BMW M Celebrates 40th Birthday: Video

BMW Motorsport GmbH, now known as M GmbH, turns 40 this year. To celebrate, BMW has released a video about the performance division's exploits.

Formed in 1972 with just 35 employees, M was launched with the mission of running BMW's racing operations.  By the 90s, its workforce had grown to over 400, and now continues to expand with BMW's ever-growing model line-up.

The first M project was the BMW 3.0 CSL, a homologation special developed to allow BMW entry into production racing in Europe and internationally. It was devastatingly effective, winning multiple championships all over the world.

The roadgoing CSL went through a few evolutions over three years, the final version arriving in the hands of German customers with the aero kit in the boot, rather than on it - the wings were illegal on German roads.

Two 3.0 CSLs were also immortalised as BMW Art Cars.

The first M-badged car to be offered for sale was the iconic M1. Launched at the Paris Motor Show in 1978, the M1 remains the only mass-produced mid-engined BMW.

That engine was the legendary twin-cam, 3.5 litre M88. The straight six-cylinder set the rev-happy tone of M cars for years to come.

In the case of the M1, the M88 had individual throttle bodies for each cylinder - a hallmark of two of the great M engines, such as the S70/2 in the McLaren F1 and the S85 B50 V10 of the E60 M5.

The M1 formed the basis of the PROCAR championship, a race series that acted as a support for the F1 championship.

The M1 also campaigned successfully - with a lot more power than the road car - on both sides of the Atlantic.

The first M model of the passenger car-based type we've come to know, was the M535i of 1979. The quick 5 Series sported the M30 163kW 3.5 litre straight six, and chassis and aero enhancements.

The M535i set the scene for M into the future - sports sedans to sit at the top of BMW's most popular model lines.

The M3 and M5 have been the mainstays of the M brand but there have been some notable - and sometimes notorious - exceptions.

The Z3-based M Coupe was derided for its breadvan looks and Frankenstein underpinnings; but it was also one of the liveliest cars to come out of M's workshops.

After the M535i, the 1985 E28 M5 was the next (fast) cab off the rank. Again, the M88 straight six was pressed into service under the bonnet, and with a tauter chassis to torture.

Soon after came the E30 M3.