The M3
In the fall of 2003, I was fortunate enough to find and snag this ‘88 Lachsilber (Salmon Silver) BMW M3 - chassis code E30. I could go on and on about the history of the E30 M3… so I will:
In 1986, BMW wanted to compete with Mercedes Benz in the Group A Touring Car Race series. Specifically, the Mercedes 190E-2.3 16V which up until that time was one of the dominant vehicles in the class. BMW didn’t have a potent 4 cylinder engine in a production car that was capable of competing with the Benz’s at the time, so it created one.
BMW took the acclaimed M10 engine’s block (used successfully in Formula 1 and Formula 2 racing) and used the head from the M88/S38 of the M5 (minus two cylinders) and created the S14 engine: a high-revving, 16 valve 2.3 liter 4-pot. Then they put this into a slightly modified 3-series chassis, added box flares and other aerodynamic features and stiffened up the suspension. Thus was born the E30 M3.
In order to enter the M3 into Group A Touring, BMW had to homolagate at least 5,000 vehicles into production. This means that what you saw on the racetrack was almost identical to what you bought in the showroom. In other words, the E30 M3 was a racecar for the street.
The E30 M3 went on to become the most successful touring racecar ever with wins in countless DTM (German), ETCC (European), BTCC (British) and WTCC (World) races. Including a number of 24 hour race wins and even a rally win or two. It has become an icon in the automotive industry and a gem among enthusiasts as “the real M3″. Despite its meager performance numbers by today’s standards, it still remains competitive in SCCA and BMW CCA events.
It was produced from 1986-1991 in various forms (EVO, EVO II, Sport Evo, etc) and only about 5,000 were sold in the United States. A large number of those have come to an early demise on the racetrack so it is somewhat rare to find a clean, undamaged, low mileage example. Id like to think that I found one :).
Its not perfect - the interior needs a serious refresh, the hood is a bit chipped, the suspension is a bit tired and there are tons of maintenance things that need to be tackled but such is the joy of BMW ownership.
I have tackled a few projects which I will share here and as I complete a few more of them, Ill post photos and commentary here as well. It’s not a cheap investment; but it actually is an investment since the value of these cars keeps climbing (and the insurance value is twice what I paid for it :)).
Cheers!
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