For decades, BMW fans have insisted that the proper way to cap the M lineup isn’t with another SUV or a six-figure luxury cruiser, but with a genuine supercar. The XM, despite early whispers of M1 lineage, never came close. It’s a technological flagship, sure—but it’s no spiritual reboot of the E26. The idea of a dedicated, no-excuses performance machine sitting atop the M hierarchy has lingered like unfinished business. BMW keeps flirting with the concept. It just never seals the deal.
Lately, though, the company has given enthusiasts reason to believe that the impossible might be merely improbable. BMW has proven—repeatedly—that it can sell ultra-expensive, low-volume M cars to a willing audience. The 3.0 CSL did exactly that. Built to celebrate 50 years of M, it was essentially an M4 CSL underneath, wrapped in a bespoke, coach-built body inspired by the E9 “Batmobile.” Slightly more power, a manual gearbox, and a rumored €750,000 price tag later, all 50 examples were spoken for—despite costing more than four times as much as the €165,200 M4 CSL it was based on.
That wasn’t a one-off. BMW followed up with the Skytop, a radically reworked M8 turned into a two-seat convertible with a removable targa roof. Official pricing was never announced, but reports pegged it at around €500,000. Considering the standard M8 Convertible topped out at €193,400 in Germany, the math was eye-watering. Buyers didn’t care. Fifty units sold anyway.
Then came the Speedtop, a stunning shooting-brake take on the M8 Coupe. Same story: breathtaking design, limited production, a rumored half-million-euro price, and instant sellout. Seventy buyers signed on, proving once again that there’s a healthy appetite for Rolls-Royce money wrapped in BMW badges—provided the product is special enough.
That’s the crux of the argument. If BMW can sell multiple six-figure, limited-run M cars with ease, why not go all the way and build a supercar?
Because doing so is a very different beast.
Those special-edition cars all leaned heavily on existing platforms. The bones were already there; BMW merely reimagined the bodywork and assembly process. A true supercar would demand bespoke architecture, unique components, and years of development. That kind of project is hard to justify when BMW is already knee-deep in the largest investment in its history. According to outgoing CEO Oliver Zipse, the Neue Klasse program alone has cost over €10 billion, with roughly 40 new or updated models scheduled to arrive by the end of 2027.
Timing, in other words, is terrible.
Recent spy shots of a mysterious coupe wearing Neue Klasse styling sparked fresh rumors of a mid-engine M car, but insiders say that’s wishful thinking. The closest BMW came to reviving the M1 spirit was around 2020, with the M Vision Next concept—internally known as the I16. That project was meant to become reality, complete with a hybrid drivetrain. Then the pandemic hit, priorities shifted, and SUVs won the internal battle. Enter the XM.
Still, BMW M isn’t pretending the dream is dead. Earlier this year, M boss Frank van Meel was refreshingly honest about the situation. The desire is there, he said, but the capacity—and corporate green light—are not. The division doesn’t want to lose focus on its core high-performance models chasing a halo car, even if everyone involved secretly wants to build one. The message was clear: someday, maybe. Not now.
There’s also the uncomfortable elephant in the room: electrification. Electric supercars have struggled to ignite passion, and demand for sporty EVs remains lukewarm at best. At the same time, emissions regulations are tightening the noose around combustion engines. BMW M is working to keep its inline-six and V-8 engines compliant with Euro 7, buying itself a little more time. If a supercar ever does happen in the internal-combustion era, history suggests it would be a hybrid—engine mounted behind the driver, just as the canceled I16 envisioned.
For the moment, BMW has bigger fish to fry. Neue Klasse will redefine the brand’s lineup, ushering in models like the next-generation i3 and iX5, followed by an iX7, iX6, and even smaller EVs like the i1 and i2. There’s talk of an i3 Touring, plus a large, rugged SUV aimed squarely at the Mercedes G-Class. M, meanwhile, will juggle gasoline, plug-in hybrid, and electric performance cars as it rides its 14th consecutive year of growth.
A dedicated M supercar won’t be part of that immediate future—but the door isn’t closed. Sylvia Neubauer, BMW M’s Vice President of Customer, Brand, and Sales, has hinted that internal discussions are ongoing and that a slot for a small-series M car already exists. Translation: patience.
Logic says a true successor to the M1 won’t happen this decade. Hope says BMW has surprised us before. Given how quickly those half-million-euro specials vanished, one thing is certain: if Munich ever gives M the go-ahead to build a supercar, buyers will be waiting—checkbooks open, nostalgia fully engaged.
Source: BMWBlog