BMW M is taking a walk down memory lane to celebrate its 50th birthday.
From January 2022, the brand will allow buyers to spec their vehicles with a badge harking back to its first racing cars.
“The BMW logo with the shifted semicircles in blue, violet and red was first used in 1973 on the racing car of BMW Motorsport GmbH, which had been established a year before,” BMW says.
“In 1978 and with the debut of the BMW M1 the three colour stripes slanted to the right and leaning on the letter M followed.”
A new badge won’t be the only way BMW M celebrates the big five-oh.
Buyers chasing a more retro look will also be able to spec their cars in Dakar Yellow, Fire Orange, Daytona Violet, Macao Blue, Imola Red, or Frozen Marina Bay Blue.
BMW hasn’t provided specifics on which colours will be offered on which cars, but the palette dates back to the 1990s, and has a strong link to the M3 in particular.
We’re also expecting BMW M to launch only its second-ever bespoke vehicle, the plug-in hybrid XM SUV, in concept form before the end of November 2021, ahead of a production reveal in 2022.
The XM will feature a plug-in hybrid powertrain, and reports from BMW Blog suggest the XM will be offered in two variants: a 460kW M version and an M Competition with a total system output of 552kW from its plug-in hybrid twin-turbocharged V8 powertrain.
It’ll go head-to-head with the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid, which has 500kW of power and 900Nm of torque from a combination of a twin-turbocharged V8 engine and electric motors.
The first bespoke BMW M vehicle was the short-lived M1 supercar.
