The car came at me over a shallow left-sweeping crest. Reckon it was travelling at about 100mph, which was interesting on account of it being sideways at the time. Wonder how he’s going to handle the fast approaching hairpin? Oh, now that was impressive; a quick right-flick, drift into the turn broadside and then climb back on to the power as the pops and crackles subside. All four wheels jet-spray us with snow and gravel as the car weaves and bounds back into the cool green forest. A moment of glory that is a Lancia Delta Integrale at full cry on the RAC Rally.

No stranger to victory on the RAC, the Integrale delivered six Group A World Rally Championship titles between 1987 and 1992. With the likes of Kankkunen, Auriol and Biasion at the wheel, the tough little Lancia dominated rallying and spawned one of the world’s truly great sporting saloon cars.

And another moment never forgotten. Approaching Goodwood’s scary Madgwick corner at well over 90mph in a red M3 Evolution. Autocar’s then deputy road test editor at the wheel, me riding shotgun. We crest the ridge and the M3’s tail begins a progressive slide. Driver’s seen it coming because the car told him about it. A dusting of opposite lock, and the M3 settles and sets without a trace of bad manners. Balance – and driving – the like of which I’d never seen.

If the Integrale road car was evidence that racing improves the breed, then BMW Motorsport’s fabulous M3 was confirmation. Homologated for international Group A and N competition, the M3 has garnered a huge number of track victories since Roberto Ravaglia became World Touring Car Champion in 1987. The M3 takes an entirely different route, through, eschewing the turbocharger and four-wheel drive of the Integrale; predictably, M3s were thrashed by Integrales on anything other than tarmac. Fair enough, but elsewhere, the M3 proved a fantically capable racer. They have always figured in European championships and in 1988 and M3 took the British Touring Car Championship with Frank Sytner driving. You’ll know something is up when an M3 Evolution – launched in 1988 – fills your frame. The visual cues are dramatic, but they all serve a purpose. The larger rear window is more steeply raked than a standard 3-series, and the SMC-plastic bootlid and spoiler assembly sits 1.6in higher than the standard car’s. That helps airflow over the body and also generates a little downforce to combat aerodynamic lift at very high speeds. The steel wheelarch blisters are there so that a racing M3 can accept rims up to 10in wide.

Things are no less intense under the bonnet. When development started on the M3’s engine in the early ‘80s, it was decided that a ‘six’ would be too heavy for the balance needed for a racing BMW, so a ‘four’ was engineered using BMW’s six-cylinder engine as the starting point. By 1988, the M3’s massively durable 16-valver had evolved into a 220bhp 2302cc powerplant that will happily spin to its 7250rpm rev limit. In short, the power to back up the look.

Advertising its potential even more stridently than the M3, the Delta Integrale packs huge road presence. The bodyshell that is it based on may be 20 years old, but by the time the 16-valve HF Integrale appeared in 1989, its worked-out shape had reached Muscle Beach proportions; along with wider-wheels and tyres, the Integrale gained a swollen bonnet to accommodate the new engine.  And the changes in ‘89 went far beyond the cosmetic, too. As well a 200bhp 16-valve 1995cc turbocharged powerplant in place of the old eight-valver, the Integrale’s four-wheel drive system was retuned so that 53 per cent of the drive was sent to the rear wheels, as opposed to 44 per cent on the previous ‘Grale. That meant sharper response and less understeer on the limit. And stiffer suspension reduced body roll.

We are attracting attention. Spearing along the M27 at a legal pace, we watch as a police cruiser passes, slowing dramatically at the sight of our convoy, sullen faces looking long and hard. An M3 followed closely by an Integrale is plainly a moving violation looking for a place to happen. These two may be 10 years old, but they are still fantastically quick by any standard. An Integrale will reach 60mph in a shade over six seconds, with the BMW behind by a couple of tenths. Top speed for the BMW is just under 150mph with the ‘Grale managing 130mph. But those numbers don’t begin to tell the story; across country on sweeping A-roads and technically challenging B-roads, only a handful of modern cars will stay with this duo. And even fewer will be as entertaining along the way.

The BMW’s door lets out a satisfying, multilayered thunk as it shuts behind me. Massively supportive seats firmly embrace, three-spoke steering wheel offering fine view of tach and speedo, heavily sprung gearlever offering up a dogleg first. The driving position is just about perfect. As the BMW begins to roll, the engine note starts out a bit lumpy, but soon smooths out to a metallic basso. At 400rpm in third the M3 goes very, very hard. At 5000rpm in third, when it feels like it can’t possibly have any revs left, it gives you another 2000. Amazing. Through high-speed corners, the BMW’s balance is uncanny, thoroughly adjustable on the throttle and completely reassuring. The car moves around, communicating, teasing. It’s a precise tool but without being clinical about it.

The Integrale is right there, covering every move the M3 makes. It’s a very different character, though. The Garrett T3 turbo uses a smaller turbine than the eight-valve Integrale for better response, less lag. There isn’t much lag, to be fair, but you still get that ‘turbo movement’ when the engine gets enough puff on to deliver an almighty shove. It’s not a particularly linear response, but while that trait can be pretty frightening in old 911 Turbos, the Integrale is so massively secure that it just isn’t a problem. Through slower corners, you’ll find yourself getting on the power incredibly early and, with that rear torque-bias, a little amusing oversteer is not out of the question. The steering is precise, with even sharper turn-in than the M3, and the Integrale can cover challenging ground at a stunning rate. But while the ‘Grale is demonstrably quicker point-to-point than the M3, it does feel slightly less involving.

Inside, the Integrale’s cabin is more chaotically laid out than the M’s but some of the earlier car’s foibles have been sorted. The tacho’, for example, starts at 3 o’clock so that the wheel rim doesn’t obscure the numbers. And like the M, the ‘Grale’s seats are wonderfully supportive. Which is a good thing because the amount of grip on tap from those 205/50VR15 tyres is simply huge.

The M3 and Integrale were only ever produced by the factory in left-hand drive. Don’t let that put you off; lhd doesn’t get in the way of a truly great driving experience. And with good examples of each going for less than £10,000, they approach affordability. Not bad for a car that will go sideways through a forest at 100mph. Or one that will get you through Madgwick in quite some style.

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Applying performance modifications to new car – legally and cost efficiently – is becoming such a daunting task that the most rational course seems to be cruising the used-car market, European car has espoused this approach for years, and one of our favourite platforms for performance modifications is BMW’s E30-bodied M3.

The two-door sports sedan was first sold in the US as a 1988 model, and though the sedan resembles such kin as the 318i and 325i, the chassis features reinforced components, better brakes and a more aggressive suspension system – as well as an aggressive, racy set of clothes. A detailed look at its BMW Motorsport components underscores the fact this car is a very attractive investment at current market values.

Although this first M3 moved slowly from dealer showrooms, examples are now being sought by hardcore enthusiasts as the basis for serious tuning. A quick scan of the pits during any BMW club driving school reveals many in attendance, some as they came from the factory and others like the two shown on these pages. Good condition M3 can be found for $15,000 or less; the lowest we’ve heard is around $7K, but we’d suspect major problems in cars with such bargain prices.

Two excellent examples of early M3s with “individual” touches are the white 1989 coupe owned by Ren’e Villeneuve and Gary Miller’s immaculate Henna Red 1988 car.

Miller purchased his used M3 in already glittering condition, and though his focus was on personalizing his new acquisition, he vowed to keep it sparkling like a show car.

Mille chose to install 17X18-in. TSW Hockenheim-R one-piece alloy wheels for an improvement in both looks and size of the footprint. Toyo Proves T1 tires were selected because of the favourable reports Miller had read concerning their grip and longevity. A 215/40ZR17 size was selected for all four-corners.

The car’s tall bodywork was lowered via a set of H&R sport springs and Bilstein sport struts and shocks. H&R provides two different combinations of lowering with the same 20 percent rate increase: one in. or .75 in. on the front, and one in. or 1.25 in. on the rear. Miller elected to go with the short springs to get the car closer to the ground for lower center of gravity. A Racing Dynamics upper stress bar was added to minimize chassis flex.

The brakes received a conservative upgrade to Repo Metalmaster pads, along with Power Stop’s cross-drilled rotors – chosen for better cooling of the brakes (E30 M3s have been known to warp rotors on tracks with extreme braking conditions) and for looking good through the larger wheels.

The main complaint against early M3s is their lackluster performance at lower rpm ranges. A moderate power upgrade for Miller’s car began with a BMW Motorsport airbox, fitted with a K&N air-cleaner element and was continued with a Dinan Performance Engineering engine management chip, along with Dinan’s exhaust cam sprocket – both popular with the driving-school ser. Miller reports a satisfying enhancement of the low-end performance of the multi-valve engine.

Subtle, yet effective upgrades to the interior include a MOMO Corsa Steering wheel for better grip and a BMW Motorsport dead pedal for better bracing. Red BMW Motorsport Evolution III harnesses replace the O.E. units and look sensational. The door sills were replaced with Evolution III sill plates to help prevent scuffing when climbing in or out of the car. A final, trick touch is the lighted BMW Motorsport shift knob, which gets quite a workout every time Miller takes his M3 through its paces.

Villeneuve comes from the renowned family of racecar drivers, and not surprisingly, he also loves to race as well as instruct at BMW CCA driving schools. His approach to M3 modifications was similar to his cousin’s recently launched F1 career – a kick-ass attitude and a love of life at the limit. Villeneuve’s attraction to BMWs is apparent from his previous cars, a 318i and a clean Euro 323i, both appropriately slathered with mods.

Villeneuve purchased his M3 in 1990 from a local BMW dealer, discovering the car was a former Skip Barber Driving School car. The car’s past led to a few problems, but the factory warranty covered the items of concern.

Initially, the car had MOMO R3 wheels with Dunlop 215/45ZR17 tires on the front and 245/40ZR17 on the rear. Due to the R3’s offsets, the retaining clip for the brake pads couldn’t be used, so Ren’e switched to 17X18-in. TSW Hockenheim-R wheels, wrapped by 215/45ZR17 Toyo Proxes T1s on all four-corners. Villeneuve observed, “It brought the car closer to its stock handling characteristics….a predictable oversteer.”

Further improvements to Villeneuve’s part time street and part time track car include a Binan computer chip and cam sprocket, along with a Borla T-304 stainless steel, high-performance rear muffler. The Borla unit adds to the M3s breathing efficiency and delivers a healthier sound and improved looks.

The suspension underwent a radial change through a conversion to DTM springs and shocks H&R supplied the expertise, combining the springs (referred to as “M3 Adhesive”) in concert with special Koni dampers. Koni specially constructed the struts and shocks, giving them a 25 percent stiffer rebound value and featuring a 3/4 -in. internal spacer to limit the rebound travel. The H&R springs feature a 315lb rate on the front and a 570lb rate for the rear. Due to the greatly reduced ride height, H&R’s representative stated the stock bump stops on the suspension must also be shortened. All mechanical work on Villeneuve’s car was faithfully performed at Bimmer’s Clinic in Reseda, California. According to Villeneuve, George Kratochwill at Bimmer’s Clinic maintains a very professional facility, and the work is top notch. Much like the current M3, BMW Motorsport gave the E30 improved high-speed stability with its radical aerodynamic modifications. To bring his car up to current standards, Villeneuve had Anaheim Hills Auto Body install a factory M3 Evolution II front spoiler as well as a combination Evolution II and III rear wing. The inner fender lips were rolled for tire clearance, and the front fog lights were removed and replaced by brake ducts from Pegasus Motorsport Products for additional brake cooling. The final brake modification was an upgrade to Power Stop rotors.

According to Villeneuve, this combination of aerodynamics, tires, wheels, and suspension gives the car very predictable handling. Having driven many racecars and hot street cars, he feels it is among the best. “The car exhibits mild understeer when entering a corner and generates a slight, yet controllable and predictable oversteer when powering out of a corner’s apex,” said Villeneuve.

He believes the car is still under-powered, but additional horsepower improvements would require significantly more money. Moreover, the car had been extremely reliable while still delivering great performance on or off the track, and Ren’e wisely has chosen not to mess with the so-far successful performance equation. Villeneuve’s car gets a lot of track time – as many as 15 times a year on road courses such as Willow Springs, Las Vegas, Laguna Seca, Sears Point and Phoenix’s Firebird Raceway.

Even though the Villeneuve and Williams M3s have slightly different setups, they deliver similar results – responsive, free-revving power, a balanced chassis with optimum handling performance and good braking. These are extremely rewarding cars to drive with roots deep in Motorsport, heritage and development.

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