BMW is one of the oldest automakers in the world, having been around for just over 100 years at this point. During such a long run, a brand is bound to make some odd, interesting cars that almost no one has heard of. BMW certainly has its fair share of oddballs, with some cars that even many die-hard BMW fans are unaware of. In this new video from Doug DeMuro, we get to check out some of those Bimmers.
Some of the models in the video are actually pretty common but unknown to the U.S. market. For instance, the E46 3 Series Compact, which was never sold in the ‘States. Its predecessor, the E36 3 Series Compact, was sold in the U.S. but it wasn’t very popular. So the followup car was kept east of the Atlantic. However, the E46 Compact’s styling was even weirder and stranger looking than even the already weird looking E36 version. Many U.S.-based BMW fans aren’t aware of the E46 Compact and likely don’t care much about it now that they do.
Another one of the more interesting but unknown BMW models was the hydrogen-powered E65 7 Series. Most hydrogen cars use electric motors that get their juice from hydrogen fuel cells but not the hydrogen 7 Series. Instead, that had a massive V12 engine that was capable of running on both gasoline and hydrogen fuel. It was also a massive 7 Series, so it was luxurious and high-tech inside. It wasn’t some eco-friendly penalty box. There were a ton of drawbacks, though: the engine modifications to make it run on hydrogen sapped its power down to just 260 horsepower, so it was slow, and it was significantly heavier than the standard car. Oh, and it was quite a bit more expensive.
Those are just two of the five funky Bimmers in this new video, so you should check it out to see the rest. But when you think you know everything about a brand that’s existed for a century, think again. There’s always something new to learn.
