BMW M Special Models brings together the cars that do not belong to a regular model series, yet play a very important role in shaping the history and identity of BMW M. These automobiles often represent moments when BMW M moved beyond conventional production logic in order to create something more distinctive, more daring in character, and more clearly intended as a technological or emotional statement. This group includes cars that were born either as completely separate projects or as very limited-production models, through which BMW M demonstrated its engineering ambition, design confidence and willingness to build something truly exceptional. BMW M’s own historical narrative links such milestones to both the early 3.0 CSL and later highly exclusive special models.
Within this model group, cars of very different character come together. The BMW M1 marked BMW’s first true mid-engined supercar and at the same time its first real M car. The BMW XM shows how the M division has moved toward powerful hybrid propulsion and a bolder luxury performance SUV concept. The 2022 BMW 3.0 CSL, meanwhile, once again highlighted BMW M’s historical roots by combining limited production, craftsmanship, coupé form and a very pure driver-focused approach. It is precisely this variety that shows so well that M special models are not simply more powerful versions of existing series cars, but often stand as individual chapters in the development of BMW M. BMW M describes the 2022 3.0 CSL as the most exclusive car in its history and emphasizes that the original 3.0 CSL was the first car developed by the then BMW Motorsport GmbH.
This page presents BMW M special models that help explain the broader nature of the M division. These cars are not only about speed and performance, but also about how BMW M has interpreted its own role across the decades — at times as a coupé born from motorsport, at times as a supercar, at times as a highly limited tribute to its own history, or as a technological flagship for a new era. Together, these models form the most unusual and distinctive branch of BMW M history.
Click on the model image or name to open the gallery and description
