It may seem like BMW Touring models have been around forever, due their popularity among enthusiasts. That actually isn’t the case, though, as Touring models have only been around since the ’80s. But how did it come to life, exactly? Well, the guys from BMW Group Classic have a story about its conception and it truly speaks about the reasoning behind getting one in the first place.
What’s the number one thing people list when they say they want a Touring car? The added practicality, of course, and that’s apparently what made the car possible in the first place. Back in the 1980s, there was a man working at BMW by the name of Max Reisbock. He had a BMW E30 3 Series sedan at the time and wanted to go on longer trips with the family. The problem was, his current car didn’t have enough space for all the luggage they needed.
Max, being a very resourceful man, decided to take matters into his own hands and built himself a more practical car. That’s right, this is how problems were solved back then. Therefore he created the very first BMW E30 3 Series Touring model. Upon returning from his trip, he came to work with the same car. The story goes that the management noticed the new car in the parking lot and even a board meeting was interrupted because of it, as high-ranking officials wanted to take a look at the new car.
Of course, that’s the story that we get in the video below but according to Reisbock it went a bit differently. He wasn’t allowed to make such cars with the sanction of the company. Therefore, when he showed his creation to his superiors he got one good news and one bad. The good news was that they liked it a lot and decided to put it in production. The bad news was that he wasn’t allowed to drive it anymore until the real-deal was launched. He was compensated but I’m sure it stung to have his baby stripped away from him.
