The first BMW M3 was a racing homologation special with four cylinders
BMW built the original M3 so it could go touring car racing, and the rules demanded thousands of road versions. The result, a boxy E30 coupe with a high-revving four-cylinder engine, went on to win the Nurburgring 24 Hours five times, often beating cars with far bigger or turbocharged engines.
Group A and the German DTM series required 5,000 examples of the base car plus 500 evolution specials. BMW's M division revealed the M3 at the 1985 Frankfurt Motor Show and built it from March 1986 to June 1991, mostly as a coupe. Although it looked like an ordinary 3 Series, it shared only the bonnet, roof and sunroof panels. A flatter rear window, a raised plastic bootlid and a bonded windscreen cut the drag coefficient from 0.38 to 0.33 and improved stability. Under the bonnet sat the S14, a twin-cam four-cylinder combining a cylinder head derived from a BMW six with a four-cylinder block, redlined at 7,250 rpm and producing around 195 PS with a catalytic converter.
Racing rule changes kept BMW churning out evolutions. The 1988 Evolution 2 raised compression and power to 220 PS, with thinner glass to save weight. The 1990 Sport Evolution, limited to 600 cars, grew to 2,467 cc and 238 PS, with adjustable splitter and wing. Named editions honoured DTM drivers Ravaglia and Cecotto. In total 17,970 E30 M3s were built, and BMW even made a one-off M3 pickup in 1986 that served as the division's workshop runabout for about 26 years before retiring in 2012.
On track it was formidable. Besides its five Nurburgring wins it took four victories at the Spa 24 Hours and championships from Britain to Japan, where it collected seven consecutive JTC-2 class titles. Rallying was less natural for a rear-drive car on loose surfaces, but on asphalt it shone: Bernard Beguin won the 1987 Tour de Corse in a Prodrive car.
Later generations followed with every 3 Series. The E36 arrived in November 1992, soon adding a convertible and saloon, and its 1995 facelift brought a 3.2 litre engine, a six-speed gearbox and the SMG automated manual. Since 2014 the two-door versions carry the M4 name, and in 2020 the M3 appeared as a Touring estate for the first time.
Source: BMW M3
