Friday 24th June 2016

BMW's greatest hits: Pic Of The Week

BMW is Goodwood's featured marque this year; POTW celebrates with a collection of Munich's finest

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In its 100-year history being celebrated at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed, BMW has gone off in all sorts of different directions, today's vast range seemingly slotting a car into every available niche. Not to mention a few nobody had considered.

There are, you'll note, no 'Sports Activity Vehicles', front-driven MPVs or weird SUV/hatchback crossovers in this picture. Here we concentrate on the very core of what, to many of us enthusiasts, embodies BMW's promise of the ultimate driving machine. Namely compact, powerful and overtly rear-driven sporting saloons. Amazing to think just one of them is normally aspirated too!

Heading the field is the 2002 Turbo, the template for which has successfully been translated for the modern age by the new M2. With or without forced induction the E30 M3's race-bred focus on delivering a memorable driving experience makes it an appropriate inclusion, along with the thuggish 1 M Coupe that set the mould for the M2.

Four of our favourite BMWs then, gathered together to celebrate what we love about the brand. More of the same to be seen this weekend at Goodwood.

Traditional (4:3)
Computer widescreen (16:10)
TV widescreen (16:9)
Portrait (smartphone etc)

[Words: Lee Stern]

[PHMatt]

Missing some important metal in my opinion.

No M5's at all for example.

Should the M1 not be there just as a precursor to the whole of M division?

[Evolved]

No CSL but the 1M?

[TarpaTow]

Wow, some mega cars there. The M5 should deffo be there and so should some of the new style BMs, like the 2 series active tourers. They're different to the M5 but have the same DNA and driving feel.

But how do you choose the best BMs, they're all designed to be the Ultimate Driving Machines and deliver that in spades.

My main concern now though is what happens after Brexit, will we still be able to buy BMs without mahoosive import taxes. Whatever happens to their prices, we'll just have to extend our payments to make sure we still keep driving them.

I've already been in and asked my dealer what's likely to happen re prices, spare parts etc but he just said they hadn't been told yet. He's a great guy, sold me my latest car so don't think he was messing me about.

I did think about seeing if he could work out how to get me on a new deal so that I could be sure of staying in a BM as long as possible, but he suggested I stay with my current BM as it's quite new and one of their better models and supply shouldn't be a problem for a while, even if the EU get 'funny' (his words, not mine).

[Amirhussain]

Great pic, but E46 CSL and E34 M5 need to be in it too.

[Leins]

Amirhussain said:

Great pic, but E46 CSL and E34 M5 need to be in it too.

CSL definitely, but, even though I believe the E34 M5 has the greatest BMW 6cyl ever made, the car wouldn't fit in with the above line-up too well

[aka_kerrly]

If I could have any one of those in my garage I'd be a happy chappy!!!

They have even managed to park them from front>back in the order that I like them most ahha

[Mr Tidy]

Tough choice, but I would have liked to see an M1 and/or an M635Csi in that line-up (but thankfully no 2 Series "Active Tourer" - whatever that is supposed to mean - it'll never be an Ultimate Driving Machine)

[Sam All]

Mr Tidy said:

Tough choice, but I would have liked to see an M1 and/or an M635Csi in that line-up (but thankfully no 2 Series "Active Tourer" - whatever that is supposed to mean - it'll never be an Ultimate Driving Machine)

Agree - M1, E30 M3, E28 M5, M635CSi rather than the mediocre 1M, M2 - cars that will be forgotten soon enough.

And if space for more than 4 cars - 2002tii (Turbo), E9 CSL, 328, 507...

[Jessi]

E39 M5, E46 M3 CSL

[Sam All]

Jessi said:

E39 M5, E46 M3 CSL

Good choices there.

Really if our forum members were asked to choose 4 BMW's that sum up the success of the company:

2002tii, M1, E30 M3, E46 CSL?

[Leins]

If I was to pick my 4 favourites: E9 CSL, E30 M3, E28 M5, E46 CSL

However, my 4 favourite things with a BMW badge: Hartge E30 H35-24S, Alpina E34 B10 BiTurbo, Racing Dynamics K55 Compact, ACS E36 CLSII

Edited by Leins on Friday 1st July 11:23