Let’s also not forget that BMW considered the idea of an E36 M3 Compact to appeal to younger buyers. While the E30 was a racing-bred special, the E36 was built to appeal to M5 owners, nearly became available as a hot hatch to increase sales, and had several body styles. The M3, as good as it was on track, was not built, first and foremost, as a racing car for the road, and it wasn’t nearly as focused a product as the E30, but why do we think that’s a bad thing?
We BMW fanboys are a finicky bunch who are easily triggered by any comment we consider negative, but the truth is that most of us can’t accept what our beloved brand truly represents. Munich isn’t in the business of making sports cars. BMW is a luxury automaker before anything else, and the fact that many of its products are regularly the sharpest or most dynamic in their respective segments should be considered a bonus rather than the foundation of each car’s identity.
Once upon a time, BMW was working with Lamborghini on a supercar, dominating touring car championships, and competing in Formula 1, but that doesn’t matter to the average buyer of a new BMW these days, who would not consider a purchase without heated leather seats, Apple CarPlay, and an automatic transmission.
And that’s okay.
