Back in July BMW released a press statement to acknowledge the 25th anniversary of their almighty M3. AUSmotive followed by trawling through BMW’s press archives to bring you an image gallery befitting such an occasion. Now, BMW has just released a new video to its official YouTube channel which celebrates, yep, you guessed it, 25 years of the BMW M3.
Check it out after the break.
Last week BMW brought us news about the iconic M3 celebrating 25 years. There’s been just four generations of M3s in that time; if you compare the original E30 to the current E92 you begin to appreciate how long 25 years is in the life cycle of the modern car.
At launch the E30 hit the market with a 2.3 litre four cylinder engine. Peak power was rated at 147kW at 6750 rpm, with 240Nm of torque available from 4750rpm. The feisty pocket rocket tipped the scales at 1200kg. In contrast, the E92, released in 2007, has twice as many cylinders in its engine and almost twice the capacity. Maximum power from the 4.0 litre V8 is 309kW at 8300rpm, while torque has increased to 400Nm from 3900rpm. The listed weight of the manual equipped E92 is 1580kg. One interesting side note is the capacity of the fuel tank; 70 litres in the E30, reduced to 63 litres in the current model.
After the jump you can see a selection of images from all four generations of M3; E30, E36, E46 and E92. You get a good insight at the presence the M3 has made on racetracks around the world too. Basic specs will be given and a more comprehensive list is available for download (700kb PDF).
The only thing left to discuss is to let us know which M3 is your favourite. Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
It doesn’t matter what criteria you judge it against, the BMW M3 is a genuine motoring icon. The M3 nameplate is about to turn 25. Four generations on the reputation carved by the original E30 M3 has been upheld at every step.
AUSmotive will be adding a large image gallery soon. In the meantime you can download BMW’s full press release and engine specs for every car to wear an M3 badge over the last 25 years. You might also enjoy reading over our previous Past Master article on the E30 M3, which includes images of an early M3 sales brochure from the United States.
UPDATE: Dr Kay Segler, AUSmotive’s new best friend has been busy announcing the 1 Series M Coupé, but he has also said a few things about the M3. You can read those words at the end of this article.
The BMW E30 M3—the most successful touring car ever.
The festive season is a time to reflect and enjoy the company of loved ones. So what better time, then, to reflect on one of BMW’s finest motoring achievements. There wouldn’t be too many motoring enthusiasts that don’t go weak at the knees when they see an E30 M3 on the road today. It’s all about respect—from its classic 1980s styling, to its racing heritage and, of course, to its place in the history books as one of BMW’s best ever road cars.
The opening paragraph makes a bold claim, but it is one made by many and the little M3’s honour roll makes for impressive reading. Four consecutive wins in the Nürburgring 24 hour race (1990–92), four wins in six years at the Spa 24 hour race (1987, 1988, 1990, 1992) are impressive enough. But add those to a list of series wins, including the inaugural World Touring Car Championship (1987), two British Touring Car crowns (1988, 1991), two European Touring Car Championships (1987, 1988), two German DTM titles (1987, 1989) and even an Australian Touring Car Championship for ‘Gentleman’ Jim Richards (1987) to name just a few, and what you have is a serious race car, with some genuine pedigree.
Of course, this pedigree translated very well to the road-going version as well. The original M3 had a 2.3 litre four cylinder and kicked off with 143kW, before various updates took the power well beyond 160kW. It loved to rev and was described by Classic & Sports Car as recently as 2002 as having a “beautifully balanced chassis, razor sharp steering, and sweet singin’ twin-cam four”.
Bona fide E30 M3s are a rare sight in Australia, but included below are some images of one I saw at Wakefield Park earlier this year, complete with US licence plates and all! If you know anything more about the history of this car I’d love to hear it.
In addition to those pics, and the clip above from BMW-web.tv, I have also included links to related reading and a selection of pages from a US-spec M3 brochure.