Founded in 1972, BMW is celebrating the 50th anniversary of their M subsidiary this year. For the uninitiated, the M Division is the Bavarian carmaker’s performance arm which rolls out high-performance iterations of all standard BMW models. Commemorating the five decades of making the ‘ultimate driver’s machines’, BMW in India has promised to introduce 10 special M offerings this year. We've already got the 50th Jahre Editions of the 6 Series GT and the M340i. So we thought it is a perfect opportunity to take some time out and look back at some of the iconic BMW M Cars we have driven at CarWale.

Track Experience: BMW M4

If it’s an M, it’s gotta be on a Race Track. As part of the pre-launch event for the fifth-gen M3 and the all-new M4 back in 2014, BMW had booked the sole F1 track in India – the Buddh International Circuit (BIC). The F80 gen M3 and M4 pair was let loose at the BIC and was joined by their elder siblings, the F10 M5 and then the BMW M flagship – the M6. It was also special because this was the first time the M4 moniker was born – for earlier the two-door version of the M3 was simply called ‘M3 Coupe’. So the M4 posed a threat to the likes of Jaguar F-Type and Porsche 911. Click here to read about the track experience of the M4.

BMW X6 M and X5 M on MMRT

A 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 punching out 567bhp under the pure muscle of X5 and X6 hooting around the MMRT – is this what heaven would look like? The previous-gen X5 was one of the best driver’s SUVs. But, add a M badge to it and you get a fire-breathing monster, heaving through large ‘kidney-grille’ nostrils, a hunkered stance riding on 20-inch Pirelli draped wheels and quad-tail pipes at the back.The X5 M and its coupe-SUV version, theX6 M are a few rare performance SUVs out there that would give you chills and thrills at the same time.

BMW M3 First Drive

After the V8 in the E92 M3, BMW brought back their iconic straight-six for the F80-gen M3. With the M3, BMW created 'all the car you would ever need'. Even in this fifth-gen, the M3 was devastatingly fast yet soothing to just cruise around in. It had physics bending dynamics, but also ironed out imperfect road conditions. It had sports car-rivalling performance yet carried a family of four in luxury. But while the M3 was tested and developed in Europe, we took it to our desi version of the Swiss Alps – Chorla Ghat.

BMW M5 First Drive Review

If someone asks for a definition of a ‘sleeper’, tell them about the M5. This 5 Series-looking super-sedan is genuinely SUPER in every possible way. It has 591bhp on tap – more than you get in thoroughbred Italian mid-engine supercars like Lamborghini Huracan and Ferrari 458. It has a clever all-wheel drive that would let you light up the rear wheels for fun. And you can still taxi four in the comfort of a luxury sedan while blowing their minds like skies on the Fourth of July. Few other cars offer as much as the BMW M5 does, hands down.

BMW M340i: CarWale Track Day 2021

Okay we admit, the M340i is not a full-blown M car. But it's not just a sticker job either. The straight-six in the M340i puts out 382bhp, just shy of what you got in the V8-powered E92-gen M3. It's got the same xDrive as you get in the above-mentioned M5, and then there’s that look. It looked menacingly good going sideways at the MMRT at our 2021 CarWale Track Day – trust me when I say this because I saw it from both outside and inside. The M340i is the ultimate buy for petrolheads who also want practicality; want to run track days on Sundays and drive to work on Mondays; want enough power to burn rubber when shown a corner; yet get a good gas mileage. It - along with all other cars mentioned in this story are - truly an ‘ultimate driving machine’.