Over the decades, BMW as a brand has seen several turning points. With an entirely new type of vehicle on the horizon – New Class Electric Vehicles – it’s a better time than ever to think again about how the brand got to where it is today. In total, five cars stand out as an integral part of BMW’s heritage, lastingly changing both public perception and the spheres in which the brand operates.
BMW 1500 and Neue Klasse
The Neue Klasse cars of the 1960s were probably the most important car in BMW’s history and saved the brand from the abyss. Teetering on the edge of obscurity after years of lackluster sales and an aging product portfolio, the Quandt family took a large stake, and BMW followed up. The BMW 1500 debuted at the 1961 Frankfurt Motor Show and became an instant hit, spawning several variants and, arguably more importantly to the brand ethos, the 02 series. The Neue Klasse vehicles built on the relative success of the BMW 700, which was launched two years earlier. At the same time, they set the standard for all future BMWs. It’s stubborn, but not entirely inaccurate, to say that BMW wouldn’t be here today without the Neue Klasse. At least not as far as we know.
BMW 507
The word “important” is multidimensional. The BMW 507 really shines a bright light on this concept. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t think the 507 is particularly pretty, and even by the brand’s own admission it should have been a resounding success. The car’s sporty looks – supported by good underpinnings like a 3.2-liter V8 and a body made mostly of aluminum – had all the hallmarks of a sports car king. Of course the car succeeded, but certainly not in time. The 507 sold poorly and only around 250 examples made it into customer hands. Of course, the car’s icy reception meant that BMW had to change its strategies – ultimately, the car almost drove the company into bankruptcy. It set in motion events that culminated in the invention of the New Class – how much more important can you get?
E12 M535i
The E12 M535i stands out for many reasons. But the most important part of BMW’s legacy is the fact that it was the first BMW M car as we know it today. That means: a road-ready, racetrack-ready performance sedan that doesn’t skimp on the finer things. The M535i’s sleek inline-six, combined with subtle design updates, set the precedent for the BMW M road cars that followed; especially the E28 M5 and the E30 M3. It is also arguably the invention of the modern luxury sports sedan. Today, the “wolf in sheep’s clothing” style may have fallen by the wayside. However, the guiding ethos behind the car remains largely intact almost 60 years later. In addition to its excellent driving experience and undeniably important heritage, the fantastic 5 Series touts extremely low production numbers. Only around 1,650 examples were made, meaning values are still high today.
E53 BMW X5
Today the BMW X5 is one of the brand’s bestsellers. So you really can’t talk about important models without at least mentioning the first BMW SUV. But the E53 X5 is important for other reasons too. Its development and release was a first look at how BMW would deal with other acquired brands; in this case Land Rover, although MINI and Rolls-Royce were to follow later. Although the E53 was not critically acclaimed, it quickly became popular with customers, and by 2001 global sales had surpassed 100,000 units. Future generations improved on the brand’s – we call it inspired – vision and today the X5 accounts for a significant portion of BMW sales. Of course, the X5’s strong sales paved the way for a whole range of X models, from the X1 to the supersized BMW X7.
BMW i3
No matter how much the legacy of the original BMW i3 may disappear after the Neue Klasse i3 steals its glory, you can’t rewrite history. The effervescent electric city car was BMW’s first mass-produced electric vehicle and represented the culmination of lessons learned from the brand’s other electric projects such as MINI E and BMW ActiveE. For most customers, the BMW i8 was the first connection between BMW and electromobility. Construction primarily used recycled materials and carbon fiber from BMW’s own factory in Moses Lake, Washington – another groundbreaking achievement that sets the bar for future BMW electric vehicles. Despite vocal critics – mostly those who couldn’t understand the i3’s city car concept – the i3 was fairly well received. Ultimately, over 250,000 copies found a home. In 2016, the car was the third best-selling electric vehicle in the world, after the Tesla Model S and the Nissan Leaf.
Of course, this list is far from complete. Many other BMWs in the recent and distant past have redefined what we should expect from the brand. For example, the F90 M5 and its revolutionary M xDrive, which allows a hot swap between rear and all-wheel drive. The end result? BMW’s innovations are diverse, spanning decades and nearly every body style and powertrain imaginable.
