derBayerische July /August 2022 - 36

2022 BMW M240i xDrive
A great way to
start the day.
By James Chew
The Yin
and the Yang
T
he seductiveness of the automotive
business stems from the
desire to develop and own
products that have the perfect balance
of engineering perfection and human
expression. It's a paradoxical industry
that relies on mass appeal yet provides
the opportunity for individuality.
The expression, " You are what you
drive " , could not be more true.
Most OEMs use " halo vehicles "
to provide the ultimate expression of a
brand. Product planning and marketing
groups combine to create halo
" sub-brands " ; with the intent to convince
the mass market that the " DNA "
or " essence " from those halo vehicles
is present in their entire product line.
BMW took a different approach.
When they developed and launched
the Neue Klasse vehicles, the goal was
to establish sustainable financial
solvency through the offering of
great products. The 1600 and the
legendary 2002 were part of the Neue
Klasse generation. From 1962-1977,
each Neue Klasse vehicle was the
36
benchmark in its respective class.
Achieving a perfect combination
of automotive engineering perfection
and car enthusiast expression, these
vehicles were known for their allaround
visibility, the commanding
driving position, tight chassis, eager
drivetrains, smooth ride and responsive
handling. These vehicles were
the " Yin and Yang " for the car enthusiast,
universally commended for their
" fun to drive " factor. In a 1967 test,
Road & Track felt that the 2000 sedan
was " the best performing 2-liter sedan
in today's market and the best
handling and best riding as well. "
In short, BMW introduced the first
modern, affordable (acquisition and
life cycle costs) sports sedan that
achieved Yin & Yang; it was equally at
home as a daily driver, performing
family duties, passenger duties, and
as a track vehicle.
Because each generation of
BMW products are developed from
the Neue Klasse foundation - the
legitimacy of their famous marketing
tagline, " The Ultimate Driving
Machine " has never been questioned.
Another expression, " Most
people drive vehicles out of quiet
desperation " , became in vogue during
the 1980s. During that time, the Neue
Klasse strategy produced the famous
3 Series, starting with the E21.
For better or worse, the E30 3 Series
became the " yuppie " symbol of 1980s
American excess. While the aspirational
vehicle for the social-climbing
class, it would be an understatement
that many who owned the E30 had no
idea how to realize the driving
potential of these wonderful vehicles.
The other automakers took note
and began creating their 3 Series
competitors. It was a proud moment
when the then Chrysler-Shelby
Performance Center PR person and I
were in Beverly Hills with a prototype
Shelby Lancer, surrounded by BMW
E21 and E30 owners. At that moment,
we both were wearing our " Members
Only " Shelby jackets with pride (it was
the 80s - EVERYONE was wearing
" Members Only " jackets, which by the
way were RACING jackets).
Then, BMW stunned the market
with the a street version of their
Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft
and Group A Touring racing E30, the
M3. The rules for these racing series
required a total of 5,000 cars to be
built. As expected, the M3 focused on
realizing the performance potential of
the vehicle, at the expense of comfort,
convenience, and practicality. Mainly
produced in the coupé body style,
there were limited volumes of
E30 M3 convertibles. Though " M "
(Motorsport) production BMWs had
been available since the 1970s, the
popularity of this M3 was the vehicle
that made " M The Most Powerful
Letter In The World. " Now, to be
noticed in the growing sports-sedan
market, the vehicle could not be " just
like a BMW 3 Series " , it had to be
" just like an M3. "
Specifically produced to qualify
for European racing series, for the US
market the M3 almost went the way of
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