The Death Of BMW's M Brand



BMW's announcement today of the Lime Rock Edition M3 was the final nail in the coffin for me. The company that claims more 24-Hour wins at the Nürburgring than any other manufacturer just launched a track edition M3 that has no serious performance improvement over the current M3.

It's basically bolt-on Pep Boys parts like a flat bottom Knight Rider steering wheel and special paint. And I'm guessing there is a Lime Rock track map sticker somewhere or a plaque on the dash that tells you this is something special. But that's just it. This isn't something special. It's simply a marketing exercise. A fraud. Not unlike pumping a fake engine noise through the car stereo like BMW does with the M5.

It's for guys who want to be associated with racetracks but don't actually go to the track themselves. It's for the modern poser racer. A luxury version of those fast and furious Honda civics with race seats and belts but stock engines that kids drive around on the street.

I can't wait to meet the guy that buys these Lime Rock editions. He's the one that checks out of his hotel in the morning wearing his fire suit for his BMW CCA driver school session that doesn't start till 10 am because he wants the girl at the front desk to know that he is "racing" today. That guy.

The one that wears firesuits because he wants to be a racer even though he's in his street car that he takes to the train every day. That's who will buy this car.

So why is it so painful? The M brand used to mean something. Really mean something. To me and auto enthusiasts everywhere. I can't think of a performance division of a company with more creditability than BMW's motorsport brand back in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

To fully appreciate this you need a little history in BMW M brand. It was created to build homologation specials. Cars built for specific racing series in minimum quantity to meet the rules. It started with the M1 in 1978. Then came hand-build 5 series cars that at one point were the fastest sedans in the world – as delivered from the factory.

Next came the original M3, known to us car guys as the E30 M3. Built by BMW for one purpose. To win races. And it won so much its known as the most winning chassis in touring car history. This was BMW's M brand.

So what is it now? Besides the M3, we have am M1 (or 1 Series M Coupe so it's not to be confused with the real M1).

To be fair, this car is amazing. I love it. But BMW built 800 or so and called it a day. Did one go racing? Not that I know of. And then there are the M brand SUVs: an X6M and a X5M. Did either of these go racing? Sort of. BMW gave one to a journalist to compete in One Lap of America this year and it got beat by a Jeep Cherokee. A Jeep Cherokee took down the M Brand. (Ed. Note: Matt Farrah should be along soon to explain how the Jeep was modified and the X5 M was not.)

Now to be fair BMW ran the new M5 — yes the one with the fake engine noises — in One Lap and it won its "Luxury Sedan" class. So my point is that BMW no longer makes high performance automobiles known as the Ultimate Driving Machine. They now make luxury automobiles that are the ultimate motorsport poser mobile.

There is no car that says "I want to pretend I'm a performance driver, a racer, but never go to the track" more than the current M brand. It's a fraud leveraging the company's rich racing history and it pisses me off.

Let's took a look at that racing history that the brand was created for. When was the last time BMW won an F1 race? Le Mans? Any of the large sports car races other than Sebring? I'm ignoring Grand Am where BMW races against KIAs and Dinan builds engines for a prototype team. That doesn't count as a factory program. About the only race on the planet that Nürburgring which happened last in the ALMS M3 car in 2010.

Ever seen that ALMS car? Its nothing like the production car we buy. It has double wishbone front suspension. EVERY M3 ever sold has McPherson front struts. And we haven't even gotten to the weirdo rear transaxle deal with its built-in air conditioning pump. Huh, was that a factory option?

My point is that BMW used to build amazing street cars to meet the rules of racing and win. Now they choose races with loose rules and bring cars nothing like the one we buy and turn around and sell us models that have nothing to do with racing other than the sticker on the dash.

So back to today's Lime Rock Edition M3 that BMW just announced. How does this thing even get approved? I can picture the conversation in the marketing department now:

BMW Marketing Guy 1: Guys we really need to leverage our M brand.

Let's release an M3 with a race track associated with it. Yeah like that big one in Germany Nutterburgerringring or something. But I hear that place is expensive to rent, maybe we should use that track near headquarters here in the US, Lime Rock?

BMW Marketing Guy 2: Yeah!

BMW Marketing Guy 1: Don't we already sponsor that track? Sweet, lets make a lime rock edition.

BMW Marketing Guy 2: Whats that mean?

BMW Marketing Guy 1: I dont know but people will think its special.

BMW Marketing Guy 2: Really? Why?

BMW Marketing Guy 1: Well, because we'll paint it a special color and add all our interior add ons like the Knight Rider wheel with the flat bottom!

BMW Marketing Guy 2: But shouldn't it have a signfiicant increase in performance to have a racetrack badge on it?

BMW Marketing Guy 1: No, No, No, the car doesn't need to be faster or handle better because we named it after a racetrack! Just the opposite. Leave the engine the same and give it one of our handling packages that we already have. Like the competition package, that sounds like it should be on a track car.

BMW's Motorsport Brand has lost its soul, and will slowly fade into marketing mediocrity. A friend pointed out another company with a rich history in racing that abandoned it roots and went after the luxury auto market: Saab.

Obviously, BMW wont go bankrupt anytime soon, but what happens when all the luxury buyers that fell in love with performance brand in the 1980's stop driving cars? I don't have that answer but three years ago I asked a marketing executive at BMW this exact question after he told me BMW was supporting Golf and Yachting.

His response was along the line of 'I don't know, I won't be working here when that happens.'

Time will tell.

 

Press Release on the Lime Rock Edition: http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=714860

 

Totally agree with their take on the decline in "M" as a brand.

 

The issue isn't the M division. It's that every car manufacturer is letting their marketing departments control the direction of the company. That and institutional investors who are demanding improved stock prices and dividends at all costs ... Even if that means a front-wheel drive BMW and the death of the very thing that made them special.

 

I don't think the M brand will be dying anytime soon. The special editions are a bit ridiculous, but what about the 1 M, and just the M3 and M5?

 

so they sold out like every other company these days. until audi starts making RWD platforms and acura gets their shit together, it's not a big deal to me unless they start making FWD 3-series

 

Yep.

This has been going on for a while now... not helping my claim-not-to-be-a-fanboy status but Chevy has slapped the SS badge on damn near everything. In the '60s something with that badge was not to be messed with... now it's been applied to almost every model in the lineup.

 

Sad thing is, its just the way business works.

Sure they can make it similar to their racing cars, but when fewer people buy the car. BMW will lose money and will have to stop making the vehicle. Then no one will get an M car.

 

I generally like the current M offerings and the LRE M3 will likely not be an exception. However, I just don't hold them in the same regard as the E30 M3.

So, with this:

with charliemike's post as well, and that was clearly evidenced when the E60 M5 debuted stateside as an Automatic only version, with the 6MT added later.

 

It's more than that, in today's world technology has brought all aspects of a company's departments to within reach of anyone working there. I wonder if a Xerox PARC, Lockheed Skunkworks, Sarnoff Labs, or M-group could be formed today with so much oversight from upper management? I think in today's highly connected world it's really hard to hide special projects like they used to.

The famous DFV Cosworth which won over 150 F1 races was proposed over a dinner between Keith Duckworth, Walter Hayes (Ford), and Colin Chapman (Lotus). Duckworth did a WAG over how much it would cost, he guestimated 100K pounds without really knowing.

I think this article was a little dramatic, I'm disappointed in the watering down of the M's. Especially the weight increases, X5/6 and auto only E60 M5. They've gotten like the AMG guys lately, but are they dead? No, they've gotten soft but these special editions are just a marketing ploy.

Something I find amusing is only a decade ago there was a big argument within BMW over the E46 M3 needing a special motor (S54) which was only used on the M3 since the engineers insisted on a special purpose cast iron block motor. It supposedly went up to the board to approve the funding since it would have to be amortized only for that M3, the M engineers at the time resisted using the BMW V8 they had then. Interesting that they finally went to a V8 for the E90.

 

I dont want to derail but everything that has an SS badge in Chevy is the fastest or close to bein the fastest in its segment.

the lime rock edition is a shame considering t offers no performance value but this is the new BMW. They made the m5 so boring to drive that they had to pipe engine noise into the car

 

"He's the one that checks out of his hotel in the morning wearing his fire suit for his BMW CCA driver school session that doesn't start till 10 am because he wants the girl at the front desk to know that he is 'racing' today."

I've seen that douchebag!

 

It's not "dying" in the sense that it would cease to exist. It's "dying" in the sense that it no longer resembles what it once was, now abandoning the driver orientation and churning out bastardized "M535d" and "M135i" cars; and that's a damn shame.

 

The guy completely ignores the fact that BMW made M535iS models in the late 80s ... This is not new. He probably wasn't old enough to remember it.

"If it didn't happen to me before, then this is the first time it's ever happened in the history of the world."

 

We've been down this path before. Yes, they tried it before, and, yes, they stopped. Now they're back to doing this, but on a larger scale. It's disappointing.


BTW: https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=845524

 

It's all about marketing these days. C'mon look at Mazda. "SkyActive technology?" WTF is that? -OR- Mercedes "BlueTec." complete BS.

 

The market has moved on from the E30 M3 and BMW has moved with it. The closest thing to that on the market today is the FR-S/BRZ twin. While it's a great car, I doubt very few people walking into a BMW dealer would be interested in those.

 

I know. I was talking about the author

 

Gotcha.

 

 

 

Anyone have that vid of Jeremy Clarkson dressed as an M3 driver?

 

haha its in the same episode as the cockometer but i cant find it in youtube

but in the newer top gear episodes they say now all the cocks have moved to audi, so you can buy an M3 now!!

 

 

http://www.streetfire.net/video/135-...t-2_187357.htm

It's at the end, 8:30 and I'm not too sure about that moving on to Audi part. Sure doesn't seem like it lol.

 

E30 M3 I still love those 20 years after their demise. One of the most beautiful cars I've ever seen. Driving one is on my bucket list.

 

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6:49 mark

 

and same here!

 

This guy is a purest and is arguing his point from that point of view, and I understand. I wonder how he feels about the up and coming 6 cylinder (twin turbo?) M3? Blasphemy

I agree that bolt-ons and paint jobs shouldn't make a "special edition" BMW (or any car for that matter) but that is where my agreement of what the author of that article is saying. M cars are STILL awesome driving machines, both on and off the track.

 

I believe it was in the review of the new M5 on top gear that Clarkson says that pretty much there is no point of getting the new M5 as the regular one is so good.

 

Most reviews say the F10 is faster overall.. but I agree. NA V10..

 

Think he said that about the M3 vs the M3 with competition package...

 

He meant no point getting the M5 over the normal 5 series F10, because the normal 5 series is so good (Series 18, episode 7 - about 6:30 in for Clarkson's comments).

 

He sort of did, but that was more along the lines of you pay more for the comp pkg and it makes the car worse, so what's the point. My comment above is what I believe Loseit was talking about.

 

ahh..

 

I don't have a problem with a M335i and an M3 as long as the differentiation in looks and performance is so obvious that there's no way they could be confused or the idea of the M4 being diluted.

Now, that said, there should never ever be a M-badge on a SUV.

 

one of the reasons i want to get an e39 M5 i think one real and last M car ever

 

Because M cars should have turbocharged, AWD, automatic transmissions and Diesel motors....

But to be serious, if someone is willing to buy it, and it is profitable, BMW will build it. It's not the death of the M brand, but merely just a transition based on changing market and regulation conditions.

 

I think it's interesting as the first Motorsport cars were not really marked m5 or m3. It was the m535i which was a homologation special, heck it wasn't even a e28 it was the previous e12. Before that it was the 2002 tii, 2002 turbo, and 3.0csl.
M now seems quite a bit like the IS model from the 80's and 90, but without a real lsd.

 

Enough discussing.. more shopping.