Well, a derivative of. You see, in the early 60’s, when the brand’s Neue Klasse models were arriving, the company knew it needed a new engine to power them. It looked to its Head of Engine Development, Alexander von Falkenhausen, to build them something, and he created a 75 hp, 1.5-liter inline-four that could be bored out further in the future called the M10.
The block was made of cast iron, while the rest of the engine was made of lightweight aluminum, and the combination proved to be very robust. Over more than 20 years, from 1962-1988, the engine was produced in many capacities, upgraded and changed according to the task, and still outperformed many competitors.
Thanks to its durability, BMW thought it the perfect fit for motorsport, using its block to create the turbocharged M12/13 engine used in F1 from 1982-1987. Producing somewhere around 1,500 hp, the engine was utilized by many teams but secured the world championship with Brabham in 1983 with Nelson Piquet behind the wheel. This made it the first turbocharged engine to win a world championship and paved the way for the turbocharged F1 engines of today.
