BMW M is easily one of the most iconic performance brands in the history of the automobile. Aside from maybe Alfa Romeo’s cloverleaf, Corvette’s crossed flags and Ferrari’s Prancing Horse, there may not be a more iconic performance badge than BMW’s “///M”. During its several decades, BMW M has made some legendary motor cars, performance machines that not only left their marks on history but changed it forever. But which is the greatest M car of them all?
In this video from DriveTribe, we get to check out most of the best M cars throughout its storied history. There are so many, you might end up remembering one you’d forgotten about from this video, as there are almost too many historically great BMW M cars to remember.
Cars like the E28 BMW M5, E30 M3, E46 BMW M3 CSL and E61 BMW M5 Touring all come to mind and are all genuine contenders for the best M car of all time. However, it’s not just the classics that deserve to be in the discussion. I’d argue that the current F90 BMW M5 belongs in the mix, despite what purists might say. I’d also argue that the BMW 1 Series M should be on the short list of all-time M Division greats.
It’s a seriously difficult decision, choosing the best of these legendary cars. Pick a decade, any decade in which the M Division existed, and there’s at least two BMW M cars that boggled minds when new. The list seemingly never ends.
I’m not sure there’s a right or wrong answer. So many of them are so good in so many different ways. For instance, is an E30 M3 better than an E61 M5 Touring simply because it handles better? Or is the E61 better because it can be used as a daily driver and family hauler as well? What about an E39 M5, as it’s quite possibly the finest performance luxury sedan ever created? The choice is extremely difficult and maybe not even possible. Care to give it a shot: what’s the best BMW M car of all time?
