Why do BMW M3 and M5 rear doors look odd? M boss reveals all 

Here’s a question for BMW M-car aficionados or anyone who’s happened to catch sight of one recently: Do the rear doors of new M3s and M5s look a little weird to you? If so, there’s now an explanation: BMW M’s boss Frank van Meel told Auto Express that it’s all his doing and it’s totally on purpose. 

So what exactly are we talking about? If you look at the latest-generation BMW M3 or M5 saloon, you’ll notice that its rear door doesn’t line up with the rear wheelarch. 

All modern M3s and M5s feature wider axles to handle the extra power they have over a regular 3 or 5 Series. To fit the extended axles under the body, BMW – at great expense – flares the arches and widens the bodywork. However, the company doesn’t fit a new rear door, leading to the slightly odd situation where the door and wheelarch don’t properly meet. 

Audi’s equivalent RS models also often have a wider body, but they come with new rear doors to make the overall look more complete. But while Frank van Meel’s in charge, BMW Ms won’t change any time soon. 

Speaking to Auto Express, van Meel insisted that it’s absolutely done on purpose: “If you look at the M3, what’s part of the thing that makes it so cool is that you have to pull out the rear arch. [Our designers] would say we would like a new door, but I would say no. Our customers don’t, and I don’t.

“The thing with keeping the rear doors is that if your body-in-white is 25mm wider, and you have such a difference with the door, that gives you this [look] like a race car,” he said. “That’s what makes an M3 so cool. It’s not as smooth – you can see the power.

“If you look at an M4 today,” he said, “it looks smoother because as the body goes out, you can hardly see it. It looks good, but it’s friendlier. The M3 has a long tradition of not doing that; it’s almost part of the story of an M3.”

So, next time you look an at M3 saloon and wonder why it looks so much wider than an M4 – despite the fact it’s not – you’ll know why, and it’s all to do with a simple rear door. 

If you'd like BMW M3 of your own, wonky doors and all, check out the latest cars on our Buy A Car service...