There's something about the BMW M3 that inspires bloodlust among enthusiasts. It's not just that it's one of the quickest cars around and is one of the best-handling production cars with four seats ever built. And it's not just that it's built the way BMWs are expected to be built. It's the car's nervy, audacious personality that makes it something more than just another athletic sports coupe. The BMW M3 is the only BMW that seems eager for a fight.
The basic formula for the BMW M3 is simple: Take a BMW 3 Series, give it a rowdy engine and then modify the rest of the car to handle it. In fact, the first BMW M3 was built to go racing.
The BMW M3 story starts with an engine. Back in 1986 BMW wanted to compete in European Group A Touring Car racing but it didn't have the right engine. So the company's Motorsport division took the trusty BMW 2.0-liter four, bored and stroked it to 2.3 liters and developed a new twin-cam 16-valve head for it. The resulting power plant was good for 340 hp in competition form — perfect for Group A. All BMW needed now was a car to put it in. That car would be the BMW M3.
Starting with a regular "E30" 3 Series two-door, BMW expanded the wheelwells, gave a rake to the rear window and added deep spoilers up front and a rear deck wing to create the M3. And when it got to America for the 1988 model year, it was a 192-hp BMW M3.
While the first BMW M3 was a racer, subsequent M3s have been built primarily as street performers. The second E36-based M3 was available as a coupe and sedan with a 3.0-liter Motorsports modified inline-6 rated at 240 hp in America and a confounding 282 in Europe. The third E46-based M3 appeared for 2001 and was available as a coupe or convertible with a 3.2-liter six rated at 333 hp. For 2008 the E90-based M3 showed up — as a coupe, convertible or sedan — with a 414-hp 4.0-liter V8 under its hood. The BMW M3 has only gotten quicker as time has gone on.
