BMW has a pretty big collection of greatest hits engines, especially when it comes to noise. The Bavarians have been making some brilliant engines for decades now, most of which producing unbelievable noises. But which Bavarian beating heart sounds best? That’s a hard one to pick but let’s take a look at a few of BMW’s best sounding engines and you folks can pick.
BMW M1 — M88/1 Engine
Designed by Paul Rosche as a homologated motorsport engine, the M88/1 in the BMW M1 was an absolute masterpiece. It was a twin-cam, 32-valve, 3.5 liter naturally-aspirated inline-six and had six individual throttle bodies. It also made around 275 hp, which was impressive for the late ’70s. More importantly, it made an unbelievable noise. In BMW M1 Procar spec, it’s one of the all-time great motorsport engine noises. In fact, Top Gear recently claimed it to possibly be the greatest engine noise of all time.
E30 BMW M3 — S14 Engine
The E30 BMW M3 was the only M3 to have a four-cylinder engine and it was a good one. It was a 2.4 liter naturally-aspirated four-pot and it only made around 190 hp or so at first, but it did progressively gain a bit of power over the years. No matter though, as the S14 engine’s main party trick wasn’t its power but its ability to rev. It loved to rev and it loved to sing, making some wonderful, buzzy, motorsport-inspired four-cylinder noises. Lovely.
E9X BMW M3 — S65 Engine
While the E30 M3 was the only one to sport a four-pot, the E90-generation M3 (E90, E92, E93) was the only one to have a V8. And what a V8 it was. With 4.0 liters of displacement, not a single turbocharger in sight and a redline past 8,000 rpms, the S65 engine in the E90-gen M3 was astonishing. It only made around 414 hp, which wasn’t even a ton when it was new, but the way it revved and the sounds it made more than made up for it. The way it went from deep and burbly at low revs to pure motorsport shriek at high revs was magical.
E60 BMW M5 — S85 Engine
The only V10-powered M car of all time, the E60 BMW M5 has its place in history. Mostly for that engine, though. While the rest of the E60 M5 was good, with sharp steering, good chassis balance and impressive handling, it was really the engine that made the car. The S85 was a 5.0 liter naturally-aspirated V10 that made 500 hp. However, forget its power. The only thing that now matters is its noise. There are very few road cars in history with engines that sound as good as the S85.
McLaren F1 — S70/2 Engine
When Gordon Murray was designing the McLaren F1, he needed an engine made for it that had almost impossible specs. His demands for the engine were so difficult that even McLaren’s longtime F1 partner, Honda, wanted no part of it. So Murray turned to BMW M’s Paul Rosche to build his engine and what he got was a 6.1 liter naturally-aspirated V12 with over 600 hp and twelve individual throttle bodies. It also made possibly the greatest engine noise of all time. Maybe I’m a bit biased, as I feel that the S70/2 is a contender for the greatest engine of all time, regardless of brand, but this is my vote for best sounding BMW engine. What’s yours?
S70 no doubt. Watch this (from 3:17)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFLQAEiO7xo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5pARNZyfTo
@Nico, I think you should have specified ‘Road Production Engine’ otherwise we’ll get more choices specifying BMW’s V8 and V10 Formula One engines.
Otherwise for me, it’s the S85. Incredible, spin-tingling conciertos
I think you’re right :) That was my intention — road car engines — but it’s also fun seeing some F1 stuff.
The problem with the S65/85 is You know the engine is going to seize if it hasn’t had the rod bearings redone.
Those engines may have had their niggles (however big or small) but it doesn’t detract from the fact that at least to my ears, they are/were some of the best sounding BMW production engines of all time – which is what is being asked here.
The BMW V12 (S70/2) used in the McLaren F1. Awesome sounds!
116d
Gr5 e21 320 turbo sounds what a commuter should sound like as manufacturers are getting rid of far superior i6 engines.
Sound is not really the point of a drivetrain built for the best compromise of performance & consumption. Has any turbo 4 cyl.>N.A. I6?
In terms of performance, virtually every BMW 2L I4 turbo is superior to every NA 3L I6, M1 excepted.
The BMW S70 was the best engine of all time, from noise to performance and response.
1st S70
2nd S85
3rd S65
4th S54
5th S38
6th S50
7th M88
8th M54
9th N52
10th S14.
i3. Joking! Since I’ve never heard the F1 V12 (& probably never will), I’m going with the M5/M6 V10 – not only a unique sound, but a unique time, place & engine in the company’s history, inspired by F1 & the last great petroleum monster before downsizing into turbo 6’s & 8’s. Plus I love the cars it powers.
Seriously? S14 one of the best sounding BMW engines of all time? Ridiculous. It sounds as apealing as a tractor. Uninspiring and boring. I’m gonna go as far and say that even S55 sounds much better than S14. E36 M3’s engine is IMO the best sounding 6-cylinder BMW engine of all time. My all-time favorite BMW engine is by far S85. Beautiful, loud and amazing noise. I know it isn’t the most reliable engine ever, but the noise is simply out of this world.
E46 M3 engine