There’s not a lot of fanfare about it but the truth is that this is a big deal. BMW’s famed M division is turning 40 this month.Over 40 years of existence they’ve given us countless dream machines and some very successful racing cars in all sorts of competitions around the world.Most importantly however, the BMW M division has given us more than 3 decades of M branded vehicles, the most civilized way to enjoy performance.We all know about all of the cars BMW’s M division’s cars. The E30 M3 was a car they made for racing and eventually sold to normal people.The first generation M5 was a sedan that had the same racing derived 3.0 liter straight six cylinder engine as their flagship supercar, the BMW M1.Moving on through the years there’s been countless variations of the M3, M5 and the two door version that is the M6 but there have been other options as well.Let’s not forget the BMW Z3 M and the Z4 M or the much more recent BMW 1 M Coupe. All of them are/were simply excellent cars.Sadly, along the way a bit of brand dilution with the X-range SAVs getting some attention from the M division. Those are hated by plenty of enthusiasts but even they feel like proper BMWs.Which is remarkable given how tall they are, how heavy they are or how deeply obvious their presence can be.I suppose that after 40 years, the M division can probably turn any vehicle into an epic driving machine.http://www.bmwcoop.com/wp-content/images/2012/05/BMW-M-Division-anniversary-8.jpghttp://www.bmwcoop.com/wp-content/images/2012/05/BMW-M-Division-anniversary-10.jpghttp://www.bmwcoop.com/wp-content/images/2012/05/BMW-M-Division-anniversary-12.jpghttp://www.bmwcoop.com/wp-content/images/2012/05/BMW-M-Division-anniversary-13.jpghttp://www.bmwcoop.com/wp-content/images/2012/05/BMW-M-Division-anniversary-14.jpghttp://www.bmwcoop.com/wp-content/images/2012/05/BMW-M-Division-anniversary-15.jpghttp://www.bmwcoop.com/wp-content/images/2012/05/BMW-M-Division-anniversary-18.jpghttp://www.bmwcoop.com/wp-content/images/2012/05/BMW-M-Division-anniversary-20.jpghttp://www.bmwcoop.com/wp-content/images/2012/05/BMW-M-Division-anniversary-25.jpghttp://www.bmwcoop.com/wp-content/images/2012/05/BMW-M-Division-anniversary-23.jpghttp://www.bmwcoop.com/wp-content/images/2012/05/BMW-M-Division-anniversary-22.jpghttp://www.bmwcoop.com/wp-content/images/2012/05/BMW-M-Division-anniversary-30.jpghttp://www.bmwcoop.com/wp-content/images/2012/05/BMW-M-Division-anniversary-35.jpg
