Description
Author: Chris Rees, Hardbound, 128 Pages, ISBN: 9781899870189, 1st Edition, 1997, - Second-Hand book in perfect order
A Collector's Guide
Introduction
If the story of BMW in recent times is one of inexorable rise, then one should naturally be drawn by what is regarded as the pinnacle of its achievements. There is little doubt that the division known as M has a status within and without BMW as the highest expression of the BMW philosophy, 'the ultimate driving machine'. Drivers aspire to experience the M legend, BMW employees yearn to work for it, and writers exhaust their supply of superlatives in describing it.
M stands for Motorsport. Since 1972, Motorsport has been a separate company-within-a-company. Nominally, its primary function is to advance the cause of BMW's competitions effort — a course in which it has been phenomenally successful — but its other main brief is to develop, and sometimes to manufacture, high-performance and high-specification road cars.
In BMW's phraseology, M is 'the most powerful letter in the world', for the application of the tricoloured 'M' badge means that something exceptional has happened. BMW's M division has endorsed a product honed in its hallowed workshops and test tracks and passed it as worthy of its mark. Such cars are not aftermarket specials, they are proper BMW cars, yet they do not fall into the same category as other BMWs, or indeed any other category. M cars are utterly unique, as I hope the story told in this book will convey.
Acknowledgements
I would like to acknowledge the invaluable help and support of everyone who thought it worthwhile to sacrifice their time and invest the effort required to make this book as accurate and as complete as possible. Special thanks are due to Alun Parry and Chris Willows at BMW (GB) for all their effort, diligence and friendliness. In Germany, I would like to thank Friedbert Holz in the Motorsport press department, Alexander Hildebrandt for his work on the production figures, Eva-Maria Burkhardt for researching competition results, and Heinrich Klebl of BMW Tradition for making the best of a difficult situation at BMW Historical Archives.
On the photographic side, I would like again to acknowledge the efforts of BMW in Britain and in Germany to supply images. A large debt of gratitude must also be extended to Tim Hignett and his senior executives Simon Crompton and Toby Partridge at BMW dealership L&C, of Tunbridge Wells and Croydon, for their sterling efforts in making available several delectable M Series models from L&C's classic car collection for photographic purposes.
Finally, I must pay tribute to the patience and persistence of John Blunsden, my publisher, who was also forced to bring his camera to the rescue at short notice.
June 1996 Chris Rees
