Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. In the world of performance luxury automobiles, the old saying holds as true as anywhere. BMW’s M division burst onto the scene in the late 70s with the Lamborgini-built M1 which was followed by the first performance-derivative road car, the M535i. The rest is history.
Not long after M cars started selling in droves, Mercedes-Benz tuner AMG was made into an official sub-brand by the three-pointed star, and then came Audi Quattro GMBH and more alphabet soup.
Now that AMG has released the GT, the shoe is on the other foot. Don’t expect M to back down when challenged by the cross-town rival.
A Matter of Lineage
If you’re asking “AMG-GT, so what?” the importance of AMG’s new pointy pony car is that it’s not based on anything Mercedes currently builds. Traditionally, M cars have been based on existing models.
Giving M free reign to build whatever they want is, ahem, intriguing to say the least. The last time that happened, we got the M1.
You might be expecting a halo car then. It makes sense that a division like M would want to produce something all-conquering given carte blanche, but that doesn’t sound like the plan to hear M boss Markus Flasch tell it. He says that hypercars are costly design exercises without much ROI.
BMW-faithful will recognize the 2002 and CSL concept cars the company has turned out in recent years, and it sounds like these are closer to what we could see from M as a standalone model.
A modern-day take on the 2002, for example, would probably get the attention of more than a few enthusiasts. Actually, just please build the concept car, M. Thank you.
Return to M-ness
It makes sense that in the age of numb electronic steering and lane-departure warnings, what every consumer wants from an M car is not the same.
We believe this move could enable M to create something truly raw once again. A car for the enthusiast who refuses to embrace paddle shifters, even if they are faster. A car that doesn’t have to compromise.
M cars have always been about conviction. But to build an E30 M3 today would never sit well with consumers. Hence, we have an M3 that delivers outstanding performance, gobs of power and lavish interior appointments, but it is a compromise.
It’s not the “race car for the road” of generations past. More a road car on steroids.
What M will choose to do, we cannot say. This entire thing could be a farce. One model or five might be built. But we want to believe that a standalone M car might do away with some of the fluff that’s been piled onto current M models and deliver a return to basics.
With, for example, a clutch pedal and no rev-matching feature perhaps. Or at least the option to disable it (we’re looking at you, M2).
