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While researching what made each BMW M3 generation unique, we stumbled across several M concepts that never made it into production. Most of them are a bit ridiculous, and we can see why the beancounters said no, but as we all know, the best things in life don’t make sense. If you only apply logic, the only BMWs the world needs are the entry-level 3 Series and X5. The world doesn’t need the $750,000 3.0 CSL, but we’re elated that it exists.

With that in mind, most of the cars below deserved to be made. In some cases, you’ll see that BMW even missed a massive opportunity, and in one case, BMW failed to build what could have been the best car ever made.

Alas, the time for the cars below has come and gone as the German brand is now moving over to its Neue Klasse strategy, thankfully not limited to EVs alone.

E30 M3 Pickup

The E30 is unique because it was the only M3 built for homologation purposes. Every M3 that followed was a series production model, so why did the Germans make a pickup truck based on a homologation special? The Germans are not known for their sense of humor, so we can’t say they built it because it seemed amusing.

Surprisingly, the reason the E30 M3 Pickup exists is logically sound. Most of you have seen images of the famous BMW Tower in Munich. The BMW Campus is built around it, and it is massive. If you need to get around from one side to the other to deliver parts, you’re going to need a pickup truck. Since BMW doesn’t make pickup trucks, it took an E30 M3 Cabriolet off the production line and converted it into a pickup truck.

BMW M used this little pickup for 26 years before it was retired in 2012. Since BMW still didn’t own a brand that made pickup trucks or vans, it replaced the E30 Pickup with another special one-off.

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First-Generation M8

The first-generation M8 technically made its debut in 2020, but BMW was already working on a potential M8 in the early ’90s. The first-generation 8 Series was a brilliant grand tourer with sporty aspirations, but far from what BMW fans had come to expect from the M brand. The original 5.0-liter V12 only produced 296 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque.

It needed a more powerful V12 engine and instead of using two 2.5-liter inline-six series production engines joined at a 60-degree angle, BMW used two 3.0-liter inline-sixes from the E36 M3. This new V12 could produce up to 631 hp, which is double the output of the original V12. It would have been a riot.

Sadly, BMW dropped the prototype following a global recession, which turned out to be a solid move. Even the standard 8 Series struggled to sell, and BMW pulled the plug after selling only 30,000 units.

The M department did have their way with the 8 Series, however. BMW asked the M folks to make the 8 Series better, and they came up with the 850CSi.

E36 M3 Compact

The E36 M3 Compact is the second-biggest miss on this list. BMW built one version with the 3.0-liter used in the pre-facelift M3 and one with the updated 3.2-liter. It was meant to appeal to a younger crowd, but we also like to think that BMW M was smart enough to see that its cars were already getting bigger and heavier, so it needed something smaller to satisfy the die-hard fans.

Ultimately, BMW pulled the plug, and we’re sure the person who canned the project feels remorse every single day. The idea of building a smaller M car returned with the 1M Coupe, a highlight in the brand’s history. Even though it was a Frankenstein car built from various existing M parts, the 1M Coupe became an instant classic. These things sold for $46,000, and they’re currently retailing for $70,000. And that’s if you’re lucky enough to convince an owner to part with their car.

Because of the 1M’s instant success, BMW started working on the M2, already in its second generation.

E46 M3 Wagon

The E46 M3 Wagon is the biggest missed opportunity in the history of the car. It would have been introduced during the E46 reign as the undisputed leader in the sports coupe segment, just as the luxury SUV trend started and before crossovers became a thing. Many people would have purchased this wagon, and word would have spread that SUVs were a waste of money unless you lived in a remote, inhospitable area. The E46 M3 Wagon would have saved us from the crossover pandemic. Please forgive the excessive hyperbole, but I’m actually angry with BMW for not signing off on this wagon.

The E46 is widely regarded as the best M3 ever made, but its practicality was limited because it was only sold as a coupe and convertible. Imagine having everything the E46 has to offer in a practical package. That’s the kind of car you keep for life, because what else do you really need? BMW eventually made up for it by offering the current M3 as a wagon, but it’s sadly not available in the USA. Thankfully, you can get the all-new BMW M5 Touring.

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The X5M With An E39 M5 Engine/X5 Le Mans

First, we got the luxury SUV, which inevitably led to the performance luxury SUV. The X5 made its international debut in 1999 and while BMW built the 4.6is and 4.8is, there wasn’t an M version of the first generation. BMW thought about it, however.

It used the V12 it built for the M8 and shoehorned it underneath the hood of an X5. It was known as the Le Mans because a version of the V12 was used in a Le Mans car. As you can see from the images, this was a challenging task. When it was unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show in 2000, BMW said it had no plans to put it into production, but we have since learned that it was already working on an X5 that was more fun to drive.

The M folks built a one-off rear-wheel drive version alongside the Le Mans. It was less ridiculous, as BMW used the 400-hp V8 from the E39 M5, the best M5 ever made. BMW ditched the AWD system, so the M5-powered first-gen X5 would have been RWD only. The only problem was the transmission. Instead of using the six-speed manual in the E39, BMW equipped the RWD concept with the SMG.

That’s enough for us to give this one a hard pass.

E90 M3 Pickup

The E90 Pickup was introduced as an April Fool’s Day joke. In April 2011, people woke up to the BMW confirming that a pickup would be added to the M3 range. Obviously, BMW was having a bit of fun, but the E90 Pickup was built for another reason.

As mentioned earlier, the E30 Pickup was officially retired in 2012. BMW built the E90 Pickup to replace it. So this car is not sitting in a museum collecting dust. It’s out there on the BMW Campus, transporting engines, gearboxes, and differentials for the M department.

Would it have made a good production car? The Australians would have loved it because they have a long-standing relationship with V8-powered utes. The idea of an M3 with almost no weight on the rear wheels sounds like a recipe for sideways fun.

BMW M5 Cabriolet

BMW was so secretive about this car that it didn’t even admit it existed until 2009, when the media were invited to an M celebration. It was based on the second-generation M5, powered by the later 3.8-liter naturally aspirated inline-six producing 335 hp.

This E34 M5 cabriolet nearly made it to production, but BMW pulled the plug at the last minute. The brand feared that the M5 drop-top would create demand for lesser 5 Series convertibles, which would cannibalize E30 sales.

The M5 eventually went drop-top but under a different name. The second-generation 6 Series was introduced in 2003, and the M6 was introduced in 2005. It was powered by the S85 V10 and was a glorious thing to drive. It felt less solid than the coupe but granted full access to the noise made by that high-revving V10.

The third generation followed in 2011, but BMW has since canned the 6 Series in favor of the more upmarket 8 Series coupe, convertible, and Gran Coupe.

The One That Was Made Years Later

In 2015, BMW introduced the 3.0 CSL HOmmage R Concept. It was built to celebrate 40 years of BMW in America and the racing success of the original CSL in 1975. As you can see in the images above, the concept was quite a stunning machine, but years passed without BMW actually doing anything with it. And then, in 2023, it introduced the extremely limited 3.0 CSL, of which only 50 were made at $750,000 a pop.

It sounds like a lot of money for a fancy BMW M4, but it’s so much more than that. It has unique body work, the most powerful version of BMW’s S58 ever created, and the famous M tricolor livery. It was only available in RWD with a manual gearbox.

While $750k might sound like a lot for a Bimmer, these cars immediately increased in value as soon as the production run was over. Of the three on sale at the time of writing, the only one with a price attached to it stood at $1.3 million…