Why do people put "M" badges on non-M cars?
Discussion
helix402 said:
Yes , you have the correct badges. If I don my anorak I think the E46s are known as "Sport" rather than "M Sport". There's no difference apart from BMW decided M Sport would be be better to sell cars to people who like lots of extra badges stuck on wings and wherever possible.
If I don two anoraks I think the pre-facelift ones are "Sport" and the post-facelift ones are "M-Sport". My wife had an E46 320Cd and it had M badges on all four wheels, the steering wheel and both door kickplates I think. None on the actual bodywork though. carl_w said:
If I don two anoraks I think the pre-facelift ones are "Sport" and the post-facelift ones are "M-Sport". My wife had an E46 320Cd and it had M badges on all four wheels, the steering wheel and both door kickplates I think. None on the actual bodywork though.
I'm here with three anoraks to set the record straight. Sport was renamed M Sport in 2005 across the BMW range. This means that only the E46 Coupe and Cabriolet became M Sport as the Saloon and Touring were out of production by that point.
k interior shots have you seen the price 8k wtf
I was in South London over the weekend, and pulled into a "Sizzling Pub", and i saw a M3joke/F30 , it had quad exhaust and an M3 badge and it looked ............
in white, so I parked up right next to it and waited to see what happened next, they came out took one look and took off really quickly.
Sad ain't it.
in white, so I parked up right next to it and waited to see what happened next, they came out took one look and took off really quickly.Sad ain't it.
GregK2 said:
Dave. said:
Theres an MX5 on ebay with BMW plate and badges. Just search for "MX5 custom".
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/mazda-mx5-mk3-1-8-custom-2006-only-22-000-miles-/192250629558?hash=item2cc307cdb6:g:PtYAAOSwZ0NZbLvtWTF
M-Cars vs. M-badged cars. (From Wikipedia)
There are several BMW models which BMW Motorsport made changes on, without them becoming M-Cars. This succession of styling (M-tech I, M-tech II) and performance cues came from BMW Motorsports; e.g. BMW 530i M packet or 325i M packet etc. Vehicles which have been modified by BMW Motorsport, but are not full M Cars, may feature "M" badges, whilst full M Cars will have "M" badges with the model number (e.g., "M4" or "M5"). Two exceptions would be the M Roadster and M Coupe models, both Z3, Z4 and 1-series variants, which only have an "M" badge with no number displayed on the trunk. These cars are full M Cars. In recent years, there have been 'M'-badged accessories available on BMW's standard fleet as factory options or as part of the "M Sport" package (which is more expensive than the optional Sport package). Examples of this include the E39 and E60 5 series sedans which had optional aerodynamic packages that were strongly influenced by the M5's styling (for example, bumpers with larger intakes). It is not unusual to see "standard" BMW vehicles with "M" badges or ribbons accenting their design. The plain motorsports badge simply stands for the 'M-tech' upgrades equipped on the vehicle (e.g., suspension, brakes, looks or any other modification that has been developed by the M division), therefore the 'M' badge on these vehicles should not be confused with the true 'M' vehicles (except the Z-cars, as mentioned), as they are not fully fledged 'M' cars, just equipped with 'M'-tech upgrades. BMW has offered these 'M' options on their standard vehicles since the late 1970s which explains why these vehicles carry 'M' badges straight from the factory. In comparison, vehicle maker Audi also employs this same type of nomenclature. There are fully fledged 'S' models (S4, S5, S6, S7 and TTS), as well as an optional "S'-line package that can be equipped to their standard vehicle lineup.[23] An example of 'M'-badged vehicles in recent times include the E60 BMW 550i and E63 BMW 650i. The standard BMW 5 Series and 6 Series only had a choice of either a manual or automatic transmission, but the 'M' Sport package had an optional Sequential Manual Gearbox (SMG) (a gearbox shared with the M5 and M6)[24] until after the 2007 model year.
From BMW, (yes the new M sport series come badged, they are not full blown M's)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7SwUGTbXhI
The M badge is used as a marketing tool to sell more cars in the BMW fleet as an add on rather than an exclusive, those days are gone. M performance items are added to sport models. The M series is still the benchmark in BMW's roster but the branding has been shared throughout the years to add a stronger performance cue to the BMW brand. So if people badge their non-M cars, who cares? what matters is that they own a BMW and that is more important over a badge.
There are several BMW models which BMW Motorsport made changes on, without them becoming M-Cars. This succession of styling (M-tech I, M-tech II) and performance cues came from BMW Motorsports; e.g. BMW 530i M packet or 325i M packet etc. Vehicles which have been modified by BMW Motorsport, but are not full M Cars, may feature "M" badges, whilst full M Cars will have "M" badges with the model number (e.g., "M4" or "M5"). Two exceptions would be the M Roadster and M Coupe models, both Z3, Z4 and 1-series variants, which only have an "M" badge with no number displayed on the trunk. These cars are full M Cars. In recent years, there have been 'M'-badged accessories available on BMW's standard fleet as factory options or as part of the "M Sport" package (which is more expensive than the optional Sport package). Examples of this include the E39 and E60 5 series sedans which had optional aerodynamic packages that were strongly influenced by the M5's styling (for example, bumpers with larger intakes). It is not unusual to see "standard" BMW vehicles with "M" badges or ribbons accenting their design. The plain motorsports badge simply stands for the 'M-tech' upgrades equipped on the vehicle (e.g., suspension, brakes, looks or any other modification that has been developed by the M division), therefore the 'M' badge on these vehicles should not be confused with the true 'M' vehicles (except the Z-cars, as mentioned), as they are not fully fledged 'M' cars, just equipped with 'M'-tech upgrades. BMW has offered these 'M' options on their standard vehicles since the late 1970s which explains why these vehicles carry 'M' badges straight from the factory. In comparison, vehicle maker Audi also employs this same type of nomenclature. There are fully fledged 'S' models (S4, S5, S6, S7 and TTS), as well as an optional "S'-line package that can be equipped to their standard vehicle lineup.[23] An example of 'M'-badged vehicles in recent times include the E60 BMW 550i and E63 BMW 650i. The standard BMW 5 Series and 6 Series only had a choice of either a manual or automatic transmission, but the 'M' Sport package had an optional Sequential Manual Gearbox (SMG) (a gearbox shared with the M5 and M6)[24] until after the 2007 model year.
From BMW, (yes the new M sport series come badged, they are not full blown M's)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7SwUGTbXhI
The M badge is used as a marketing tool to sell more cars in the BMW fleet as an add on rather than an exclusive, those days are gone. M performance items are added to sport models. The M series is still the benchmark in BMW's roster but the branding has been shared throughout the years to add a stronger performance cue to the BMW brand. So if people badge their non-M cars, who cares? what matters is that they own a BMW and that is more important over a badge.
Edited by GIGIE90 on Thursday 10th August 15:16
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