A 1972 mid-engined BMW M1.

Paul Bracq's influence was at its strongest in the BMW gullwing show cars of 1972/73.

Batmobile — BMW 3.0 CSL, L for the German equivalent of Lightweight, and meaning inpractical terms the wide use of alloy panels, Kevlar and other High Tech composite materials.

For the six cylinder 2500 and 2800 saloons were announced, with the 2800 CS coupe cousin produced at Karmann from December 1968.

In 1973 there was a first production turbo car, the 2002 turbo. This generated 170 bhp, if you kept it round 6000 rpm, and astonishing 0-60 mph acceleration in 7 seconds or so.

The well balanced 2002 TI with 120 bhp and 115 mph led to the exciting Kugelfischer injection 2002 TII.

The new BMW coupes — the 2000 CS and 2000 C — appeared in June 1965 to replace the 3200 CS and marked the beginning of a new method of coupe construction for the company.

Coupe version of the BMW 700 with its motorcycle-derived flat twin engine was a strong seller and a good motorsport class competitor, but still the company looked for middleweight salvation, and the money to produce such a car.

The 3200 CS was the last of the big V8 BMWs, ending production in 1965 when 603 had been made. The Italian lines gave a hint of the cleanly executed classic coupes to come...

Perhaps the most dramatic of the Graf Goertz-penned sports machines, the 507 used a shortened chassis and a 150 horsepower version of the BMW V8. Capable of 137 mph on suitable gearing, the 507 was one of the rarest of all BMWs, with 253 made between 1956-59.

Both 503 and 507 were styled by Graf Goertz and used the separate shassis and all-aluminium encased 90° V8 engine of the contemporary saloons, plus much of the running gear such as the unique steering, gearbox and basic suspension.

The 501 brought BMW back into car production from a site previously more attuned to BMW aero engine and motorcycle manufacture, its smooth lines hiding a separate chassis and rugged running gear that would later form the basis for BMW coupes and sport cars.

Income from large cars 501 and 502, and minuscule machinery like the BMW Isetta four wheeler “bubble cars” was insufficient.

Most famous pre-war BMW of all, and the ultimate expression of their six cylinder sporting philosophy at the time, was the 328. Some 462 of these 1936-39 machines were made, many racing at much higher speeds than the 93 mph the roadgoing model could achieve from 1971cc punching out 80 bhp.

BMW debuted the 327 in 1938 and benefited from aspects of both predecessors. It took a shortened version of the rigid 326 box chassis, but had rear semi-elliptic leaf suspension, and offered power unit alternatives of either the higher compression 326 version or the 80bhp hemi-head triple carburetor 328 engine.

The BMW sporting tradition on four wheels can be traced back to rakish machines such as this 315/1 Sport of 1934-36. It used a 1911cc version of the pre-war BMW six, it was fed by triple Solex carburettors and could reach 75 mph in normal road trim.

BMW started as a manufacturer of airplane engines. Then came motorcycles, followed in 1929 by their first car, the Dixi. The Dixi — model DA/1 — was a licensed version of the famous British Austin Seven, designed by Sir Herbert Austin.