The Best BMW Of Every Decade
1991-2000: 850 CSi
Let’s make it interesting here. The 850 CSi isn’t just any 8 Series BMW, which even in its most ho-hum trim is Bruce Wayne’s Bavarian chariot. Simply put, the CSi variant is the ultimate autobahn-mobile. Tweaked aerodynamics and suspension make an already good car even better, but the party piece is under the hood.
A specially tweaked version of the «normal» 850’s V-12 ultimately had so much potential, BMW tweaked it just a little bit further and dropped it straight into the McLaren F1, thereby creating the world’s fastest car for years.
2001-2010: E46 M3 CSL
The one-year-only (2004) Coupe Sport Lightweight variant of the third-generation M3 exudes a special sort of crazy. The untrained eye might not notice the revised bodywork, but anyone not struggling with advanced hearing loss can note the lightweight aspects: aside from some carbon-fiber components, much of the lightweighting comes via removing sound-deadening insulation… and the radio, and the air conditioning, etc.
With only 1,400 originals built and none sold new in America, the chances of this car being remotely affordable by the time it’s legal to import (2029!) are, give or take, zero.