BMW M3 E30 1985 - 1992 - Model history

Unfortunately, most race cars are noisy, uncomfortable and poorly equipped so the chances are small that most of us could live with such a product for everyday driving. However, every now and then a product appears on the market that is different from the others. Such a car successfully combines the characteristics of a passenger and a racing car to such an extent that it automatically becomes a future classic, and probably the best example is the first generation BMW M3 codenamed E30. For most car companies, motor sports serve as a promotion for passenger cars. Once upon a time, the rule "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" ruled, which was originally created in the United States in the early 1960s in the NASCAR championship. This meant that the car that performed best on the tracks on Sunday had the best chance of finding a buyer on Monday.

BMW M3 E30

BMW first appeared in motorsport in the early 1920s, but never paid too much attention to it. In 1971, Eberhard von Kuenheim became the head of BMW and decided that if the company wanted to develop, results were needed in motorsport as well. Von Kuenheim is acquiring a collaboration with American Bob Lutz, who spent many years as director of General Motors ’European Division, with a plan to produce a completely new division that will concentrate on the motor sport of BMW cars. In May 1972, BMW Motorsport GmbH (now known as the BMW M) was formed, with the help of two well-known former Ford engineers, Jochen Neerpasch and Martin Braungart. Ford was one of the first companies to use the "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" strategy very successfully during the 1960s, and high-budget teams in NASCAR, Indy, LeMans, rally and various classes of sports cars.

BMW M3 E30

However, Ford also showed that a big budget doesn't mean results, so the GT40 struggled for three years at LeMans before registering its first win. BMW did not want to have its own team, but planned to develop mechanics and other parts and sell them to private teams. The first such car was the celebrated 3.0 CSL, which had some great results during the 1970s, but not to the extent the German vehicle manufacturer had hoped. The first car to carry the Motorsport M-tag was the M1, a centrally-mounted coupe and plans to compete in FIA Group 4. This project began operations in 1974 and the original plan required collaboration with Lamborghini, but when plans failed. the car shell was manufactured at Ital Design while the car was assembled in Stuttgart.

BMW M3 E30

Because of these problems, it took BMW a long time to produce 400 copies for homologation that by the time the M1 was completed in 1981, it no longer had the technology to perform better. Still, the M1 was not a total downfall, and in particular stood out for the 3.5L 277hp engine, which was able to develop 900hp in the racing version as well. While M Motorsport struggled with race cars, BMW introduced an interesting range of race cars. One of them was the 3-Series, codenamed E21, introduced in May 1975 as an evolution of the 2002 model, and soon accounted for half of the German giant's sales. The 3-Series had many positives, such as fuel-efficient engines and high finishes, yet it was too uncomfortable, expensive, and misbehaved in curves to serve as a base for a race car.

BMW M3 E30

However, from 1977 to 1982, BMW sold over a million units and had no reason to change. When the second-generation 3-Series debuted under the code name E30 in 1983, it was only an evolution of its predecessor. In the same year, the Motorsport M introduced several novelties. The first of them was the M635CSi, better known in some markets as the M6, and two years later its sedan version arrived under the M5 label. Both models provided 3.5L engines with 282 hp and a top speed of 256 km / h, and although they were sold in limited numbers, they gained enough cult status to quickly become legends. As expected, the M version of the 3-Series was the logical next move. The first such car was considered back in 1981, but the plan was stopped until the introduction of the E30 two years later. BMW decided to rush the project when big rival Mercedes unveiled its new 190E model in direct response to the 3-Series.

BMW M3 E30

Along with the 190E came its performance version under the 2.3-16V mark, the engine of which was made by the famous British tuning house Cosworth. Soon 2.3-16V dominated the tracks and won the title in the German Touring Car Series (DTM). BMW was certainly unable to ignore the move, and soon ordered the production of the M3 as a competitor on the tracks and on the streets. DTM series required a minimum of 5,000 production cars for type approval, and engineer Paul Rosche developed a new engine in just two weeks. BMW considered several different four- and six-cylinder options, and Rousch eventually chose this first option because it was easier. The engine block was taken from the BMW 318i, then expanded and a size of 2.3L was obtained.

BMW M3 E30

With a power output of 192 hp in the street version and 300 hp in the racing version, the M3 was able to accelerate to 100 km / h in 6.7 seconds and reach a maximum of 230 km / h. However, the engine was just one of many changes, and the suspension was soon modified, making the car wider and lower while the brakes were borrowed directly from the large 5-Series. Although the M3 looked like a 318i with bigger bumpers, the two cars only shared a hood and a sunroof. The first prototype was shown to the public in September 1985, but serial production did not start until 12 months later. The first specimens were shipped to buyers only in 1987, and when the first batch of 5,000 copies was sold in Europe, sales expanded to North America. Compared to the 325i with the I6 engine, the M3 was significantly more expensive and had a starting price of as much as 58,300 marks in the domestic market. American models were even more expensive and cost $ 34,000, and the media in this country received a lot of criticism at the outset.

BMW M3 E30

One of them was that the M3 was no faster than the 325i on the straight, and it was noisy, uncomfortable and for a BMW-labeled car, it had a rather poor finish. However, when the driver got out on the track, all of the aforementioned flaws were quickly forgotten, and soon began to arrive in the results. He drove his first professional race in March 3 on the famous Monzda Italian Trail, but all specimens were disqualified after failing to pass the inspection. When the aforementioned defects were removed, the M1987 proved to be the driver's favorite car and won titles in the touring series of Germany, Italy, Austria, the United Kingdom and Europe, and later the world. BMW was not satisfied with the achievement, but continued to improve the M3, and shortly afterwards the 3-hour race at the Nurburgring and Spa followed.

As we mentioned, the FIA ​​rules required 5,000 serial copies, but each subsequent evolution required only 500 copies. BMW has produced several "Evo" models with more powerful engines, improved aerodynamics and better driving characteristics, and the most attention was drawn to the 1989-1990 Sport Evo (Evolution III) with a 2.5L engine and 238 hp. Beginning in 1988, the M3 could also be obtained as a convertible with a 215 hp engine from the Evo I. Due to its high popularity, the M3 was the first M car to be produced on the same lanes as the rest of the 3-Series offering, which it greatly popularized. this car. In addition to the already mentioned Mercedes 190E 2.3-16V, the M3 had another big rival throughout its career, the Ford Sierra Cosworth, but it mostly came out as the winner. The great success of the first generation encouraged BMW to continue production of the M3 starting from the second generation in 1991, but we end our story here.

BMW M3 E30

Although the M3 is still manufactured and has provided turbo I6 and V8 engines throughout its history, the model that attracts the most attention is still the original E30. He not only raised it BMW from the ashes and celebrated it on world markets to this day is the best example of the BMW slogan "Ultimate Driving Machine". Today, the M3 is perhaps the most important model for the brand’s image and accounts for about 15% of 3-Series sales, and it all started with the first E30. Many will agree that the BMW M3 E30, along with the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350, is perhaps the best street race car to drive, which already puts this car as a future classic.

Author: Talladega
Pictures: BMW
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