on sale at a price of 250,000 Euros ($310,000), though only 6 were produced. Three were recycled as development vehicles, with the remaining three retained by BMW.
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3BMW M Coupe
Skunkworks Project Turned Icon
Engine
3.2-liter NA inline-six
Power
240 hp
Torque
236 lb-ft
0-62 mph
5 seconds
Top speed
155 mph
Based on the Z3 Coupe, the BMW M Coupe was a skunkworks project developed in secret as the development team had a hard time convincing the board of directors a production model would be viable. They managed to gain approval on the proviso that they kept costs down, which is why it retained so many Z3 body parts. The US models were powered by an S52 engine displacing 3.2-liters and developing 240 hp and 236 lb-ft. In 2001, the global model was revamped to feature the S54 motor that developed 315 hp and 251 lb-ft in North American specification.
2BMW 1M Coupe
The M Car Without An M Engine
Engine
3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six
Power
335 hp
Torque
368 lb-ft
0-62 mph
4.9 seconds
Top speed
155 mph
In the last decade and a half, there have been numerous special BMWs, with the M-badge endowed on more models than ever before – but the 1M coupe was a special one indeed. Due to the M1 supercar, the 1M Coupe couldn’t follow the traditional naming for M cars. Based on the E87 1 Series Coupe, the 1M Coupe featured an uprated version of the N54 twin-turbo six-cylinder engine. As the N54 wasn’t fettled by BMW M, many regarded the 1M as not being a true M-car, but the compact coupe’s nimble chassis and impressive use of its 335 hp and 332 lb-ft ensured that those who owned them didn’t care for the non-S engine designation.
1BMW i8
A Turning Point For BMW
Engine
1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder plus e-motor
Power
357 hp
Torque
236 lb-ft (engine only)
0-62 mph
4.4 seconds
Top speed
155 mph
The second ever mid-engined BMW, the i8 was a letdown for some and a revelation for others. The hybrid sports car features a mid-mounted 1.5-liter 3-cylinder turbo engine paired with a hybrid synchronous motor for combined outputs of 357 hp and 420 lb-ft driving all 4 wheels. Utilizing a lightweight carbon fiber chassis, the i8 weighs just 3,274 pounds, and as such offers impressive performance stats, with 0-60 mph taking just 4.2 seconds.
It used the same basic recipe as the holy trinity, but at a more reasonable price. These days, you can pick one up for as little as $40,000, which isn’t bad for a mid-engine BMW. The German automaker likely lost a lot of money for the brand, but it served as a proof of concept.
BMW’s latest M5 is a plug-in hybrid, as is its current halo car, the controversial XM. The i8 basically proved that adding electricity to the mix isn’t a bad idea, and it would have likely fared better if it had been launched today rather than 10 years ago.
