8 of the Most Interesting BMW Sports Cars Ever Made

BMW's path to becoming the high-performance brand of choice for hundreds of thousands of luxury customers is littered with intriguing one-offs, doomed supercar projects, and razor-sharp driving experiences that all combined to form the company's modern reputation. From the beginnings of the M Division, the experimentation with exotic and mid-engine marvels, to stuffing big motors under the hoods of tiny coupes, BMW hasn't been afraid to take chances and experiment outside the norms of the sports car market.

Here's a look at eight of the most interesting BMW sports cars of all time.

BMW 507

In the 1950s, BMW needed a win in America. Enter Max Hoffman, a prominent importer of European cars across the Atlantic, and the man responsible for inspiring automotive icons like the Mercedes-Benz 300SL and the Porsche 356. He worked his magic on BMW's brass by convincing them to cut the roof off of its 500-series grand-touring platform and create an open-top sports car version that could go toe to toe with the German, Italian, and British roadsters that were finding favor in that era (albeit at a price point somewhere in the middle of those examples).

Although a bit late to the market, the 507 came with a gorgeous aluminum body, the very first BMW V-8 engine, and 150 hp in an era when that made for stirring performance in such a small package. Unfortunately, it was also a financial boondoggle for the brand: Only 252 were built between 1956 and 1960. Its unexpectedly ballooned price made it a far cry from the original projected success. Nevertheless, the 507 was a statement piece from BMW: Elvis bought one, and so did Fred Astaire, and it gave many Americans a reason to sit up and take notice of the automaker for the first time. Today, the 507's gorgeous lines and sublime driving experience make it one of the company's most desirable—and expensive—classics.

BMW 2002 Turbo

BMW's original 2002 arrived in 1968, and it quickly stepped into the role of affordable but fun two-door commuter car. Within a couple of years, however, BMW had pushed its base 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine from just under 100 hp to almost 130 horses in the 2002 thanks to the use of fuel injection.

By 1973, the automaker was all-in on a go-fast edition of its 2002 platform, introducing the 2002 Turbo. Packing 170 hp from a turbocharged version of that same four-cylinder engine, and featuring a top speed of 131 mph, the BMW coupe made the most of its lightweight package and convinced legions of drivers to embrace forced induction for the first time. New heads, enhanced cooling, bigger brakes, and as many as five forward speeds (sending output to a limited-slip rear end) positioned the 2002 Turbo as an out-of-the-box track star, and although the car's production was curtailed by the energy crisis that same year, it firmly established the model's performance bonafides and created a legend that echoes through to today. Not to mention it's probably the only production car to have reverse-printed its name on the front bumper so you can react accordingly when it zooms up into your rearview mirror.

BMW 3.0 CSL

If your car is given the name "Batmobile" by an admiring public, you know it has to be one of the most interesting models you've ever produced. So it goes with the BMW 3.0 CSL, a coupe whose front fender blades, roof spoiler, and big trunk-mounted batwing meshed with its forward-canted grille to create unforgettable early-'70s styling.

If looks were all the Neue Klasse BMWs had going for them, that might be enough to earn them a spot in history. Throw in the 3.0 CSL's homologation-special mechanicals and its fantastic road presence that's elevated by exceptional performance. With its on-track cousin entered into European Touring Car competition (where it won six championships), there were 1,256 lightweight (the "L" in "CSL") street models built featuring nearly identical aero (minus its striking widebody) and substantially upgraded engine output (203 hp from a straight-six).

BMW M1

The BMW M1 was the very first car to wear the M badge. Originally intended to be built in partnership with Lamborghini as a sports car racing platform, this mid-engine marvel was delayed by the Italian automaker's bankruptcy proceedings, forcing BMW to take the project entirely in-house. As the racing world's regulations moved ever forward, BMW ended up creating a single-make series called Procar for the M1 to compete in, alongside Group 4 endurance racing versions.

Neither of those gambits was successful, and the financial deficit associated with the car's development seriously hobbled BMW's motorsports operations as the 1970s turned into the 1980s. The road-going version of the M1 was limited to less than 400 examples, hand-built between 1978 and 1981. Despite not finding a sustainable audience at the time, the wedge-shaped M1 has had a towering influence on some of BMW's most enduring automobiles, with its 3.5-liter, M88 straight-six engine forming the basis of the drivetrain for the first M5 and M6 models—not to mention the fact that BMW Motorsports being able to execute (however profitless) a street car helped give birth to the M division that dominates its performance efforts today.

BMW E30 M3

The original BMW M3 sparked a succession of models that came to define the brand's street performance machines for the next three decades. Arriving in 1988, the M3 brought with it a widebody for the standard 3 Series coupe, along with a wing and aggressive aero that reflected its role as a homologation racing special. Unlike previous M efforts, the E30-generation car swapped in a four-cylinder motor for the traditional inline-six, squeezing 197 hp out of a modest 2.0-liters of displacement.

Although other automakers (such as Mercedes-Benz with the 190E) also built racing editions of their respective entry-level compacts, it's the BMW E30 M3 that charted the most influential course on any of those company's efforts in America. Soon to be succeeded by the more advanced (although less playful) E36 M3, the E30 remains the gold standard for brand fans who favor lightweight handling and communication with the road over any other concerns.

BMW Z1

The first thing anyone notices about the BMW Z1 are its doors—or rather, its lack of them, as when they're dropped down into the rocker panels the small roadster does its best Jeep Wrangler impersonation and appears to have wide open entry points on either side. Then there's its construction, assembled out of plastic panels that can be removed and replaced rather than standard sheetmetal, with a plastic undertray keeping airflow smooth at speed.

Of course, getting up to speed takes a little while, given the car's modest, 168-hp six-cylinder engine. The Z1 was engaging through the corners, featuring a rear suspension that eventually promulgated through much of the brand's 1990s sports car lineup, along with a front setup borrowed from the E30. Introduced in 1987 as a concept and put into production between 1989 and 1991, only 8,000 examples were ever built.

BMW Nazca M12/C2

After the M1 debacle, BMW was understandably nervous about heading down the dedicated supercar path a second time. It took more than a decade after pulling the M1 from showrooms for the company to introduce its follow-up, another gullwing wonder dubbed the Nazca M12/C2.

Originally shown off in 1991 at the Tokyo Motor Show as the Nazca M12, the coupe's shape was penned by Fabrizio Giugiaro and evoked many of the period's race-car-for-the-street motifs (with similarities to be found to the Oldsmobile Aerotech series of concepts). Well received, the very similar Nazca C2 was introduced a year later in partnership with longtime tuners Alpina and included a 350-hp version of BMW's 5.0-liter V-12 engine, along with then-exotic carbon-fiber elements sprinkled throughout its platform. By 1993 a convertible version of the car was also on the dais (which featured an additional 25 hp), swapping gullwings for T-tops and including a transparent engine cover for the mid-mounted monster 12.

None of these cars ever went on sale, with fewer than five having been built, but they significantly raised the brand's profile in an era when Ferrari, Lamborghini, and even cars like the Toyota Supra and the Mazda RX-7 were grabbing the high-tech, high-performance spotlight.

BMW Z3 M Coupe

The BMW Z3 M Coupe is a fascinating example of personality overpowering the technical limitations of a vehicle's platform. Although the Z3 roadster (and its rare, fixed-roof sibling) had arrived the year before the M models of both appeared, it was known for erring on the comfort side of the equation versus the connected performance of competitors like the Porsche Boxster. The initial M Coupe didn't exactly ignite enthusiast passions, either, with its more modest, S52 straight-six engine borrowed from the E36 M3 offering good but not overwhelming specs.

A major change occurred in 2001 when the M Coupe gained access to the drivetrain from the E36 M3's successor, the E46 M3. This S54 engine's 315 hp was more than a match for the Z3-based car's suspension setup, and all that muscle under the hood transformed the M Coupe's driving experience into something far more raucous than anyone had any right to expect. Combine that with its unusual, short-deck, long-hood styling and its willingness to power-slide and light up the tires at a moment's notice, and the M Coupe's big personality has carved out a unique spot in BMW's history.

The Most Interesting BMW Sports Cars of All Time

• BMW 507
• BMW 2002 Turbo
• BMW 3.0 CSL
• BMW M1
• BMW E30 M3
• BMW Z1
• BMW Nazca M12/C2
• BMW Z3 M Coupe