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M-Cars vs. M-badged cars
There are several BMW models to which BMW Motorsport made changes without being full M-Cars. Vehicles which have been modified by BMW Motorsport but are not full M-Cars may feature plain 'M' badges with no number, whilst full M-Cars have 'M' badges with the model number. E.g. 'M3' or 'M5'. It should be noted however that the Z3/Z4-based M Roadster and M Coupe bore numberless 'M' badges as standard fitment.
For example, the E28 M535i featured suspension, styling, and transmission improvements over the standard 535i. These changes were carried out by BMW Motorsport, thus the car carried 'M' stripe badges on the front grille and boot, but not the full 'M5' badging. The E28 M5 was sold along side the M535i. Motorsport modifications have been made to almost every BMW model, hence it is not unusual to see 'standard' BMW's with 'M' badges.
The opposite occurred with the 850CSi, an M car in all but name; it had a BMW M sourced engine and its VIN indicated that it was developed by BMW Motorsport, like all other M cars. It was possible that a true M8 was in development; however, this M8 was cancelled for reasons known only to BMW.
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E30 - 325iC - 323iA - 320i - 318iS
E21 - 320
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