14 Best Cars BMW Ever Made

- BMW is one of the most respected road car manufacturers in history. Over the years, they have

made

some of the

best

cars

in history. But which one is the

best

? In this list, we have old BMWs and we have new BMWs. We even have a BMW owned by rock and roll royalty, and no, I'm not talking about me. These are the 14 best production BMWs of all time, and this show is called. - List D. - Number 14, E36 M3 LTW CSL. After having to start so many lists of great

cars

with the words "Not sold in the United States," I can finally say this.

The BMW E36 M3 LTW CSL, often referred to as Lightweight, has been sold, are you ready? Only in North America. I just have chills. Now, let's not twist it. The regular E36 M3 is one of the coolest cars out there. Especially in Yellow Dakar. Watch our yellow car video from last week to learn more about this. How

ever

, in the months after the M3 was released in 1992, American racing teams immediately pestered BMW to homologate the car so they could compete with it. Thus, in 1995, they gave the world the LTW or Lightweight CSL, a World Touring Car version of their DTM that was also homologated for use on American roads.

They managed to shave 200 pounds off the car's dry weight by getting rid of the radio, a lot of the car's parts, the sunroof, the air conditioning, the tools, you know, all the stuff that none of our cars actually had. has. . They also upgraded the original suspension and removed the engine limiter. Approximately 125 of these cars were built at BMW's Munich factory before being shipped to Virginia, which is where I was born, to have their distinctive red and blue checkered flag decals applied over their Alpine White paint jobs. And yes, all these cars were painted white. Each car also had a kit placed in the trunk that included s

ever

al of the race-ready parts such as an adjustable front splitter and rear wing lift spacers that were technically not road legal.

It was like, you know how Dodge

made

the Demon Crate? It was like BMW made the Demon Crate almost 30 years before Dodge made the Demon Crate. Somehow BMW had a hard time selling them when they first came out, but one guy really liked them and bought five. Maybe you've heard of it. His name is Paul Walker and they all sold for a billion dollars this year. Number 13, E34 M5 Touring. The third generation of the production five was manufactured between 1987 and 1996. The M5 Touring arrived in 1991 and was the first M car available in an estate version. It was powered by one of BMW's most successful engines.

The S38 3.8-liter inline six-cylinder. It had 335 horsepower, setting the benchmark for fast wagons for years to come. It also came with some of the coolest OEM wheels ever made. 17 inch throwing stars. Number 12, the BMW 850CSi. In 2018, BMW brought us the new Eight Series. The first eighth series since the original eight series back in 1990. Now the original, E31, was BMW's attempt to corner the Grand Tourer market. BMW is in Germany, as is the Autobahn. What is a Gran Turismo? The Grand Tourer is a car that you can comfortably drive at 210 kilometers per hour. And they spent close to a billion dollars on RND and pioneered the use of CAD software in car design, which is very impressive.

And the results were surprising. The E31 is one of the most beautiful cars of all time. It had very low drag and was really cool, one of my favorite design features of any car, no B-pillar. You have your A-pillar here, and you have your C-pillar back here, you need one if you have a roof, so a lot of cars have a this guy in the middle kind of ruins the flow, but keep this guy open, same as. But I'm willing to bet that people weren't buying this car as much for its looks as what was under the hood, because the E31 was available with two engine specifications.

Either a V8 or a V12. Now, that V12, by the way, was an earlier version of the engine that ended up entering the McLaren F1. It's a tremendously cool engine. Number 11, the Z3M Coupé. Now the Z3M was another first for BMW. Its first fully convertible M car. Although officially it is not an M car, but an M variant of a standard car. However, it came with many interesting extras and upgrades usually reserved for the Ms. But BMW's pièce de résistance was not the Z3M, but the Z3M Coupe. The Z3M Coupe was given a controversial design, to say the least, that really divided opinion.

You love it or you hate it. Personally, I love it. I think it's one of the best and most attractive cars of all time. I love him so much. The other day we were driving and my girlfriend was like, "What's that ugly damn car? I bet you like it." And I was like, "Yeah, baby, I really love it." "They call it a clown shoe." .And she said, "Yeah, that makes sense. It looks like a clown's shoe." Now I love this car because it's a very strange business decision for BMW. I mean, they basically took all the good things about their M3 and put it in a much smaller car.

I mean, it's tiny. BMW, I want to thank you for being so fucking weird and awesome, the E39 M5 strived to combine performance and luxury like never before. They brought BMW into the 21st century and set the benchmark for M cars in. the future. The E39 M5 was the first to be powered by the S62. A 4.9-liter V8 capable of producing 394 horsepower with the help of VANOS meant that the engine could adjust the cam timing depending on the performance required. by the driver. It was a turning point when it came out. Interestingly, the E39 M5 never came as an estate, which I think was a big mistake, but that didn't matter much because the tuning company, Alpina, would make you an E39 B10 estate. . .

Number nine, number nine, number nine, BMW M2 CS. Now, when the M2 was launched in 2016, it was a revelation. While in recent years the M3 had grown to the size of a Five Series, the M2 was a small two-door coupe. The new 2012 M2 CS has gone a step further, borrowing the larger inline six cylinders from the M4 CS. 444 horsepower with 406 pound-feet of torque with a six-foot manual transmission or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. It's not like a DSG. It's based on a manual transmission, so when you put it in neutral, it rolls. There is no torque converter.

It's the closest thing to an electronic manual that has ever existed. It's phenomenal. The great thing about the M2 CS, for me, is the fact that we have a very small car with tons of horsepower and a big focus on handling. Is awesome. Number eight, the E24 635CSi. The E24 was the first of BMW's now well-established line of sex series and hit the market in 1976. It's gorgeous. It looks like a knife and people call it The Shark. BMW made an M variant of this car, but for me, the 635CSi is the one to have and that's why it's on this list.

I love how badass it was despite not being an M car. It came with a 3.5-liter inline six-cylinder engine capable of 217 horsepower. It was all wrapped up in what has to be one of the most beautiful bodies BMW has ever produced. I think one of his most iconic racing cars from that era was the 635 Group A. This car is the reason I smoked cigarettes as a teenager. Do not smoke. It's disgusting and stupid and could give you a heart attack one day. Number seven, the E28 M5. This is my dad's favorite car and I wish I could buy him one.

Now this is the other shark nose, the E28, it arrived in 1981 and was produced until 1988. Seven years before Post Malone was born. The E28 had been in development since the mid-1970s, and at that time, the company only had one computer that was used for payroll management. And the design team ended up borrowing that computer when it wasn't in use to develop this new drivetrain and chassis. Amazing. The E28 was also equipped with one of the nicest engines BMW has ever made, the M88 straight-six. Personal fact E28 when I was a little child, like a very little child, like a baby, like a little child, I had very bad asthma, and I had asthma attacks and we had to go to the emergency room and they put me in I get like a respirator.

At one point, I spent a month or two in an oxygen tent. One night I had a really bad asthma attack and I was choking and my parents thought I was going to die. And my dad had a 1987 Alpine White 535is. Not exactly an M5, but almost an M5. There is a story in my family that that night my dad drove so fast that the tires never touched the road and that is the reason I lived. And my family widely accepts that the BMW E28 saved my life. That's why I love these cars so much. Yes.

Number six, the 507 Roadster. There are now only 252 of these left made between 1956 and 1959. This BMW Roadster is the most collectible BMW ever made, and with good reason. The ownership list alone puts this car in an especially select group, alongside F1 driver John Surtees, F1 kingpin Bernie Ecclestone and even Elvis. Yes, that Elvis, who has one. Elvis picked up his 507 while he was stationed in Europe during the war, and his was pearl white, and the women he dated used to kiss him. And when Elvis had to return to the United States and sold the car, it was so covered in girl's mouth paint that the guy who bought it repainted it red.

Which, in retrospect, was probably a mistake. I think I would have kept all the lady kisses directed at Elvis, probably would have made him worth a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot of money right now. It's like Tupac was murdered in a BMW seven series in Las Vegas and last year, the car he was murdered in was for sale, but they like to restore it. I don't know much about investments, money and stuff, but it seems like a no-brainer to me. Number five, the BMW M1. If someone ever asks me, "If you could have any car, what car would you have?" The answer isn't easy.

It's like, "What do you mean?" "Like a car that I have to drive every day, 'or is money not an option, or whatever?' This is the car that I've decided is my answer, and that's because it was the first car M. Well, let that sink in for a second. Over 40 years of irresponsible driving, all because of this car. And did I mention it has the engine in the middle? Because BMW decided to go crazy in the '70s. Initially, it was built by Lamborghini. Back then they went bankrupt. Basically, when Lamborghini finished the cars, the group five didn't exist anymore.

So what did BMW do? That's what they did and they only had the BMW M1 in it. Procar, and it was basically the opening act before the F1 Grand Prix races in 1979. And basically, they took the top 10 Formula 1 drivers, and also a handful of other racers and just rich guys, and. The morning before the F1 race, everyone was racing in BMW M1s. That's crazy, man. Those guys are insured for about $56 million. Are they going to put them in a stock car and have them crash doors with some strange stranger like a rich guy? Absurd. Number four, the E46 M3 GTR.

In my opinion, the E46 M3 is one of the best cars ever made, and the M3 CSL is a better version than that. They are both phenomenal. Both worthy of a spot on this list. But the E46's place on the list of the best production BMWs of all time is going very well, listen to this car. Now you might say "What?" James, that's a racing prototype. "That's not a production car." Well, I'm here to tell you that you are totally wrong, friend. You are completely wrong. That's how it is. BMW was not content with having made one of the best sports cars of all time with the E46 M3 straight-six.

In fact, BMW developed the V8 M3 and, in order to compete with it, it had to produce road cars. BMW only had to build 10 GTR road cars for homologation. But supposedly only six were made and in reality only three were sold, and the retail price was a quarter of a million euros. The road car received the four-liter V8, developed exclusively for the GTR. And it maintained many of the features of the racing engine, such as the dry sump, it had the same transmission and the same depth. It was only slightly adjusted to 382 HRSPRS for the highway.

And thanks to all that power and huge weight savings through the use of carbon fiber, the GTR road car reached a top speed of 183 miles per hour. Today, it's a unicorn and I know it's hard to put it on a list of production cars, but on paper, it totally qualifies. Then boom! Number three, the 2002 Turbo. Number three is one of the first cars to use turbo technology, and it's a shot in the face to anyone who was pissed when the M3 went turbo. It's as if forced induction is part of BMW history. Now the BMW 2002 is an icon.

And it really launched a lot of what we consider BMW today. People loved it, but what do people always want? (alarm sounds) More power, honey. Hey man, good to see you. Thanks for coming.Thanks, I'm a fan. I'm excited about your new program. And because people wanted more power, BMW decided to adapt something that had been kicking around the shop since its airplane-making days. Turbo power, baby. This little rocket of a car produced 170 HRSPRS and 177 lb-ft of torque. But unfortunately, due to the oil crisis of the 1970s and primitive turbo technology, it consumed a lot of gasoline.

So while everyone wanted one, no one could afford to own one, so only 1,672 were made. One of the most attractive turbo fonts. Honestly, I could get that tattooed above my heart. I've been thinking about a killer tattoo. And they even printed it upside down on the front of the car so you could see it coming. I'll do it the other way around. Every day when I look in the mirror, it's like, "Oh yeah, dog, turbo." Let's do it. Number two, and honestly, when we started thinking about this list, this was definitely number one, but it's number two, so I think you'll be surprised by number one but not mad at us.

The E30 M3. Now, you literally couldn't have a list of BMWs without mentioning the car that, in my opinion, BMW literally made. The OG, original (mumbles), M3. Now continuing the three E21 series that gave us the 320i Turbo, one of the coolest racing BMWs ever made, but the E30 platform had a lot to live up to when it was launched in 1982. And, let's just say, it did. . The standard E30 platform is phenomenal, but when the M3 came out in 1986, a year after I was born, nine years before Post Malone was born, it changed everything. Not only for BMW, but also for small racing cars in general.

The M3 was BMW's road-going homologation special for racing, and it shared basically no parts with the base model E30 like the one sitting in Max's garage right now. It was wider, squarer, lighter, and powered by the almighty naturally aspirated S14 inline-four. Production cars made 200 horsepower, which was crazy for a four-cylinder at the time without turbos. But the race cars generated 300 horsepower. Natural aspiration. They were racing against damn turbocharged, all-wheel drive cars. And this thing ate everything. Spa, Nurburgring, Group B rally stages, you name it, and the M3 won them. In fact, this car is the most successful racing chassis of all time.

It combined the luxury of the BMW name with pure racing dominance, cementing the term Ultimate Driving Machine. And really, that's why BMW is BMW. We are finally here. There are so many great cars on this list. I think, pound for pound, this is the heaviest episode we've done yet. Each of the cars on this list is a marvel. So finding the number one BMW ever sold was a really huge challenge. But we all agree that number one has to be the 3.0 CSL, also known as The Prime Mobile. The E9 first appeared in 1968. Those early E9s are cool because they had that classic late '60s styling.

They're all chrome, wrapped around fenders and little 10-inch wheels. Initially they had four-cylinder engines. They are cute, they are picturesque. But as the years went by, the engines got bigger. Little by little, until in 1972 the homologation of our old friend arrived. Now BMW had decided to compete with the three-liter version of the E9 in the European Touring Car Championship. In 1972, 1,265 CSLs (the L stands for light weight) were built. Designers used thinner steel in the body. The doors were aluminum. The windows were plexiglass. Virtually all trim was removed from the car, including the soundproofing. Unfortunately, we never got the CSL in the United States, but I mean, if you can afford to buy one, you can afford to import one.

Finally, in 1973, the final 3.0 was homologated, with a huge front air outlet, the front fenders were huge and the rear spoiler was huge. Very similar to the E36, the rear spoiler was not installed on the car from the factory, but was left in the trunk to be installed at home, because they were illegal. And on the track, he literally cleaned himself up. They went on to completely dominate the Group Two Touring Car Championship across Europe. If the E30 M3 is the reason BMW is BMW right now, the 3.0 CSL is the reason BMW felt confident enough to make the E30 M3.

This is one of the coolest cars ever built and that's why I called it the coolest BMW ever made. This list is very close to me. I know I missed a lot of what you guys think should be here. Be nice to me, but I can't wait to talk to you about them in the comments. And I'm sure there will be another episode about BMW on the D-list. Thank you so much for watching this episode and everything else we do at Donut. We really love this. And the fact that you guys see this and care so much allows us to make more videos.

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