What is the real story behind the colours of BMW M?

The true story behind the colours of BMW M is surrounded by rumours, but today we are going to tell you all the secrets of the most powerful letter in the world. Are you ready?

BMW and its sporting division called BMW M stir passions all over the world. The most powerful letter in the world ///M is accompanied by three easily recognisable coloured stripes known to everyone: sky blue, navy blue and red. For years, there have been various beliefs and misconceptions about the real origins of BMW’s high-performance division.

The most famous colour combination in the entire automotive industry and of sports cars is surrounded by rumours, some of them dubious, but today we are going to clear up all the doubts.

Discover the history of the colours of BMW M

In the 1970s, the Bavarian brand developed the M sporting division, which it originally named BMW Motorsport. This creation came after its teams kept losing to the brand with the oval; Ford. In short, we can say that Bayerische Motoren Werke poached Jochen Neerpasch from the racing team of Ford and turned him into the head of its new factory racing team: BMW M.

When Neerpasch, formerly of Ford, left the brand with the oval and moved to the newly launched sporting division of BMW, he also brought from the American brand Hans-Joachim Stuck, a driver who had stood out notably in touring car competitions. In the 1980s he won two editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, one edition of the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring, and became the winner of the German Motor Racing Championship in 1972, the World Endurance Championship and the German Touring Car Championship in 1990.

During the creation of the now historic BMW M, the Bavarian brand needed sponsors, which is normal for any racing team. So, before putting a racing car on the track, BMW went in search of what would later become its sponsors. It secured Texaco, the main sponsor of the brand with the oval at that time, and made it its principal partner.

To give due importance to the three main sponsors of the Bavarian house, the German manufacturer designed a logo with three stripes; one of them red, the colour of the Texaco logo. Alongside this red line was a sky blue one that would represent the BMW brand, since it is a blue similar to the one found in the colours of the Bavarian flag featured in its own logo.

And then there is the third colour, the one situated between the sky blue and the red. It is a purple or very dark blue colour that represents a combination of the two colours, specifically a pleasant transition between the cool tone and the warm tone.

Three colours to make history

This logo, featuring an M and three colours, was used to attract Texaco as the main sponsor of BMW Motorsport. The red colour was supposed to be what would attract the oil brand but, however, before the Bavarian brand put a car on the track, the agreement between the two did not come to a successful conclusion. The reasons are unknown, but what we do know is that the story did not end well.

This three-stripe livery was used to try to attract Texaco as a sponsor of the M Division. The “red” was supposed to be the hook for Texaco. However, before BMW put a product of the M Division on the field, the agreement between BMW and Texaco fell through. We don’t know exactly why, but we do know that the deal ended before it began.

Although the partnership did not bear fruit, the Bavarian brand had already designed the logo and the colours. It was successful and very well received, so BMW M decided to run with them, and the history of the colours of BMW M began. Over the years, the most powerful letter in the world, BMW ///M, has undergone quite a few changes. The most important? The shift from purple to dark blue. Now, a few weeks ago, BMW replaced the chrome tones with white, but the M remains in force over the years.