One of the things I’ve always appreciated about BMW is how much it respects its rich history. I’d place the Munich-based manufacturer alongside Porsche as car companies that take the utmost care in honoring and preserving their legacies. The BMW Group Classic YouTube series showing off various previously unseen prototypes and design studies, for example, was incredibly rewarding for me and I’m willing to bet many other enthusiasts, too. Now BMW’s keeping up the trend with a new online Historic Models Product Catalog that includes vehicles spanning eight decades, from 1928 until 2008.
Yes, 2008 is considered “classic” in BMW parlance now, which is today’s reminder that we’re old. At any rate, the catalog is very conveniently laid out with many filters—you can refine searches by decade, body type, or model line—or just type what you’re looking for into the text field.
It’s remarkably granular, too. For example, I’ve been obsessed with early BMW Z4s since Gran Turismo 7 added a launch 3.0i to the game’s roster this past week, and the catalog allows you to see production dates, specs, and other information for that trim alone. A handy blurb also offers useful context; in the case of the Z4 3.0i, I didn’t know that it was offered concurrently with the 3.0si in North America, while it was completely replaced by the 3.0si in Europe.
Not everything is here, though; some vehicles from the tail end of that 80-year span, like the E65 7 Series and first-generation X3 (almost all the Bangle-era cars, weirdly), are strangely absent. Nevertheless, the catalog is naturally full of pedantic details that only the most passionate BMW fan is likely to recall from memory, and the wealth of knowledge here could make for either the most captivating or insufferable and cursed trivia night of your life.
For example, raise your hand if you knew about the E36 “Baur Topcabriolet.” These were four-door convertibles crafted by Stuttgart coachbuilder Baur starting in 1993, and they resembled what it would look like if you took a can opener to the top of a 3 Series sedan, as the pillars and door surrounds remained in place.
That’s just one of many curiosities concealed in this vast tome of BMW wisdom. So, settle into your office chair on this Friday afternoon, go grab yourself a cup of a warm beverage of your choosing, and click away your billable hours. And when you’re done with that, you can do the same for Mini and BMW Motorrad, whose catalogs have been online since 2021.