BMW is famous for its driver-focused cars. Even the lesser models offer excellent driving dynamics, sometimes sacrificing comfort for sharper handling.
While most of us remember and recognize the M3s and M5s, the Bavarians have built several limited editions that only true BMW fanatics can name.
1991 E34 BMW M5 Winkelhock Edition — 51 Units
In 1991, BMW asked two of its racing drivers, Johnny Cecotto and Joachim Winkelhock, to design their ideal E34 M5s. For his version, Winkelhock decided to go with a lightweight version, stripping the M5 of many standard creature comforts and adding some safety and performance parts.
When it was ready, the Winkelhock Edition M5 was 88 lbs lighter than a standard M5. All 51 cars were painted Jet Black with contrasting Sterling Silver Metallic parts, and the interior received half-leather Recaro seats.
2001 E46 BMW M3 GTR Strassenversion — 10 Units
BMW’s 2001 E46 M3 GTR is a road-going homologation special built to compete in the 2002 American Le Mans Series. BMW only made 10 of these lightweight monsters and made them available to the public with an exorbitant price tag.
The straight-six engine usually found under the hood of the E46 M3 was long gone. In its place was a 4.0-liter V8 that let 350 wild stallions loose when the throttle was floored.
1936–1940 BMW 328 Roadster — 464 Units
The pre-war BMW 328 was a sports car and highly successful racer with multiple prestigious trophies to its name.
In 1936, it won at the Nürburgring. The following year, the 328 took home over 100 class wins. By 1940, the BMW 328 had participated in 172 races and racked up 141 victories, including at the RAC Tourist Trophy, the Alpine Rally, the Mille Miglia, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
2012 E92 BMW M3 DTM Champion Edition — 54 Units
After a 19-year hiatus, BMW returned to DTM racing in 2012, and won the drivers’, team, and manufacturers’ titles in its first year. Obviously, they had to create something special to celebrate the newly restocked trophy cabinet.
They came up with the DTM Champion Edition, based on the E92 Competition Pack M3. It had a reprogrammed ESP system, various carbon fiber parts — including the gurney flap, and roof — and a 10 mm lower suspension with a Sport setting. Only 54 were made.
2011 E90 BMW M3 CRT — 67 Units
At first glance, the E90 BMW M3 CRT sedan doesn’t look all that special, but CRT stands for Carbon Racing Technology, which should tell you everything you need to know.
With carbon fiber-reinforced plastic parts used both inside and outside, it’s essentially a rolling advertisement for BMW’s carbon fiber expertise. As expected, this has made it around 154 lbs lighter than a standard M3. Its 4.4-liter V8 engine pumps out 450 hp, and thanks to the titanium exhaust, it had a glorious soundtrack. Zero to 62 mph was also half a second quicker, taking just 4.4 seconds.
2003 E52 BMW Z8 Alpina — 555 Units
In the early 2000s, BMW created the Z8, which enjoyed a short, three-year production run and was fitted with the E39 M5’s 4.9-liter V8 and a six-speed manual. However, its reception at the time is best described as lukewarm, and by 2003, Alpina took the Z8 reins.
Alpina went to work, lowering the power from 395 to 375 hp and increasing torque from 369 to 384 lb-ft. They also replaced the manual transmission with an automatic, and gave the Z8 a softer and more refined suspension setup. Voilà, the harsh Z8 was now transformed into an excellent grand tourer, and only 555 people got their hands on one.
1995 E36 BMW M3 Lightweight — 126 Units
BMW released the E36 M3 Lightweight exclusively on the American market. Production was limited to just 126 cars, all of which had big rear wings, carbon parts, and fancy decals.
Weight-saving measures were taken to the extreme to chop off 200 lbs from the standard M3’s weight. Under the hood, it had the same inline-six as other M3s, but it was slightly down on power, and the top speed limiter was gone.
2016 F13 BMW M6 Competition Limited Edition — 100 Units
In 2016, BMW built 100 M6 Competition Limited Edition units for the US market. It was only available in two colors, Alpine White and Austin Yellow.
With the Competition Package, the twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 engine produced 600+ hp and 515 lb-ft of torque, which sent it to 60 mph in just 3.8 seconds. The springs, dampers, and anti-roll bars were also firmer than standard. It also had 20” M Double Spoke wheels, a sports exhaust, and plenty of carbon fiber parts.
1978–1982 E12 BMW Alpina B7 Turbo — 209 Units
In 1978, Alpina unveiled its first car based on the E12 BMW 5-Series. Initially sold as the 530 Turbo, they soon changed the name to B7 Turbo and B7 S Turbo.
Both versions used a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six engine, but whereas the B7 produced 296 hp, the B7 S had a whopping 326 hp, making it the world’s fastest four-door car. It was eventually replaced by the E28-based model, and by then, a total of 209 B7 and B7 S had been built.
1987–1990 E30 BMW 320is — 2,540 Units
In Portugal and Italy, taxes were considerably higher for cars with engines larger than 2.0 liters, so BMW got around that by creating a unique model for those markets only.
The E30 320is had the same body as the regular 3-Series, but it was powered by a 2.0-liter version of the M3’s S14 engine. It even had the European M3’s Getrag dogleg gearbox. Only 2,540 two-door models were built, and the four-door is even rarer, with just 1,206 cars.
2010 E92 BMW M3 GTS — 135 Units
The fourth-gen M3, or E92 in BMW speak, was the first and only time (except for the very limited E46 GTR) BMW used a V8 in the M3. In 2010, the Bavarians unveiled the hand-built GTS version, which was an absolute beast.
The GTS was basically an M3 that spent some time in the gym to shed weight and pack on muscle. It had a carbon fiber roof and a titanium exhaust. The rear seats, sound system, and aircon were ripped out, and other interior parts were also given the lightweight treatment. Its V8 engine grew from 4.0 liters to 4.4, and power increased from 415 to 450 hp. Luckily, the brakes and suspension were upgraded to match.
2016 F82 BMW M4 DTM Champion Edition — 200 Units
Remember the 2012 E92 DTM Champion Edition we mentioned earlier? Well, in 2016, BMW did it again, so they commemorated the occasion by creating the M4 DTM Champion Edition. It’s essentially the same car as the GTS, but the divisive orange parts are gone, and the car is now white with the M tricolor stripes.
It has all the GTS goodies, including the carbon fiber hood, roof, and rear diffuser. The engine is a turbocharged inline-six with water injection and 500 horsepower. Only 200 were made, and the owners could enjoy a 0-62 mph time of 3.8 seconds.
1973–1974 BMW 2002 Turbo — 1,672 Units
BMW became one of the pioneers of turbocharging when it introduced the 2002 Turbo in 1973. The car is pretty much the epitome of the ketchup effect: Floor the throttle, watch the revs build, wait for it, wait a bit more, and then all the power arrives at once.
While 170 hp and 181 lb-ft of torque don’t sound like much today, in those days, with early 1970s tire technology, it was a handful if the conditions weren’t right. The 2002 Turbo was a true BMW performance model before the M division was created, and it had an aggressive, wide-arch body kit and BMW’s tricolor decals.
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- Source: https://teslatale.com/rare-bmws/