Photo: BMW Group, via Auto Express. The anniversary cars and motorcycles are pictured at the Nürburgring.
BMW has confirmed six M cars for its 100 Jahre Nürburgring edition, while one of the accompanying photographs supplies a detail absent from the written announcement: an M4 cabin with three pedals and a manual gear lever. The image establishes that BMW prepared a manual anniversary car for the shoot. It does not establish which countries will receive it, how many will be built or whether the specification will be offered in right-hand-drive form.
The car range consists of the M2, M3 Sedan, M3 Touring, M4 Coupé, M5 Sedan and M5 Touring. BMW says the five models other than the M2 are available to order in Germany from September 2026, with the M2 following in January 2027. The company has not published edition prices or a complete international allocation list.
What the manual M4 photograph proves
Photo: BMW Group, via Auto Express. The clutch pedal and six-speed shift pattern are visible, but the photograph carries no market allocation.
The interior photograph is unusually specific. A clutch pedal is visible to the left of the brake, and the lever carries a conventional manual shift pattern. Green stitching, the white 12 o’clock marker on the Alcantara steering wheel and the “100” plaque on the centre console identify the cabin as part of the anniversary presentation. Auto Express highlighted the image as evidence that a manual M3 or M4 could form part of the series.
That distinction between an image and a sales confirmation matters. BMW’s global release does not specify transmissions for the six cars. It also does not say whether the pictured car is intended for Britain, continental Europe or another market where a manual derivative is already homologated. A photograph can confirm a physical configuration; it cannot confirm price, production volume, steering position or a local order book.
The M3 Touring and both M5 body styles are not credible candidates for this particular transmission clue because their current powertrains are paired with automatic gearboxes. The M5 models also use BMW’s plug-in-hybrid M Hybrid system. The open question therefore concerns the rear-wheel-drive, six-cylinder side of the range, especially the M3 Sedan and M4 Coupé shown or discussed in markets with different transmission line-ups.
Six cars share the design, but no car production cap is stated
Photo: BMW Group, via Auto Express. The Touring uses a steel roof carrying the edition stripes.
Every edition car can be specified in Nürburgring Green, a colour developed for this programme, or Sapphire Black metallic. The common identifiers include the official “100 Years” logo, “Nürburgring since 1927” wording, a Nordschleife outline and roof stripes. The M2, M3 Sedan, M4 Coupé and M5 Sedan carry those stripes across an M carbon roof; the M3 Touring and M5 Touring use steel roofs.
Model-specific graphics appear on the front doors, C-pillars, rear quarters and tailgates. Wheels and, on some black-painted cars, the kidney-grille surrounds gain green accents. Inside, BMW combines black leather with green and white stitching. The six-cylinder cars receive an Alcantara M steering wheel and green Nordschleife embroidery on the head restraints, while the M5 models use a leather wheel and black embroidery.
BMW has confirmed a worldwide production limit of 100 examples for each of the three anniversary motorcycles: the M 1000 RR, M 1000 R and M 1000 XR. No corresponding limit appears in the official material for the six cars. Claims that the car range totals 600 units therefore go beyond BMW’s announcement.
M Ignite changes the combustion process, not the power claim
Photo: BMW Group, via Auto Express. The M4 carries the anniversary graphics, carbon roof and green-accented 826 M wheels.
BMW has not announced extra power for the edition. The M2, M3 and M4 do receive the latest version of the S58 inline-six with BMW M Ignite, a patented pre-chamber ignition system. BMW says it improves efficiency under sustained high load, lowers consumption in circuit use and helps the engine meet Euro 7 requirements without reducing performance. The company says the technology entered series production for these engines in July and August 2026.
The German-market official consumption figures are 10.5 l/100 km for the M2, 10.4 l/100 km for the M3 Sedan, 10.7 l/100 km for the M3 Touring and 10.4 l/100 km for the M4 Coupé. Listed CO₂ emissions range from 236 to 242 g/km. These are manufacturer homologation values, not Carboratory test results.
The M5 Sedan and M5 Touring retain their V8-based M Hybrid plug-in systems. BMW lists 5.2 l/100 km weighted consumption, 10.7 l/100 km with a depleted battery and 62 km of electric range for the sedan. The Touring figures are 5.5 l/100 km weighted, 11.0 l/100 km with the battery depleted and 60 km electric range. The figures apply to the German-market specification and BMW’s stated test method.
Why the centenary starts in 2026
Photo: BMW Group, via Auto Express. The M5 keeps its M Hybrid powertrain and adds the edition’s visual treatment.
The Nürburgring officially opened on 18 June 1927, so its centenary falls in 2027 even though the first anniversary cars open for ordering in 2026. The present Nordschleife measures 20.8 km and has 73 corners, major elevation changes and varying surface characteristics. BMW uses the circuit to evaluate chassis, brakes, aerodynamics, powertrains and thermal management together.
The edition packages that relationship through paint, graphics and equipment rather than a declared power increase. Its most consequential detail for enthusiasts is still the photographed manual cabin. Until BMW publishes country-specific specifications, the defensible conclusion is narrow: a manual M4 exists in the anniversary imagery, while its sale in Britain, Romania or any other individual market remains unconfirmed.
