The history of the BMW M logo and its colors | BMW.com

BMW’s M logo: a symbol with a strong brand value

Marc Thiesbürger, car and racing historian for BMW Group Classic, can draw on various archive sources and recorded recollections from those who were there. According to his interpretation of the color combination, the blue stands for BMW, the red was likely inspired by Texaco and the violet was chosen as a blend of the two. When asked about the story behind Texaco, he says: “It is very likely that the red in the BMW Motorsport color scheme represented Texaco, despite the fact that sponsoring negotiations with the company broke down at the end of 1972 and the deal never came to be.”

Thiesbürger considers this plausible due to the fact that Seehaus had already incorporated the Texaco logo into new racing car designs in 1972, as backed up by various design drawings in the BMW Group archives. This was at a time when BMW was participating in racing events with the support of Castrol – whose logo was the familiar green. According to Thiesbürger, it was unusual to add in the red just as negotiations with Texaco were beginning, but could perhaps have been an attempt to win the company over.