1986 – Present
45+ years: 1980 – Today
The E30 M3 is one of the most successful race cars of the Group A era. E30 M3s won the following touring car titles: 1987 World TCC and ‘87 Australian TCC, 2 European TCCs, TCCs in France, Germany, Finland, and The Netherlands, plus the 24 Hours of Nurburgring (5 times), Spa 24-Hour (4 times), and the ’87 Tour De Course rally in the WRC.
While the G80 M3 Touring is BMW’s first M3 wagon that people can buy, they did build one M3 Touring concept back in the E46 era. Fully functional the M3 Touring unfortunately never made it to production. It is believed the bodywork changes required to fit the wider rear guards and performance exhaust made the project too difficult or costly to complete.
While BMW don’t have a commercial vehicle arm they used to have a custom-built E30 ute as a parts-running vehicle at the M Sport factory. After decades of service this was replaced by an E90 M3 cut down into a two-seat utility in 2012.
THE first M3 debuted in 1986, three years after the E30 3-Series first went on sale, and it replaced the aging E24 M635CSi as BMW’s touring car racing platform, in both Group A touring cars and rallying. M Sport sliced two cylinders off the famed M88 DOHC six-cylinder engine to create a high-revving, 200hp, naturally aspirated 2.3-litre (later 2.5L) four-cylinder coded S14B23. Iconic boxed guards and a host of aerodynamic improvements were added to the E30 coupe shell, while larger brakes and special five-stud suspension architecture replaced the standard E30’s four-stud equipment.
With most E30 M3s weighing in under 1200kg (some were over 1350kg) BMW M Sport’s featherweight flier proved capable of taking wins on tight tracks from the more powerful Ford Sierra Cosworth and the V8 Fox Body Mustang, Volvo 240T, Nissan DR30 Skyline and R32 Skyline GT-R, V12 Jaguar XJS, and Holden HDT Commodores. Once Group A regulations were retired by the early 90s E30 M3s were still winning races in German DTM, hill-climbing, and rallycross.
As it was used to homologate racing cars BMW made continual improvements to the E30 M3 through its life with three special editions (Evo 1, Evo 2, and Sport Evo) showcasing these engineering refinements. All E30 M3s were built in left-hand-drive, with manual transmissions, though BMW did build a limited run of cabriolets and one ute for use inside the BMW factory.
In a halcyon era of homologation cars which would go on to become legends, the E30 M3 stands tall among them as one of Group A motorsport’s most successful platforms and a hero of the tuning scene to this day. Only 17,970 E30 M3s were made before the E30 platform was superseded by the all-new E36 3-Series.
With homologation of a race car no longer a requirement of the M3 model, the all-new E36 M3 launched as a larger, more luxurious model in 1992. The E36 coupe was already a rakishly designed two-door so the M3 model retained the standard bodyshell, but did gain a sportier bodykit and mirrors.
Initially only offered as a coupe a convertible joined the line-up in 1994, and some markets received a four-door sedan for a limited time. All E36 M3s were praised for the significant refinements over the much-older E30 model, with the handling being singled out in particular as being industry-leading.
An all-new DOHC three-litre six-cylinder engine coded S50B30 replaced the four-cylinder, producing 282hp. This was upgraded to a 316hp 3.2-litre variant coded S50B32 for the mid-cycle 1995 facelift of the E36 M3 model, however the US market once again received lower-spec mechanicals in their M3s compared to the Rest of World-spec cars.
Early E36 M3s were equipped with a five-speed manual (or five-speed auto in some markets), but the 1995 update changed this to a six-speed manual with an optional six-speed SMG transmission. Many thought SMG was simply an electronically-shifted automatic, but it is actually a clutch-less manual, though it was heavily criticised for offering a poorer driving experience compared to the manual.
In total 71,242 E36 M3s were built, though the rarest is the Australia-only M3 R. Only 15 were built by racing legend Frank Gardner to homologate improvements for local production car racing, with the 322hp lightweight coupe the most powerful E36 M3 produced.
Often considered to be one of the best cars ever produced by BMW M-Sport, the E46 M3 delivered scalpel-sharp dynamics, an addictive drivetrain which loved to be driven hard, pumped-up yet still subtle styling, plus the refinement of a luxury car. It was nearly 400kg heavier than the lightest E30 M3, as well as being 145mm longer and 110mm wider, but 14 years of engineering refinements meant that while the driving experience wasn’t as raw as the little lightweight E30, it was just as thrilling.
Powered by the now-legendary 338hp S54B32 3.2-litre DOHC in-line six-cylinder, which was a large-scale update of the previous S50B32 from the E36 M3. Retaining individual throttle bodies, a BMW M Sport signature, the S54 won countless awards for its tractability down low while retaining a thrilling, high-RPM top-end.
The E46 M3 was offered in both coupe and convertible bodies, with a choice of six-speed manual or SMG II clutchless-manual transmission. A new electronically-controlled limited-slip diff promoted excellent handling.
A limited-edition, lightweight variant of the E46 M3 was launched in 2004 called the CSL (Coupe Sport Lightweight), which saw power bumped to 355hp and kerb weight dropped from 1560kg to 1385kg. Only 1383 were built, all with tuned SMG transmissions and these are already considered collectables today.
A total of 85,766 E46 M3s were constructed over a six year run, with 56,133 coupes and 29,633 convertibles. BMW built a handful of 4-litre V8-powered widebody M3 GTR models to homologate the car for racing, and thanks to their use in the Need For Speed computer game, these models have become icons for tuning enthusiasts today.
An all-new, larger, more luxurious M3 arrived in 2007 with three different codes covering the three distinct body styles BMW offered. The E90, E92, and E93 chassis codes covered the sedan (E90), coupe (E92), and convertible (E93) bodies and, of the 65,985 M3s built in the E9x generation, 40,092 were two-door coupes, 16,219 were convertibles, only 9674 were four-door sedans.
Longer, wider, taller, and heavier than previous generations, kerb weight jumped up to between 1580kg (coupe), 1605kg (sedan) and a portly 1810kg (convertible). It was wider and taller (and only 2mm shorter) than the BMW E28 5-series which was BMW’s large car family saloon when the E30 M3 debuted in 1986… and yet it was still lauded as one of the best-driving new performance cars on sale at the time.
The engine also jumped up, with an all-new 414hp S65B40 four-litre V8. This engine was pumped out to 4.4-litres for the limited-edition M3 GTS, where it produced 444hp and weighed 136kg less than the regular coupe.
The E9x generation M3s were initially offered with a six-speed manual with a seven-speed twin-clutch DCT transmission offered from April 2008. Combining industry-leading chassis dynamics with improved interior refinements and a visceral 8400rpm redline from the raucous V8, the fourth-generation M3 came in for global praise, and has continued to be enjoyed by driving enthusiasts seeking an analogue driving experience.
With the E9x ending production in 2013 it marked a significant shift in the M3 model as this would be the final naturally-aspirated M3, and the last time the M3 would be offered as a coupe or convertible.
BMW’s original 1970s E9 CSL model was BMW M Sport’s first car and it changed touring car racing in Europe for decades. The E46 M3 CSL had a huge amount to live up to, and is already an icon of performance cars of its time, with features like carbon-fibre intake, seats, roof, and the infamous duck-tail spoiler.
The E46 M3’s S54B32 straight-six was voted Engine of the Year and Best New Engine on its debut in 2001. It also won its category in the Engine of the Year competition every year it was eligible. These engines today can cost more than half as much as a complete E46 M3 car.
The famous Car & Driver magazine voted the E36 M3 their best-handling car at any price back in 1997. This put the M3 ahead of many supercars like the Honda NSX, Ferrari 355, Dodge Viper GTS, Chevrolet Corvette, and Porsche 911.
A new era began when BMW released the F80 M3 models. Offered only as a four-door sedan as part of BMW’s move to split four-door sedan models into odd numbers and two-door coupe and convertible models into even numbers, the F80 was also the first M3 in five generations to offer a forced-induction engine.
Coded S55B30 it was a 425hp twin-turbocharged DOHC in-line six-cylinder, which was a variant of the BMW N55 engine that had been reworked by the M Sport division. The transmission options were for a six-speed manual or seven-speed DCT, with the dual-clutch transmission signalled out for being vastly improved over previous clutchless gearbox options from BMW.
Weighing in approximately 10kg more than the previous E90 M3 sedan, but measuring up 53mm longer and 31mm wider, the fifth-generation M3 was a mammoth against the original E30 model being 450kg heavier, 326mm longer, 197mm wider, and 54mm taller. However, while an E30 M3 could do the 0-100km/h in 6.7-seconds, the F80 was capable of doing it in 3.9-seconds.
BMW M Sport fitted the F80 with a carbon-fibre roof and aluminium bonnet and front guards to save weight over regular production models. They rolled out mid-cycle updates to the model in 2015 and 2017, before the model was discontinued in 2018 due to incoming emissions standards it couldn’t meet.
A limited-edition M3 CS model was produced which weighed 110kg less than a regular F80 M3 sedan but had 453hp. All up 34,677 F80 M3 sedans were sold.
The sixth-generation M3 debuted in 2020, coded G80 with the two-door M4 variant coded G82 (coupe) and G83 (convertible). Powered by a twin-turbo S58B30 three-litre DOHC in-line six-cylinder making 473hp, the G80 M3 is offered with a six-speed manual in base trim but also comes with the lauded ZF 8HP multi-clutch automatic transmission that follows on from previous SMG and DCT transmissions.
The iconic twin-kidney grille has been brought back to align the styling with the 4-series coupes. At 4794mm long, 1903mm wide, and 1433mm tall the G80 is longer, wider and taller than the BMW E39-generation 5-series family sedan from 1995-2004. This mirrors the increasing size of BMW vehicles through the previous 40 years, as the automaker pushes more luxurious features and improved performance.
The G8x M3 platform offers several firsts, including an xDrive all-wheel-drive option. Previously all M3s have been rear-drive only, while an all-wheel-drive option has been available on some BMW 3 Series back to the E30 series.
Special editions of the G80 include the M3 Competition which increases power to 510hp, while the 2023 M3 CS special edition has 550hp. The CS is only available as an xDrive all-wheel-drive model with 8HP M Steptronic Sport transmission, which is credited as helping the radically improved performance times.
Another first is the inclusion of a factory wagon variant of the M3 in 2022 with the M3 Touring. Kerb weights range from 1705kg-1865kg depending on specifications, while the performance of the G80s is supercar fast. The 2023 M3 CS is listed as doing 0-100km/h in 3.2-seconds, with a top speed over 300km/h.