2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of BMW M GmbH. To help celebrate half-a-century of performance and racing cars from the iconic brand, U.S. customers who opt for a BMW M high-performance automobile (M3, M4, X3 M, etc.) with a production date from March 2022 will have their vehicle’s front, rear and wheel hubs adorned with emblems inspired by the classic “BMW Motorsport” logo. The logo will be optionally available on BMW M performance models (M340i, M440i, X3 M40i, etc.). As an alternative to the conventional BMW emblem, it signals passion for racing and for the roots of the BMW M brand. This unique offer in the history of BMW M will be available for order from the end of January 2022.
In addition to the emblems, 50 iconic and historically significant BMW M paint finishes will be offered for selected models in the anniversary year 2022. Style-defining colors such as Dakar Yellow, Fire Orange, Daytona Violet, Macao Blue, lmola Red or Frozen Marina Bay Blue refer to the various eras of BMW M’s 50-year history.
The BMW logo with the shifted semicircles in blue, violet and red was first used in 1973 on the racing cars of BMW Motorsport GmbH, which had been established a year before. In 1978 and with the debut of the BMW M1 the three-color stripes slanted to the right and leaning on the letter M followed. Even beyond the motorsport scene it became a trademark with particularly high recognition value and identification power.
The legendary BMW M1 was the only BMW M high-performance production vehicle to bear the historic motorsport emblem in addition to the logo with the three-color stripes. In both logos, the blue stands for BMW, while the red symbolizes racing and the violet expresses the connection between the two. Since then, the violet has given way to a dark blue, and BMW Motorsport GmbH has been operating under the name BMW M GmbH from 1993 till today. In its 50th year of existence, the company is enjoying more success than ever as the world market leader in the performance and high-performance automotive segment.
“With the classic BMW Motorsport emblem, we would like to share our joy about the anniversary of BMW M GmbH with fans of the brand,” says Franciscus van Meel, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW M GmbH. “We have a great year ahead of us, which will be celebrated with unique product highlights and exciting performances. The M has long been considered the strongest letter in the world, and in our company’s anniversary year it is stronger than ever.”