While those production numbers more than satisfied the Group A homologation requirements, M3s didn’t exactly flood the streets. But just 5115 made it to North America during its run here from model years 1988-1991. BMW sold more than 19,000 E30 M3s worldwide. This high-strung, high-revving, four-banger homologation coupe didn’t catch fire with the Eighties yuppie set – or enthusiasts – initially. Because in 2021, only one word springs to mind when you see this car: legendary. Hindsight has been kind to this M3 though, known by its chassis code, “E30”.
And by modern standards, the first BMW M3 is gawky an upright cab atop pillbox hips.
As if Spongebob bumbled into a prison lineup. This Road & Track Generation Guide is less a sterile comparison test and more a misty-eyed celebration of Bavaria’s finest, which saw light at that Frankfurt show so long ago, then wormed its way into our hearts forever.Īlong this Murderers’ Row, the blocky first-gen M3 looks comically friendly.
After two days at Mid-O, and a few runs missiling along nearby backroads, our love for BMW’s purist driving machine was renewed and subtle nuances long ignored became obvious. On a circuit that favors neither raw power nor nth degree adhesion, the intricacies of each generation emerged. The track’s parade of curves offered something for each M3 to sink its teeth into. So R&T gathered an ultimate low-mile example of each generation – from dealers, private owners, and BMW’s own museum – and lined them up nose-to-tail along Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course’s pit lane. Now the introduction of the M3’s sixth generation offers an opportunity for reflection. But after more than thirty years of continuous production, the M3 feels as vital to BMW as the roundel itself. As Bavaria’s newest homologation racer sat gleaming on the show floor, did BMW’s own executives anticipate the passion this boxy sedan would inspire? The first BMW M3 debuted under the sparkling lights of the Frankfurt Auto Show in 1985.
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