The BMW Truck That Never Saw The Light Of Day
In the annals of automotive history, few cars stand out quite as proudly as BMW's E30 3 Series. Produced from 1982 to 1994, not only did the 3 Series give the world a new standard by which all other luxury cars would be measured, they also introduced us to arguably the best sports car every produced in the form of the E30 M3. The M3 was the sportier, more driver-oriented version of the base E30, powered by a beefed up engine known internally as the S14. All of this is not anything new to BMW faithful, but what many people may not have known about is the fact that those crazy engineers over at BMW also stuffed that S14 into something a little less predictable — a pickup truck.
That's right, BMW took a normal 3 Series convertible and went full El Camino with it, though Jesse Pinkman was nowhere in sight, it did feel like Bimmer broke bad with the E30 pickup truck.
3/4 View, 1/4 Roof
As per BMW Group's press release, the idea for the pickup was that the folks at BMW's M division wanted something to haul more than just people around campus with. So rather than just try and stuff a bunch of transmissions, radiators or burnt up tires into a pretty M3, they instead took a 3 Series convertible and ripped out the back seat, trunk, and roof behind the driver. They then riveted in a series of billet steel panels to take the use and abuse of guys throwing tools, parts, and whatever miscellaneous junk into the back of the car without causing the same amount of damage those actions would cause on the leather seats that were original equipment.
In a BMW Group press release commemorating the M3's 30th birthday, Jakob Polschak, who is the head of vehicle prototype building and workshops at the aforementioned M Division said, "The convertible body shell was chosen as the basis for two reasons. Firstly, we happened to have such a model at our disposal and in perfect condition. And secondly, the convertible's built-in bracing made it the ideal choice for a pickup conversion."
Haulin' While Hauling
As with most M Cars, per BMW Group, the M3 pickup was produced, and was executed to perform at the highest level of its intended function. The original pickup was more than just a stitched together amalgamation of parts-bin leftovers. The M3 pickup was used regularly for more than a quarter of a century before it was officially retired in 2012. Then in 2011, those pranksters at BMW decided to reintroduce the world to the M3 pickup, but in a bit of a funny way as Polschak recalls, "Someone came up with the idea of marketing the vehicle as an April Fools' joke, as April 1 was just around the corner." The E90 M3 pickup truck was actually a visually appealing car, which still had enough nostalgia attached to it in the form of the same chopped top and billet steel panels out back. Unlike the original, BMW went so far as to get the E90 pickup registered for legal road use.
Though most of us will never see one of these one-off prototypes in person, it is a very affirming thought to know that deep down, the engineers of some of our favorite cars are still trying to think outside the box and create things just in the name of fun, and not always worried about the beancounters and bottom-line dollars.