Never Stop Driving #23: Our fascination with BMW M Cars
These days, it’s worth celebrating when a new car emerges with a shift-it-yourself gearbox. BMW is keeping the faith with the new M2, a 453-horsepower, rear-wheel-drive coupe that will be available with a manual gearbox. While the definition of “manual” is a bit fluid these days, what with all the paddle-shift cars, in this space a manual transmission means the driver has to operate the clutch and the shifter.
Despite the fact the new Corvette and every current Ferrari are automatic only, there are still nearly two dozen cars available with manual gearboxes. Perhaps you also didn’t know that the Dodge Hellcat was once available with a manual. Somehow even I missed that one, which means, I dunno, age?
Anyway, we’re all looking forward to driving BMW’s latest M car because many of us are such huge Bimmer fans. Our own Sam Smith is practically a BMW 2002 savant. He currently races one in vintage events and recently restored a left-for-the-junkyard 2002 and drove it across the country. Rob Siegel, who regularly chronicles DIY for Hagerty, owns several 2002s. Perhaps you’re familiar with our video star, Jason Cammisa. If you’re not, start with this epic film. Cammisa owns a Euro-spec 1990 BMW wagon and also produced yet another thrilling film on the new M3 versus the original E30 M3.
I drove my first BMW in 1991, while I was an intern at Car and Driver. To say that the 325i changed everything wouldn’t do it justice. That car established, for me, just how connected a driver could be to a machine. I never forgot it, so in 2016 I bought a 100,000-mile 1998 328i that I drove for two years. I passed it to my son for his first car and he promptly fell for it, too. We both lamented the day three years ago when we decided that we were as tired as the car—of fixing it. I missed that machine and its smooth and linear straight-six engine so, last fall, I bought a 1998 BMW M3.
What is it about these cars? My M3 is one of the most fluid and graceful automobiles I’ve ever driven. I love the smoothness of the straight-six engine, which owes its greatness to the BMW four-cylinder that came before. The M3 is balanced, lithe, eager to run, and happy to putter around. The so-called E36-generation 3-Series also wears the most crisply styled four-door suit ever drawn. The sedan is compact yet roomy, quick yet supple. I’m getting to that stage in life where I’m buying and selling fewer cars as I figure out what I really love. I think the M3 is a forever machine.
With that background, you can understand why we’re so interested in the new M2. The thing has big shoes to fill. I can’t say I’m in love with the design, but they did keep the six-cylinder engine and, of course, the manual. We will keep you posted.
If BMWs are your thing, you can find one via the Hagerty Marketplace. If not, we’ve published plenty of other material to keep you busy this weekend, including this piece about one man’s unique Ford Escort collection. Cadillac unveiled a new EV luxury machine to reclaim the podium among high-end car brands. Speaking of podiums, here’s an idea to race on a small budget. The Barn Find Hunter, Tom Cotter, uncovered a 1937 Riley. Yeah, we’ve been busy.
Finally, if you need a nudge to get out and drive, check out this cautionary tale of letting a car sit.
Have a great weekend!
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I’m the owner of a 2008 Indianapolis Red M5. Yep, it’s a V10. It’s a stunning design and the V10 leaves plenty in reserve. It’s not very chummy with communication choices and she doesn’t have flat screens.
She’s a joy.
I wonder though how we got to the current surgical body designs and Japanese interiors. Was it a by product of the electronic efficiencies in the cabin?
Driving them in Germany is where they show their character.
http://www.velocitygroup.net/JustOutsideMunich/
My wife and I have a 1940 Ford Pickup that had sat for 8 years before we bought and paid too much for it. Thinking all it needed was a few tweaks, but now it is in 1000 pieces getting a formal rebuild. We have gone down that deep pit of restoration but the prospect of driving it is what drives us onward. Its main problem was that it had been motionless for those 8 years. It ruined it. It is good parts are plentiful, except the grill, but they have become extremely pricey since the pandemic. I promise to drive it. Meanwhile my wife can’t believe I have had over 80 plus cars since 1966. I’m thinking do you know how much restraint it took to keep it under 100.
Who says you have to keep it under 100, lol? I hope you’re enjoying the restoration process.
The first: 1979 528i, no sunroof, 4-speed tranny, cloth seats, Reseda green–start of the road to addiction
Followed by 735i, all the goodies, plus three trannys, 2 pressure bulbs, 2 dash boards–a real downer
Back to several 325 wagons, an AWD that was probably the sweetest ride ever–over the road at 80 with 30 mpg, steady and comfortable.
Finally an e39M5, likely as good as the M3 but little bigger, and little snazzier, and more suitable to an aging driver. A true Uber Sedan
Only regret. Passing on buying a 2002 Tii.
Hello Larry,
We think along the same lines. My love for BMW’s started when the owner of a VW dealership where I bought my GTI VR6 threw me the keys to a used ’95 BMW M3. I told him that I couldn’t afford such a car, but he insisted I take it for a drive. Well, I left the dealership as the owner of my first BMW. After putting 115,000 miles on that car, I traded it for a 2001 Mazda Miata, and regretted that almost immediately! I missed the M3 until finding the exact same car in 2015. Bought it, fixed it up, and loved it for five years and many miles. I sold it to a young BMWCCA enthusiast and purchased a immaculate 2005 330ci. I think the E46 is the prettiest BMW coupe of all time, with the E36 in second place. The E46 is a little bit more refined, but the visceral nature of the E36 has me back to looking for a well cared for E36 M3. Unfortunately, people have now realized how much fun that they are to drive. Prices are out of sight for really well kept models. I will be happy with my E46 coupe until I find the right M3 again. My other BMW is a 2019 430i Gran Coupe. Lovely car for every day driving but very little of the involvement of the 1990-2006 era of BMW’s.
Yeah, I sometimes wonder if we’re at a point of maximum power. Not sure I need 400+hp in a road car.
Larry, I can appreciate the love for “M” cars, but I think BMW has largely lost their way.
I’m really going to date myself here, but my love for the mark came when I worked in the detail shop of a local BMW franchise when I was in high school and the car that left it’s mark on me was the E21, yes the 320i. I’ve owned numerous examples and currently have an immaculate 1983 sitting in the garage. Fantastic cars, and if you want to show real love for a mark, try owning the examples that even “BMW enthusiasts” love to hate. You have to be unique.
I own numerous modern cars as well as a couple of other vintage machines, but the E21 is without a doubt the most comfortable and fun to row gears in. Not fast or flashy, but a riot to own and affordable to feed and care for.
My experience with BMW’s is encompassed by the E21, E30 & E46 machines, but for me the mid 90’s and older were the only time that BMW was the “Ultimate Driving Machine.”
We all have our own taste. I’m with you in enjoying cars some love to hate as I’m restoring a 1975 Dino 308 GT4. Many Ferrari folks shun that car but I love it.
Just sold my 97 328 convertible and miss it already. Wifes 335i convertible is amazing. Love the BMW inline 6. Masterpiece
I thought long and hard about upgrading my 99 M3 – but honestly I think the new cars aren’t as attractive and so many gadgets and plastic bits keeps turning me off. So biting the bullet and refurbishing the E36 – look forward to new clutch, shocks, etc. etc. after a great 155k miles with the car.
I assume you’ve replaced the radiator already?
RE: Sticks vs. Not Sticks. Growing up, I was a charter member of the “I’d Rather Eat Worms Than Drive an Automatic” club. Today, my weekend car is a still a stick but the daily is a dual-clutch. Maybe I’m just old, but I find pros and cons in each. No human can shift as fast as a dual-clutch. Sobering but true. And whether at a track day or just hustling through some twisties, the ability to keep both hands on the wheel and concentrate on braking points and apexes makes one faster and more consistent. F1 cars don’t use these things because they’re slower….and we haven’t even gotten to the part about how glorious they are in traffic.
That being said, there’s something about driving a stick that a dual-clutch will never be able to offer. It’s like seeing your favorite band live instead of listening to them on your phone: it’s simply a more real and engaging experience with less technology between you and the music.
I’d had a stick-equipped “weekend car” my entire life until circumstance dictated otherwise. These were cars from an era before automated manuals became a thing. When replacing that car, I now had the choice of a pure manual, auto-manual, or – God forbid – a torque converter-equipped automatic. In the end, the old stick won out. And I don’t think it was just nostalgia. There’s a flow, a rhythm to driving the stick…who knows, maybe it comes from a more casual approach to my weekend excursions now instead of trying to wring the thing to within an inch of its life, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
However, the article at hand is really about BMW M cars and the new M2. What blew me away was the little M2 having north of 450 bhp. Jebus, was it THAT long ago that a 911 Turbo had 450 bhp?
Larry, I’d say it’s time to dust-off a “Bloat Issue”; showing the evolution of our favorite sportsters like the M3, 911, Corvette, and V-8 Ferrari from their original design briefs to today’s fire-breathing behemoths.
It’s crazy how much power we can buy at the dealership! I agree on the weekend versus daily debate. I bought a 2018 GTI with the DSG. Loved it.
I tend to disagree with Darwin.
You want to see ugly, look at the 4 series and the big SUV’s with their wierd beaver styled oversize grills – absolutely God awefully ugly.
At least this one has got an almost normal BMW kidney styled grill.
I have owned 7, 3 and 5 series BMW, and still own a 95 325Ci. All of the BMW’s I’ve owned have had varios versions of BMW’s sweet in line 6, including the unusual X5 turbo diesel I recently sold.
It is probably the best engine I’ve ever had the pleasure of using in a car.
Great cars, great writing. I’ve had five BMWs some OK, some fantastic. I don’t know what is about (older) BMWs, they just get under your skin. Currently have a bog-standard E90. I absolutely love taking it out for special runs. They tightness ins the body, the feel of the steering, the responsiveness… and of course that fantastic mental machine noise as that big six spins up. And it goes, and goes and goes. You never want to stop. Never had an inclination to own an M car though, and certainly no inclination to buy any of the modern crop of ugly ducklings. BMW ought to rerelease the E35 shape with modern kit, now that would be something.
I have been fortunate to have been introduced to a 1984 318i automatic. This car has never let me down. I’ve driven it from Ottawa Ontario to Prince Edward Island twice and once to virgina beach. No cruise!!
When I was into Porsches, the local Newport Beach, Ca dealer told me they never judge a customer by the way they look. The richest people on the coast sometimes dress in torn pants, deck shoes and a stained ‘wife beater’. But they’ll write an all cash check for a new Turbo and never blink an eye. They most likely just got done working on the yacht!
I’m 54. Since the day I got my license when I was 16 I’ve always driven vehicles with a clutch. I tried a rental car with an automatic for the first time several years ago, and I was dangerous (combination of coasting and pushing the shifter forward to go backward).
My first car was a ’72 Super Beetle, but it was my dad’s ’86 Porsche 944 that did it for me. Pure, unfiltered driving pleasure, the way driving was meant to be. Incredible car, but wrong timing for me. College, marriage, kids, mortgage, etc. My wife and I have gone through various vehicles over 27 years of marriage, not one of them was an automatic. Most of our cars were VWs, but by 2016 we were down to two Jeep Wranglers, both with a manual gearbox. We love ’em, found a new hobby off-roading and don’t mind the idiosyncrasies of Jeep ownership. The Jeeps are pure, unfiltered driving. It’s the way we and our kids like it, yes our two college-age kids have only ever driven manuals (aside from driver’s school ironically).
All this time, I never stopped thinking about the 944. In August 2021, things just worked out, and an ’86 944 ended up in the garage. I spend about equal time in all three vehicles, and as different as they are in performance, handling and speed, they are soooo very much the same when it comes to being connected to the car, the road, the environment. Unfiltered driving. It’s not for everyone, but it’s the way I want it to be.
My brother and I were able to collect a few vintage Beemers in the last couple years, and all are pre-2001 manuals. Nothing like an M
5 speed from the 90’s to make you feel connected to your driving!