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The BMW museum in Munich, Germany, isn’t where you go to learn about one-offs, concept cars or prototypes.
Instead, it’s a neatly-arranged assortment of the brand’s most significant cars. All of the greatest BMWs have a spot in the collection, including the 2002, the Z1 and, of course, the original M3. Keeping in mind the exhibits occasionally change, here are some of the greatest cars we saw on a recent trip to the museum.
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3/15 DA-3 (1930)
BMW’s first car, the Dixi, also became its first roadster. Introduced in 1930 and built under an Austin license, the 3/15 DA-3 used a 738cc four-cylinder engine that made 18hp. That’s not much on paper, but it was enough in a car that weighed just 410kg. BMW built 150 examples of the 3/15 DA-3.
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328 (1936)
The 328 stands out as one of the most significant (and sportiest) early BMWs. Its 2.0-litre straight-six engine and state-of-the-art features like hydraulic brakes helped it win its class in countless motorsport events, including the Mille Miglia. It’s also a testament to how fast BMW evolved in the 1930s. The company went from building an Austin 7 under license to dominating races in just a few short years.
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328 Mille Miglia Roadster (1939)
BMW built the lightweight Mille Miglia derivative of the 328 to conquer the racing scene. Its highly aerodynamic body put an equal emphasis on form and on function, an approach to car-building that paid dividends in motorsport events. Stylists haven’t forgotten about the 328 Mille Miglia. It’s ‘still a unique source of inspiration for BMW design,’ according to the company.
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335 (1939)
BMW remembers the 335 as its first-ever luxury saloon. Its relatively light body and its 3.5-litre, 90hp straight-six engine helped it thrive on Germany’s then-new Autobahn network of roads. It could reach a top speed of 90mph.
The outbreak of World War II forced BMW to abruptly end production after building 400 examples, of which 233 were saloons. The rest were either two-door or four-door convertibles.
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Isetta (1955)
Designed by Italian auto-maker Iso, the Isetta joined the BMW catalogue to help the company exit a financial rut. The so-called bubble car was, to put it mildly, unconventional. It was wider in the front than in the back, the only way to access the passenger compartment was through a front-hinged door and its 250cc engine huffed and puffed until it delivered 12hp. It caught on, somewhat surprisingly, and it helped BMW avoid laying off part of its workforce.
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700 (1959)
Like the Isetta, the 700 and its derivatives played a significant role in saving BMW from collapse. The brand leveraged its expertise in building motorcycles and fitted the 700 with a rear-mounted evolution of the R67’s air-cooled flat-twin engine. The catalogue included a two-door sedan and a two-door coupe with a fast-sloping roof line. Both designs were the work of Turin-based Michelotti. BMW sold the 700 alongside the Isetta for about three years.
In America, the 1961 Isetta cost $1048 ($8621/£6223 today) while the 1961 700 started at $1898 ($15,734/£11,357). To add context, that same year the Fiat 500 cost $998 ($8273/£5972) and the 600 started at $1198 ($9931/£7168). Think of the 700 as today’s 1 Series; a small, sporty car priced above comparably-sized mainstream offerings. (Note: LS Coupe pictured)
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Neue Klasse (1962)
If the Isetta and the 700 kept BMW afloat, it’s the Neue Klasse (new class) line of cars that helped the company return to profitability and sail smoothly again. The Neue Klasse models were surprisingly modern, both in terms of styling and in terms of driving dynamics. While BMW built performance cars before the Neue Klasse, it was the company’s first true sports sedan.
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The Neue Klasse on the track (1960s)
Though BMW designed the Neue Klasse for families on the move, the saloon became immensely successful in racing during the 1960s. Hubert Hahne became the first touring car driver to lap the Nürburgring – Nordschleife in under ten minutes, a monstrously difficult achievement at the time.
His 2000 TI (pictured above) received basic modifications like wider steel wheels. The victories of drivers like Hahne gave BMW the credibility to offer its modern-day M cars with a Competition Package.
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700 LS Coupe (1964)
BMW launched an evolution of the 700 named LS Coupe that offered a longer wheelbase and a bigger, 40hp engine. BMW built under 2000 examples of the LS Coupe between 1964 and 1965. High-end variants like the LS Coupe and the 700 Sport (which later became the 700 CS) earned respect by winning circuit races and hill climb events across Europe.
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02 Series (1966)
BMW shrunk the Neue Klasse sedan to create a series of entry-level models. The firm presented the 1600-2, its first 02, at the 1966 Geneva Motor Show. The line-up later grew to include models named 1502, 1802 and 2002 plus convertible and hatchback variants.
The 02 quickly became one of BMW’s most successful cars, both in terms of sales and race victories, and it elevated the brand to unprecedented heights. It also helped BMW secure a steady foothold in America. Many enthusiasts consider the 02 the quintessential BMW from the 1960s.
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2002 TI (1968)
BMW launched the TI as a sportier evolution of the 2002, which already stood out as one of the most driver-focused cars in its class. The TI gained a 120hp 2.0-litre engine and upgraded brakes to keep the additional power in check. It could reach a top speed of 114mph when facing a long enough stretch of asphalt. Its genes live on in high-end 3 Series variants like the 340i.
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3 Series (1975)
BMW replaced the 02 with the first-ever 3 Series in 1975. It was a slightly boxier evolution of its predecessor that embraced the firm’s then-current design language. The 3 retained the 02’s proportions and shark nose grille, and the first-generation model was only offered as a two-door sedan. 43 years and six generations later, the 3 Series remains the backbone upon which BMW builds its entire line-up.
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3.0 CSL (1975)
BMW’s racing success continued in the 1970s thanks largely to the 3.0 CSL. Don’t let the name fool you; L doesn’t mean long, as in long-wheelbase. It means leicht, ‘light’ in German. BMW shaved as much weight as possible from the 3.0 CS by manufacturing the body with thinner steel, making the doors with aluminium and fitting plastic windows.
The sporty, luxurious coupe evolved into a wide-bodied beast with side-mounted exhaust pipes, centre-locking wheels and a sizable wing on the boot lid. The CSL won the European Touring Car Championship in 1973 and again in 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1979.
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7 Series (1977)
BMW replaced the E3 models (also called New Six) with the bigger, more luxurious 7 Series. As the brand’s flagship, the 7 inaugurated features like ABS and it later became one of the first BMW model line offered exclusively with fuel-injected engines. Unlike its successors, the first-generation 7 only came with six-cylinder engines. BMW didn’t make eight- and 12-cylinder engines available until it launched the E32-generation model.
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M1 (1978)
Have you ever wondered why BMW didn’t call the M-tuned 1 Series the M1? The 1978 M1 is why. BMW joined forces with Lamborghini to design the M1, a deal which promised to skilfully blend Germany’s deep-rooted engineering prowess with Italy’s unrivalled supercar expertise. That’s not what happened.
In dire financial straits, Lamborghini delayed the project several times. BMW ultimately cancelled the tie-up and decided to bring the M1 to the market on its own. Pushing Lamborghini out of the picture created a blisteringly complicated assembly process. Trasformazione Italiana Resina (TIR) made the Giugiaro-designed bodies using fibreglass.
Marchesi manufactured the tubular chassis and Italdesign unceremoniously wedded the two units. The unfinished M1s then travelled to Stuttgart, Germany, where coachbuilder Baur installed mechanical components such as the 3.5-litre straight-six engine before finally sending the car to BMW M.
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M635CSi (1983)
An evolution of the M1’s straight-six engine turned the 6 Series into the M635CSi. The modifications also included bigger brakes with standard ABS and a suspension made lower and stiffer. It remained low-key, however. There were no flares, vents or bench-sized wings. Visually, the biggest differences between the 635CSi and the M-badged model were a spoiler on either end and an emblem on the trunk lid.
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M5 (1985)
BMW M created the original M5 by mixing and matching 535i and M1 parts. The 535i provided the M5’s basic structure. From the M1, engineers procured a 3.5-litre straight-six engine ready and willing to power a four-door saloon to supercar-like speeds. The six-cylinder made 278hp, meaning the original M5 packed slightly more power than a Ferrari 328. The E28-generation M5 wasn’t cheap, and it wasn’t the hit some executives hoped it would be, but it had a formative influence on the BMW line-up.
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M3 (1986)
BMW launched the original M3 as a two-door sedan in the spring of 1986. Originally, the idea wasn’t to boost the 3 Series’ sales and image. The brand merely wanted to homologate the car so it could compete in the German Touring Car Championship. It came with a model-specific body kit and a 2.3-litre four-cylinder engine rated at 200hp. Enthusiasts immediately got hooked, and the M3 earned a reputation as BMW M’s master stroke.
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3 Series Touring (1987)
In the 1980s, most balked at the idea of a BMW estate. Max Reisböck begged to differ. Working in BMW’s prototype-building division gave him the unique opportunity to prove his point. He borrowed a friend’s garage for six months and painstakingly turned a E30-generation 323i he bought wrecked into the very first BMW estate.
His bosses at BMW were so impressed with the conversion that they asked to keep it in order to examine it. They ultimately commissioned a production model which arrived in 1987, three years after Max started his project.
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Z1 (1987)
The Z1 paved the way for every modern BMW two-seater roadster. When it launched, however, few imagined it would spawn such an impressive descendance. It was a rolling display of technology and design built to showcase the capacities of BMW’s research and development department.
To that end, it received doors that famously retracted into the body, a front-mid-mounted engine, and plastic body panels. BMW built about 8000 examples of the atypical Z1 between 1989 and 1991.
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Z3 (1995)
The Z3 brought BMW back to the roadster segment after a four-year hiatus. The E36-derived model was more accessible than the Z1, its predecessor, and it consequently sold in much greater numbers. Some fans remember it for its role in the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye. For BMW, the Z3 is significant as was the first model it built exclusively outside of Germany. Every Z3 – even the ones sold in Europe – wore a “made in America” label.
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