Why do people put "M" badges on non-M cars?
Discussion
Had a cracker yesturday through centre of Liverpool.
Two "young" chaps suited and booted in a nice clean new 318i MSport convertable with yes you guessed it debadged with ebay ///M badge on the rear (it was even the wrong ///M badge as it was the old flat type, but I'm being anal).
What made it worse was they tried to drive it like an ///M and my diesel left them standing, sad really as it was a nice car, I would have been chuffed with it at their age.
Two "young" chaps suited and booted in a nice clean new 318i MSport convertable with yes you guessed it debadged with ebay ///M badge on the rear (it was even the wrong ///M badge as it was the old flat type, but I'm being anal).
What made it worse was they tried to drive it like an ///M and my diesel left them standing, sad really as it was a nice car, I would have been chuffed with it at their age.
Great Pretender said:
smack said:
There is photos (on the M5 board I think), of a spotted UK E39 M5, sporting 520i badges 
This is almost as bad. What's wrong with simple debadging?I hate badges with a passion. What is the point, other than to tell others what you are driving.
If I was arsed I'd remove them straight off the car, whatever it is.
Daz507 said:
Why do people put "M" badges on non-M cars?
It is quite ironic as most people wouldn't have a clue what the badge means (if they ever noticed it) and those that do know what it means probably know their 318 from their M3. So really, all the badge says on non-M cars is "If you know what this means, you'll know I'm a twit"
juliann said:
Daz507 said:
Why do people put "M" badges on non-M cars?
It is quite ironic as most people wouldn't have a clue what the badge means (if they ever noticed it) and those that do know what it means probably know their 318 from their M3. So really, all the badge says on non-M cars is "If you know what this means, you'll know I'm a twit""Anybody who doesn't know much about cars will think "that's a nice car" and won't have a clue what an "M" is, anybody who does know will look and think "you're sad".
I'm glad my post has has so much input, now I'm off to drive my 5.0 v10 with an M badge on the back :-)
deano23 said:
I can handle the //m badge on a car if it is indeed //m sport trim, but m3, m5 or m6 on anything that obviously isn't worries me a little.
This. People get confused between M and M3/M5.M is simply a sporty trim level and has ALWAYS been like this. The first non supercar to wear an M badge was... the E28 M535i. Was it an M5? Nope. It was just a 535i with M Sport suspension, an LSD, etc etc - ie, LSD aside, the same as the difference between todays 320d SE and 320d M Sport.
It's not changed a bit. In the late 1980's if you ordered an E30 325i Sport it would emerge from the factory wearing an M badge on the front grille and one on the bootlid.
In the late 1990's and early 2000's a prefacelift E39 528i/535i or 540i Sport, or an E36 328i Sport would roll out of the factory with ///M on the rubbing strips for the whole world to see.
My own 530i Sport, as standard, has an M badge on each alloy wheel, an M badge on each door sill, one on the steering wheel and one on the gearstick.
It's nothing new - M means 'Sport' or 'M Sport'. If an owner wishes to accentuate this fact then let them get on with it.
HOWEVER...
M3, M5, M6 etc are the special badges for the very special cars. I completely agree that sticking these to non M POWER BMW's is ridiculous.
But the regular M badges? You can hardly slate the owners for doing what BMW do themselves and have ALWAYS done themselves.
Remember guys - without people queing around the block to buy a bodykitted 3 Series diesel with M on the steering wheel how much longer would the halo cars last? BMW probably make very little directly developing and selling an M3 but make a heck load more selling 320d M Sport's to people who wish they could have an M3 but cannot afford it.
Fox- said:
deano23 said:
I can handle the //m badge on a car if it is indeed //m sport trim, but m3, m5 or m6 on anything that obviously isn't worries me a little.
This. People get confused between M and M3/M5.M is simply a sporty trim level and has ALWAYS been like this. The first non supercar to wear an M badge was... the E28 M535i. Was it an M5? Nope. It was just a 535i with M Sport suspension, an LSD, etc etc - ie, LSD aside, the same as the difference between todays 320d SE and 320d M Sport.
Fox- said:
deano23 said:
I can handle the //m badge on a car if it is indeed //m sport trim, but m3, m5 or m6 on anything that obviously isn't worries me a little.
This. People get confused between M and M3/M5.M is simply a sporty trim level and has ALWAYS been like this. The first non supercar to wear an M badge was... the E28 M535i. Was it an M5? Nope. It was just a 535i with M Sport suspension, an LSD, etc etc - ie, LSD aside, the same as the difference between todays 320d SE and 320d M Sport.
It's not changed a bit. In the late 1980's if you ordered an E30 325i Sport it would emerge from the factory wearing an M badge on the front grille and one on the bootlid.
In the late 1990's and early 2000's a prefacelift E39 528i/535i or 540i Sport, or an E36 328i Sport would roll out of the factory with ///M on the rubbing strips for the whole world to see.
My own 530i Sport, as standard, has an M badge on each alloy wheel, an M badge on each door sill, one on the steering wheel and one on the gearstick.
It's nothing new - M means 'Sport' or 'M Sport'. If an owner wishes to accentuate this fact then let them get on with it.
HOWEVER...
M3, M5, M6 etc are the special badges for the very special cars. I completely agree that sticking these to non M POWER BMW's is ridiculous.
But the regular M badges? You can hardly slate the owners for doing what BMW do themselves and have ALWAYS done themselves.
Remember guys - without people queing around the block to buy a bodykitted 3 Series diesel with M on the steering wheel how much longer would the halo cars last? BMW probably make very little directly developing and selling an M3 but make a heck load more selling 320d M Sport's to people who wish they could have an M3 but cannot afford it.
I drive an Msport as a daily driver but would never dream of putting an M badge on the rear (even though it has them everywhere else :-)
There is always a debate with what "constitutes" a true M car and for me its the engine not the accessories. But BMW do not help for example they fitted a non ///M engine to american Z3 roadsters (S52 engine which was just a reworked 3 litre block) and stuck an M badge on the back (due to fears at the time that a true M engine in a 2 seater would be too powerful for america litigation so they did not fit the much more powerful S50 engine).
I totally agree the M sticker has been a marketing mans dream but the fact its fitted to all engines without engine modification in Msport mode means its a purely cosmetic badge on those cars (your paying a premium for a car that "looks" nicer) and BMW have consciously keep the badges from the rear end since the Msport brand has become established.
Fox- said:
Remember guys - without people queing around the block to buy a bodykitted 3 Series diesel with M on the steering wheel how much longer would the halo cars last? BMW probably make very little directly developing and selling an M3 but make a heck load more selling 320d M Sport's to people who wish they could have an M3 but cannot afford it.
I would suggest it is actually the other way round. Manufacturers make halo cars for the very purpose of encouraging people to buy the sport models that mimic these cars.I'd also be surprised if the profit margins on an M3, M6, M5, Z4M etc. are not at least close to, if not better than the standard cars.
Vinny09 said:
I'd agree that the "M" badge shouldn't be on the exterior of anything that is not an "M car".
Even though it was BMW themselves who started the trend of putting M badges onto non 'M cars' back in 1982 with the M535i? And then continued it right through the 80's, 90's and 2000's with cars like the E30 325i Sport, E36 328i Sport and E39 528i Sport?All factory M badged, on the outside, from the factory.
Heck even the 318Ti Compact was FACTORY M badged!
Maybe we need to look at the reasons behind why people stick the badges on. Is it because they want people to think they have an M sport car rather than a full on M car? Is there such a fine line of difference in the world of self M badging? People want to be associated with the M brand which is presumably why BMW came up with their M sport marketing ploy. I think there is definitely an element of aspiration and delusion involved.
However I still think the same rule applies; you just can't go sticking erroneous badges on your car.
However I still think the same rule applies; you just can't go sticking erroneous badges on your car.
3ftandclean said:
Maybe we need to look at the reasons behind why people stick the badges on. Is it because they want people to think they have an M sport car rather than a full on M car? Is there such a fine line of difference in the world of self M badging? People want to be associated with the M brand which is presumably why BMW came up with their M sport marketing ploy. I think there is definitely an element of aspiration and delusion involved.
However I still think the same rule applies; you just can't go sticking erroneous badges on your car.
A guy up the road from me has stuck an M5 badge on his. He's got brembos on, 19" wheels, quad ehausts and every panel is M5. Something struck me, the disks looked to small so I looked inside. Lo and behold, it was an automatic. The inside was very different from mine also.However I still think the same rule applies; you just can't go sticking erroneous badges on your car.
I thought why, those mods must have cost a fortune, why not just buy the real bloody thing?
Gassing Station | M Power | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff