No four-seater road car anywhere makes the transition into a track day hero better thant he E30 M3. It is the pinnacle of the breed, and in spite of its age has yet to be surpassed. But to think of it only as a track car would be wrong, as its fluid dynamics work equally well on the road. Of all the exceptional cars to wear the legendary M Power logo, the original M3 is regarded by many as the greatest. It is raw, focused and fast, with scalpel sharp responses, intimate feedback and a chassis that does everything asked of it.

Designed with the express intention of winning touring car trophies, this is one of the few true M cars. That is was available so readily for sale had more to do homologation rules than anything else: BMW had to build 5000 examples, before it was allowed to compete. They did so with ease. In fact, they went on to sell 17,000; not bad for such a specialised device.

Yet, this car doesn’t come with a supercar price tag. Today a good example can be yours for around £10,000, although you will see plenty of cheaper ones on sale too (we’ll come to those later). Running costs are also remarkably reasonable, especially when you consider the age of the car, and the fact that it produces almost 100bhp per litre and is sure to have been constantly driven with enthusiasm and verve. Not only that, depreciation is now non existent provided the car is properly maintained. As long as you buy the right car, there really is nothing to lose.

The E30 M3 story began in September 1985 when the model was first shown at the Frankfurt motorshow, although it was a full year before it finally started to roll off the production line. Such was the demand from British customers that BMW GB began importing them almost immediately even though this four-pot screamer cost £5000 more than the previous 3 Series range-topping model, the 325i. In catalysed form it developed 195bhp, but it was also available without the cat, releasing and extra 5bhp.

Sales continued apace, but changes had to be made to stay ahead of the pack on the race track, so in May 1987 the first Evolution model was born. For these to be eligible to race, 500 had to be built. BMW made 505 of the cars that would become known as the Evo 1; seven officially came to the UK. None had cats, and modification were mainly aerodynamic, and included a deeper front spoiler (with brake ducts replacing the fog lights) and an extra plane added to the rear wing.

The wings were lightened as part of a number of weight saving measures that shaved 10kg off the second Evolution model, which went on sale in March 1988. The work that went on under the bonnet was more important, with new camshafts and pistons and a lightweight flywheel providing 220bhp. Only available in red, blue or silver, 501 of these 152mph missiles were sold, of which 51 came to the UK. During 1988 and ‘89 three special editions based on the Evo II were available, but of those only the Roberto Ravaglia edition was sold in the UK. The rest of Europe had the Johnny Cecotto and the Europameister to celebrate their touring car successes.

The best was saved until last. The Evolution III Sport, on sale between December ‘89 and March 1990, featured a larger, 2.5 litre unit that pumped out 238bhp. The blistered arched were extended to allow the racer to run with 18 inch slicks, and the angel of the wings could be adjusted with an Allen key. There were 600 and only 45 of these were official UK imports, all were either black or red.

There was also a convertible, but the removal of the roof reduced the shell’s rigidity, added 353lb and robbed the M3 of its incisive composure. They are therefore not in the spirit of the rest of the range; only poseurs need apply for these.

Also worth avoiding are cars that have been converted to right-hand drive. Birds of Uxbridge carried out about 70 conversions, and while it was a very professional job, the slower steering of the 325i and a reworked braking system blunted the M3’s responses. It isn’t difficult to get used to driving a left hooker, even with the dog-leg box – half an hour should do the trick.

Checking it out

As already noted, the E30 M3 wears its age well, but as with any car abuse and neglect will take their toll. There are a number of points to be aware of and some very rough cars to avoid. Buying a bargain high miler can be a false economy as the money required to bring it up to scratch often will ultimately equate to the cost of a good, low mileage example.

These cars rarely suffer from rust, so it’s easy to polish up a bad car and make it look good. In fact, if you do find rust it’s likely to be the result of accident damage, which has twisted the chassis out of alignment. The main areas where not does occur are at the base of the windscreen pillars and the bottom edge of the wheel arches. On the subject of repaired damage, look at the front of the car carefully, as most M3 smashes are frontal. Ensure the finish looks original and the fittings are standard BMW parts. Remember, if there is any doubt about a car, walk away.

Mechanically, the most important point to be aware of is the timing chain, which must be replaced at 100,000 miles. It’s an engine out job, so will cost around £2000, or a little more if you have the top-end overhauled simultaneously (this is recommended). Although not an inconsiderable sum, it will ensure the engine will survive the next 100,000 miles. If the assembly is not replaced, the chain will fail and the bill will be in excess of £4000. There is no way to tell when it is likely to go, as everything will work perfectly well right up to the point where it doesn’t work at all. This means a 110,000 miler with the work done can be worth more than a car that has 90,000 miles on the dial. Know exactly what you are buying.

Also the rubber inlet manifold block will need refreshing bi-annually on an average mileage car. This costs about £250 and will prevent air seeping through it and upsetting the idling speed. The only other engine related problems buyers might encounter are perished mounting bushes that will collapse, and cracked distributor caps that will make the engine misfire.

Both the gearbox and clutch are robust, but a rattling noise is a likely indicator of worn layshaft bearings. Check the box for crunching that signifies a worn syncro, particularly in second gear, while the clutch may have suffered if second gear has been used to pull away – surprisingly common with the dogleg box. Look out for signs of leaks, as a rebuild will cost about a grand. Very few cars have cats now, even if they started life with them because cat front boxes cost £600 more than the non-cat items. It’s perfectly legal to do this on pre ‘92 cars and, of course, it makes them quicker too. Diffs are typically strong, but listen for a whining in top gear on and off the throttle; this indicates worn bearings which will need to be replaced.

Look for dished brake disc both front and rear – they wear out fairly rapidly. Expect to have the pads replaced every time the car is serviced and the disc every alternate service. The suspension is by Boge Sport gas dampers, and it lasts around 70,000 to 80,000 miles. Older cars have often not had them replaced because being gas they won’t leak and fail the MoT. Avoid cars with stiffer suspension, as this not only ruins the road balance, it will also stress the chassis and could even cause it to crack round the strut mounting points. Tyre wear on the inside edge means the front wishbones need replacing. This happens because the bushes decay and crack, them play develops in the ball joints.

Interiors are solid and hard wearing all the electrical system are trouble-free; if there are problems here they should be glaringly obvious. That said, one thing to check is the sideways movement on the seats that can occur on all 3 Series models. Movement indicates that the frame has snapped at the base and will have to be welded back in place.

Second Opinion

Graham Hauton-foster, owner of M3 specialist, Stratos Motorsport, firmly believes there is no greater car for the road and track than the E30. An average track day driver can take the M3 on the track without needing to spend any money on the car and be one of the quickest out there. The only thing I recommend to my customers, is that they upgrade the hoses to Goodrich and the brake pads to either Mintex or Pagid items to remove the possibility of fade.

“Spend time ensuring you are buying a good car in the first place and you will have very little to worry about. Of course, these cars are addictive and the more circuit work you do in them, the more you’ll want to do. Pretty soon you’ll want to go faster and you’ll start spending money having the suspension upgraded and making little tweaks here and there. You really don’t need to, but you just won’t be able to help yourself.”

The Owner

Chris Wadsley brought his 2.5 Evo Sport two years ago. To be honest I did everything wrong when I bought my M3. I bought an imported car with a bodged respray that had absolutely no history, but I’ve been exceptionally lucky and I haven’t had a single problem with it.

Years ago I was an instructor with Club 89, which used a couple of E30 M3s for teaching and giving passenger rides. They moved onto E36 M3s, and I soon forgot just how good the E30 was. That was until 1997, when I was doing some instructing at Brands Hatch and an E30 owner asked me to show him the way round. Then, a week later I found myself behind the wheel of another E30 M3 at the Nurburgning and realised I had to buy one. Nothing could live with it round there, we were even overtaking 911s.

“It took me a while to find an Evo Sport and, as the car was mainly going to be used on the track, I wasn’t concerned that it looked a bit tatty. I got a very good deal. The car had about 90,000kms on the clock then. Now it has about 130,000, so we’ll soon have to change the timing chains. If we get time over the winter, we will refurbish it, too. Then again, I may be too busy driving it.”

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In the past, BMW has been particularly sly in realising the public’s desire for such cars. It developed the E30 M3 to compete as a production-based car in motorsports, tapping into a huge market for these road-going racking machines. This was also Enzo Ferrari’s philosophy; if the public see the cars winning at the weekend, they’ll want to buy them come Monday.

The M3 was destined for touring car racing, and hit the track more or less in standard production form. Becoming 1987 World and European Touring Car Champion, as well as taking numerous Rally victories, did sales no harm whatsoever. The M3 though, was not the first road car built by BMW originally intended for the track.

Just a decade before the first M3 was revealed to the world, BMW had developed a road-going 2002 Turbo with Group 5 racing clearly in mind. It was a direct descendant of the turbocharged 275bhp 2002 that won the 1969 European Touring Car Championship, and in producing this awesome revelation, BMW pioneered the world’s first turbo engine in a production car.

The 2002 Turbo generated huge interest from the press and public alike. Since it was deemed too dangerous for the road by some journalists (it was practically a race car), it must be seen as the predecessor to the milestone E30 M3. If it wasn’t for the unfortunately timed Middle East oil crisis which led to fuel rationing in Europe, we would have seen the production of many more than merely the 1672 BMW 2002 Turbo example.

Since ‘race cars for the road’ is just about our ideal PBMW, we simply had to get an E30 M3 and 2002 Turbo together to test and compare these living legends. The number of privately owned 2002 Turbo’s remaining in this country is believed to be in single fitures, so we are most grateful to Rory Aherne for introducing us to his classic thoroughbred. Our M3 was borrowed from the brilliant Munich Legends in Sussex, a company whose showroom is nothing short of a MW enthusiast’s wet dream.

With the two cars parked together, it’s a shame the 2002 Turbo wasn’t the success story the M3 became. The older car certainly shows roots of its humble 1960s design, but looks hard as nails with its fat arches with visible rivets and ground-scraping front spoiler. The decals are an exception to the usual rule that all stickers are bad. The M colours and retro ‘70s ‘turbo’ lettering has too many desirable connotations to be considered tacky.

However, the 2002’s previous owner may have thought so. “I’ve put the decals back on,” says Rory. “The last owner removed them after he kept on getting stopped by police who knew exactly what this car was capable of. That was 15 years ago, though.”

Beside the M3, the 2002 Turbo looks just as inviting as its more familiar stablemate. It’s tiny 13″ Revolution wheels, thin frame and aggressive looks beg you to hop inside and give that M3 bully a run for its money. The interior exudes classy ‘70s style with the black leather seats and red dashboard display, and has weathered well considering it’s had 30 years of use.

Just touching the throttle hints at the 2002’s potential for speed. It pulls away fantastically well for a car of such age and, once we get past the turbo lag, a world of fun opens up. “The car used to have the original KKK turbo,” explains Rory. “However, being so primitive, and without an intercooler, it was never going to last forever. The replacement turbo is an IHI item from Terry Dury Racing Cars.” We are told the turbo lag has been greatly reduced with the IHI turbo, something the 2002 Turbo certainly needs.

The Turbo has a claimed 0-60 time of 6.7sec, but apparently it’s exceptionally tricky to release the full power potential. With decent boost not felt until 4500rpm, you’ve got to work hard for real results. Easy enough for motoring journalists 30 years ago, but with a cherished ageing rarity. Rory was obviously less eager to play on his 2002 Turbo red line.

The M3 was another matter, though. Munich Legends’ trackday car is used to being driven to the limit, and at this limit it really is in a league of its own. Its stunning performance and handling capabilities cannot be put into words – it must be experience to be believed! On Turweston airstrip it was like releasing a prisoner of 25 years into the open again. The M3 really needs to be freed from the constraints of public road legislation to prove itself – Southend’s roundabouts could never do justice.

Armed with our Racelogic timing gear, we set out to discover the two cars’ acceleration times. The M3 has 12 years in its favour and 30 more horses under the bonnet, so predicting a winner was never going to be tricky. However, the kick you get in the 2002 Turbo as it nears the top end gives the impression it’s just as quick as its rival. For a 30 year old car to break the ten second barrier without really trying (Rory was sensibly reluctant to can the car), gave us good indication of how special this car must have been in the early ‘70s.

The M3 nearly broke the seven second barrier on it’s way to 60 – we’ve sure it would have done if the track had been dry instead of flooded – and soared and past three figures in next to no time. Fifteen years after its birth, the original M3 still has the capabilities to take on the most modern street challengers. Not only that, it still turns heads and makes grown men go weak at the knees, knowing the wife would never allow it. However, for bachelors and those that wear the daddy pants, you could pick yourself up a bargain road-legal race car which is a little piece of history..

If you want to go a step futher, Rory is selling his 2002 Turbo. Performance with classic good looks and ultra exclusively are on offer, socall him on 07768 922050. Munich Legends is the place to go for M3s or any other work of genius BMW’s Munich factory produced. Contact the boys who know on 08125 740456.

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According to BMW, M is “the most powerful letter in the world.” But to us the M Department sounds more like something from a spy movie. The cars that have rolled out of the factory gates in the 29 years since BMW Motorsport was founded have more than a hint of James Bond about them. Cultured, stylish and discreet by sports car standards, yet with a fearsome hidden armoury. The M3 displays these traits to perfection. With the new model recently landed in the UK, we took the chance to gather together one of the most acclaimed sports car bloodlines of all.

But how did the M3 come about? The M Department was set up to go racing and had huge success though the ranks before turning to formula One, where it developed a turbocharged engine which powered Nelson Piquet in a Brabham BT52 to the world championship in 1983. Five years prior to that, the M Department had made its first attempt at building a road car, the M1 supercar. Others followed, and in 1986 the first M3 appeared. Rooted firmly in racing, it was an instant hit, and is still talked about in hushed tones among enthusiasts. Ten versions were built in all, including a few convertibles, which are now very collectable. Our car is the original article – a 200bhp 2.3 litre.

Changes came in 1993. A new M3 emerged and BMW’s Motorsport arm was renamed M as the bias moved away from racing. Unfortunately, many felt that shift was reflected in the E36 M3. Even so, the broader appeal sold more cars – 71, 279 altogether. This early model boasts 286bhp from its straight-six; later Evolution cars had 321bhp.

Which brings us to the present day and the all-new £38,500 M3. BMW obviously hopes to replicate the sales success of the last-generation machine, but has also intimated that the 343bhp road rocket will recapture the driving appeal of the E30. So how does the newcomer measure up against the ultimate benchmark? We went into action on a test track – coincidentally alongside the M3 motorway – to find out.

BMW M3 (E46)

Contrary to opinion, BMW’s M Department does not get it right every time. Although there have been plenty of highs, these were interspersed with a few lows. The M Roadster is a disappointment, but more importantly for the aspirations of the new M3, the last generation car was awarded a ‘could do better’ on its report card. However, the company has been on a roll lately. The M Coupé proved that the Germans do have a sense of fun, while the M5 is a super-saloon par excellence.

In common with its big brother, and in the finest spy hero traditions, the new M3 shows little hint of its potential. It’s smartly dressed, with extremely subtle muscular bulges. But the small alterations all add up. A blistered arch here, a minimal spoiler there, some extra chromework and coloured badges. Up close, the visual impact is like a slap in the face – helped in no small measure by the lurid yellow paintwork of our test car. This machine has presence – and performance. Externally, the four exhaust tailpipes tell their own story. Follow them back to the engine bay and you’ll find what has long been the M3’s heart – its engine. The last-generation model was often said to have the finest production engine in the world – but it’s been exceeded here. It’s fair to say that no manufacturer builds better powerplants than BMW, and this 3.2litre straight-six is the pinnacle of its achievements.

Although only 45cc bigger than the outgoing Evolution unit, and producing slightly superior power and torque, it feels more potent and purposeful. Elements of the M5 V8 are evident in the low-rev bass burble and ultra-flexible power delivery. It’s loud from the word go and the fantastic noise builds, covering every octave up to a scream. The 265Nm of torque makes itself felt early, but as you’d expect from a car capable of more than 8,000rpm, it’s at the top end where things really take off.

In the low gears, acceleration is genuinely uncomfortable and full throttle is an unnecessary indulgence with overtaking only a flex of the ankle away. Even in sixth gear, 50-70mph is despatched in seven seconds. Flat out, the M3 returned figures to match a Ferrari 550 Maranello, sprinting from a standstill to 60mph in 4.6seconds and from 30-70mph in 3.8.

And yet, if you can ignore the weighty clutch and heavy, although satisfying, six-speed gearbox, the 1,570kg M3 is docile to drive. It’s also a crushingly competent cruiser. Despite the firm ride and vocal engine, the well insulated cabin and flexible engine make long distance travel the effortless task you would expect from a car built to eat up autobahns at 155mph. more surprisingly, we averaged 21.7mpg during the course of 1,500 miles. The only area in which the new car has to prove itself is driver involvement, the sole chink in its predeccessor’s armour. Right from the word go it’s obvious that the latest model is a very different beast. Thanks to a much broader track, the M3 has vice-like grip and the balance and stability of a ballet dancer. Powering into, around and out of corners reveals a sparkling chassis and a great deal of finesse.

It is hugely talented and great fun, but, because of its weight and power, requires judicious use of the throttle – it’s not as fabulously exploitable as the original M3. The advanced traction control helps keep you on the straight and narrow, but if you do decide to experiment you’ll discover that this M3 is far more friendly and progressive than its snappy middle sibling, the E36. By its high standards, the E46’s steering isn’t great. Being direct and pleasingly meaty doesn’t compensate fully for the mediocre level of information trickling back from the tyres. In comparison, the E30 practically floods the driver with torrents of feedback. Arguably, however, the steering’s major pitfall is the wheel’s uncomfortably thick rim.

As for the interior, it’s more cockpit than cabin. There’s a real aircraft feel to the instruments and controls that surround the driver. The sensation is heightened by a comfortable driving position and superb seats. Leather covered and electrically operated as standard, you can even opt to have inflatable figure-hugging side bolsters. Take away the extra buttons and equipment and you’re left with a standard 3-Series Coupé interior. That means there’s room for four adults, and a boot large enough to take their luggage. It’s such practicality which puts the M3 in a different class from the Porsche 911.

That and the price, of course. Costing £38,500, the M3 is a relative bargain. This year’s UK allocation of 1,300 cars has been sold already, and we can’t imagine BMW having any difficulty shifting 1,800 units next year and beating the E36’s annual sales record. Especially not when the sequential gearbox and cabrio versions arrive. Without doubt, this is the most rounded and capable M3 yet.

BMW M3 (E36)

Say BMW M3 to most people with a smattering of motoring knowledge and this is the model that will spring to mind. And given the success of the E36, that’s hardly surprising – it defined the breed and was a radical departure from the first car, having little in common with the racing fraternity that had spawned the E30. The origins of this car can be traced back to BMW’s marketing department which managed to slot the M3 into a unique and highly desirable niche.

The second-generation M3 is a genuine coupé, and a practical one at that, rather than the two-door saloon shape of the original. It’s a less aggressive machine than its successor, having a leaner, more slender appearance. The rear spoiler with incorporated brake light was an option, but unquestionably the finest details are the twin-link mirrors – much envied and copied by the boy racer brigade. The privately owned car featured here is one of the early pre-Evolution models.

But, as with all the best presents, it’s the contents rather than the packaging which count. The E36 was the first M3 with a straight-six engine, and this incarnation has a 2,990cc capacity. When the car was launched in 1993, it achieved a specific output of 95.7bhp per litre, which was a world record for a production car engine. VANOSE valve timing allowed early access to 320Nm of torque, while you had to venture to 7,000rpm to access the 286bhp available. Such figures clearly indicate where the new M3 inherits its characteristics from.

Linked to the same six-speed manual gearbox as used in the latest car (although it feels notchier), the mid-Nineties version was extremely quick. The E36 lacks the thumping mid-range punch and flexibility of its replacement, and the figures confirm this as the in-gear times are around 10 per cent slower.

But wind the 3.0 litre unit up and it sings a clean, rasping song at high revs. There’s an extra surge of power as the needle swings past 5,000rpm and the valve timing does its work. In 5.4 seconds you’ll hit 60mph from a standing start. Under braking, the lighter kerbweight means the E36 stops in a slightly shorter distance, although the later car has more feel and better resistance. The 1,460kg weight also helped the E36 achieve 22.6mpg in our hands. The engine was undoubtedly the star of the show for second-generation M3s. It appealed to those who put driver involvement and chassis ability further down the wish list than image and power. Even so, the M3 was not a shoddy car to drive on a good road. Although it was the engine that captured the imagination, the E36 was capable rather than invigorating.

If the truth be told, the chassis wasn’t quite up to the task. While the better balance 328 was brilliant, it was overshadowed by an M3 that suffered from too much understeer and snappy behaviour near the limit. In that respect, it was a step backwards from the phenomenal E30.

Yet as with the car that eventually replaced it, the E36 is a fine all-rounder, with good noise insulation and a decent motorway ride. Away from smoother surfaces, though, the positiveness of the new model is missing – its parent feels more patchy and not as tautly controlled.

It’s easier to trace the links between the two interiors. In common with all M3s, the widely adjustable sport seats are truly supportive and the driving position easy to live with. The newer car feels darker and more enclosed, but the build quality and user-friendly dash and console layouts are similar. The same goes for the rear seats and boot space, making this the first practical everyday supercar.

And now it’s one of the most affordable. A good car with average mileage can be yours for less than £15,000. True, it’s expensive to run and insure, but reliability can be taken for granted.

BMW M3 (E30)

The original BMW E30 M3 was built to race – pure and simple. But it went beyond that and became the most successful touring car of all, with 80 titles to its name. Although a race to road car conversion had been seen before – the Audi Quattro is a notable example – the M3 fired the imagination of motorsport fans, and still does 11 years after its demise.

One of the first cars to have cosmetic surgery at the M Department, the M3 has bits bolted on all over. Jagged and angular, the body has a sense of purpose. This is no sculpted coupé, it’s a straightforward two-door racing. BMW put the wings and spoilers on the 3-Series because it wanted to go racing and had to make 5,000 cars to meet regulations. The fact that 17,184 examples drove through the factory gates between 1986-1990 demonstrates the E30’s cult appeal.

The body was designed to win races, but the 2.3 litre engine has a much more impressive claim to fame. It also saw action in the 1983 Brabham-BMW F1 car. The block was unmodified, but the use of a turbocharger allowed a few more horsepower to be extracted for Nelson Piquet to use – 1,300bhp to be precise.

Exotic

On the road, you’d be forgiven for overlooking the engine’s exotic roots. After the rich and creamy straight-sixes of the later M3’s, the four-cylinder sounds about as racy and exciting as a wet weekend in Scarborough. It’s rough and lumpy at idle, and not much better at full chat. It does the job, though, pushing out 200bhp and 240Nm of torque, although you have to send the needle round to the higher section of the rev counter before anything meaningful starts to happen.

By present day standards, the 1,200kg machine is not particularly quick, returning acceleration times across the board that are matched by the current 325Ci – 0-60mph in 7.1 seconds and 50-70mph in fifth in around 9.5. But the oldest M3 feels much faster, thanks to its minimal sound-proofing, short gearing and raw manner. The gearbox is worth mentioning, too.  A five-speed unit, it’s notable for having a dog-leg first gear, then forward for second, back for third and so on. It’s surprisingly easy to get to grips with.

So is the car itself. Although the powerplants dominate proceedings in the newer pair, the older car is far better balanced and comes as refreshing change. Whereas power defines the new model, its grandfather has a chassis and engine that complement each other beautifully.

There’s enough grunt to be enjoyable, but the smiles widen at the first corner. The E30 has an extraordinary intimacy – the steering is light and trembles constantly with feedback, while the communicative chassis is extremely user-friendly. More importantly, you don’t need to be travelling at light speed to enjoy it. Up the pace and the front end will eventually push wide into understeer. But despite more modest grip, this is not a characteristic you’ll notice on public roads, where the older car feels vice-free.

Surprisingly for a machine with its roots planted so firmly in the racing world, the ride quality is rather good. The suspension is geared to providing the driver with information. So although the hard ride and noise means we would steer clear of long motorway journeys, the setup feels secure and compliant on B-roads. As you’d expect of a BMW, the interior has aged well, but the same can’t be said for the design. Time has now taken its toll on the brittle plastics and sharp-edged switchgear. More than those of the later cars, this is a cabin where the driver is the really important occupant – the suede-trimmed steering wheel feels superb and the driving position in the bucket seat is business-like. However, the upright body does at least mean passengers can get in and out without a struggle.

Ten versions of the E30 appeared – most of them limited editions – with later Evolution models having 220bhp and, finally 238bhp. All are superb and far more affordable now than in 1986 when the cost £22,750. Don’t expect luxuries, but for around £5,500 there’s nothing to touch the driving experience.

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Good things take time to happen, they say. Alan and Rachel know this well, as they’ve been together for seven contented years. They have settled down in a pretty town on the Cornish coast. But all the time, Alan has harboured a secret passion, and when he finally got to realise his dream he added a second love to his happy household and became a very contended man indeed.

Like most sentient males of the right age, our man fell hook line and sinker for the M3 when it burst on to road and track in 1986. And with each successive evolution his passion deepened. Logically, 1990’s Evo Sport transfixed him. And so it should. The M3 only existed to satisfy BMW’s Touring Car ambitions – the road cars beign as much a necessity to homologated the box-arched wonder as a service to Munich’s petrol-headed roadgoing customers.

1990’s Evo Sport was the ultimate expression of the concept. Squeezing Mercedes-beating ability out of the E30 involved a car that – even in road trim – had 238bhp on call, from a 2.5 litre version of the superb twin-cam four-pot engine. The aerodynamic, package was a development of the Evo 2’s, with both the front and rear spoilers being adjustable three ways to trim the car during practice.

Trainspotters will tell you that the front wings of this model are unique, being slightly wider than ever before, as BMW fancied shoehorning even wider wheels than before underneath them in race situations.

The Evo Sport was so utterly a homologation car that it was only produced between January and March 1990 and just 600 were made. It was a car to bow down before, and most of us did. That includes Alan. He might only have been 12 years old at the time, but he still wanted one.

Most of us harbour a deep-seated desire to own one of these cars, and toy occasionally with the idea of buying one as used values plummet. The editor and I periodically discuss chopping in our Tourings for decent, cheap M3s before realising that 30,000 miles a year are much less frenetically passed with a relaxed six murmuring away under the bonnet than a competition-bred four just begging to be flogged to the redline. And, as we need our driving licenses to stay in work in this business….

Not so Alan. “He doesn’t drink or smoke,” said his mate Marcus, along for the photo shoot. “But he has this vice. And when he wants something, he plans for it, works fo it, and get it. Me, I’ve got vices, a really boring Escort and an overdraft, dammit.” The plans were hatched more than three years ago. Despite saving for a house, Alan was also filling a jar with change. And looking for a good Evo Sport. Well, he, Rachel and, for that matter, Marcus, have good jobs with Cornwall Country Council – he and Marcus work together in the IT department – but this is not an area of the country awash with dot.com money. Cornwall is also, as we found out during the six-hour trek down there, pretty far from most of England.

With enough cash saved for an Evo Sport, Alan began the search for his car resigned to a series of huge treks across the nation to view potential candidates. In the event, this lovely red example turned up in Saltash, just 40 miles along the coast.

“I couldn’t believe my luck when I found,” Alan recalls. “It hadn’t been abused, and had all the documentation I needed.” In fact, it hadn’t been in the country all that long, having passed most of its life in the hands of a very Germanic chap in Luxembourg, who’d obviously not parked it on the nearest street corner.

It had been imported by the man he bought it from, who had kept it all of 18 months. “He’s got a really low boredom threshold,” laughs Alan. “He was just selling it to move on to an M Coupé.”

The man’s obviously mad, but his lunacy provided rich pickings for Alan. One very happy day Rachel drove him along the coast, watched him hand over £15,000 and then tried vainly to follow him back home. After three years of saving, he was behind the suede-covered wheel of what many would argue is the best driving experience ever to snarl its way out of the Munich factory. He thoroughly enjoyed the journey.

And so he should. The wheel, gear-knob and seats are unique to the model, and each adds a little extra piece of enjoyment to the – let’s face it – already gargantuan amount of fun on offer. The unabused chassis was at taut as the day it was assembled, thanks to meticulous maintenance. There are so few cars that can be placed as precisely, that turn in so deftly, and can be balance so beautifully through a bend with the right foot. The Evo Sports were pretty well speeeed too, so Alan’s car has the bonus of air conditioning.

And Alan lives in Cornwall, where chronically twisty roads were invented. “Mind you,” he says, “we also survive down here on tourism, so the roads are unusable for most of the summer season. By the time they’re clear, it’s all rain and mud. But you can always go to Dartmoor in the early morning.”

I’d choose Saturday morning, I reckon. Get up at five, throw a cup of tea and some toast down your neck, then motor over to Dartmoor. It’d be light by the time you got there. You’d have a good hour of slingshotting the Evo Sport along some of the trickiest roads in the nation before the local communities woke up and began lumbering stinkily around on manure-encrusted tractors. At which point you return home, your mind clear of the working week you’ve left behind, refreshed and ready to enjoy the weekend.

Because, of course, the Evo’s arrival in the household meant that then there were three. “Rachel’s been really understanding about it,” he says, looking suddenly serious. “Because it has become, to a certain extent, her and the car.” That’s not an easy circle to square, is it, unless you go through life utterly oblivious to other peoples’ feelings thankfully, Alan’s not that way inclined. “But she still takes precedence. I’d be stupid if she’s didn’t….wouldn’t I?” Poor chap, he’s obviously had to think this one through quite hard.

What about the future though? An E36 M3 Evo perhaps? After all, the newer car’s advantages are devastatingly obvious. How’s a 3.2 litre, 24 valve six providing 321bhp, laid to tarmac via a six-speed sequential gearbox? Oh, and the M5’s floating calliper brakes to rein it in?

Well you can have it because, funnily enough, like many die-hard E30 M3 drivers, it doesn’t fit Alan’s idea of what the M3 is all about. “Power, that’s the theme, isn’t it?” he says. “Sure, the E36 has a great chassis, but there’s still just one stunt to the handling, isn’t there? And where in Cornwall has the room to do tail slides everywhere? The E30 is all about the art of driving, which is going to keep my attention for much, much longer.”

So much longer, in fact, that he can’t envisage ever wanting another car. As time goes on, he’ll continue the good work he’s been doing since October, replacing the bits of the Evo that have perished a bit over the last 11 years. A BMW inspection revealed a list of faults running three pages long, although it mainly consisted of entries such as: ‘glove-box torch – missing’. There was the odd piece of rubber looking tired, he though, and he’d love to renew the steering wheel and gearknob, whose suede is getting rather shiny.

He shows me where a piece of foam, designed to keep air flow off the edge of the front grille at high speed, is getting tired, and wonders where he’s going to find that particular, model-specific part.

There’s also been some tuning work taking place on the quiet. Not the full-on 500bhp the 2.5litre factory Evo racers boasted, but a much smoother torque curve thanks to remapping of the ECU by Motronic specialist AmD. This procedure is all about mapping the fuelling and ignition curves to specific engine in the name of efficiency and the benefits can be felt on most Motronic cars, whether they’re 320i Tourings or M3 Sport Evos.

There’s a fine line between attention to detail and madness, and as yet Alan hasn’t crossed it. I asked – innocently enough, I thought – if he was going to show the car in concours competitions when all the remaining details had been sorted out. He looked faintly offended, which relieved me no end.

Of course, there’s always the worry that, once he’s got the car completely right, he’ll lose interest and have to sell it. It does happen, after all. But it sounds pretty unlikely. And what else goes and handles like the Evo Sport? I suspect it’s perfectly safe in his garage for a while yet. Of course, once he’s driven the E46 M3, maybe he’ll start saving again, and start a collection.

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The BMW M3 is a classic. First released in 1987 as a race homologation special for the European Touring Car Championship, the 16-valve, 240bhp road-going race car was one of the most desirable and relatively affordable sports cars of its generation. It placed exceptional handling and power within the grasps of the not-so sublimely rich. It was, and remains a legendary performance car.

Which is why, as we hurtled along Bruntingthorpe’s two mile runway with the speedo needle off the scale and the outside world zapping by ever faster, I couldn’t shake one thought out of my head. Why the hell would you throw away the engine and replace it with a V8 from a Range Rover?

“It’s what I had available at the time,” explained owner Wayne Greatrix, over a quiet coffee. “I used to run a Range Rover on track days. I lowered it nine-and-a-half inches on Leda suspension and had the engine professionally modified – and had a lot of fun on it. The traction out of the corners was amazing.”

He brought the Range Rover in 1992 and in 1997 took the engine out and had it worked by Birmingham based tuner Anthony Murray. The standard cams were replaced with 324 profile cams and the cylinder and valve heads were worked to free up breathing and venting. The compression ratio was also raised to 10.5:1.

The crank was upgraded to a cross-drilled, stainless steel JE unit which was then lightened and balance – and forged pistons replaced the originals. Under the original electronic fuel injection, the V8 struggled to make 300bhp so Wayne scapped it and opted for 48mm Dellorto carbs and downdraft tubes to squeeze more juice and air in to the engine.

The work extracted 362bhp from the engine, with a massive 440lb, ft torque which Wayne used to devastating effect during track days. He ran the modified and lowered Range Rover for a couple of years before a friend spotted an early M3 at a local salvage yard. Mechanically sound, the car had extensive panel damage – lots of little dents everywhere which looked like someone had set to the car with a baseball bat.

“I’d always wanted an M3 but never really had the money. It’s a classic shape, classic car – and this one just came up at the right time for the right money. It was in a right state though.”

He took it to a friend who specialised in body repairs and had the exterior restored to its former glory. He also had the leather interior reupholstered.

“I used it for general driving for a couple of years and really enjoyed it. The handling was superb and the engine was great – but I never took it on the track. I didn’t know that history so didn’t really want to risk it.”

As the M3 clocked close to 110, 000 miles, Wayne felt it was time to either replace or rebuild the engine.

“The belts tend to go around that time and not knowing that history, I wanted to do something about it. But at around £1500 to replace them, I got to thinking that it would be better to just replace the engine with my V8.”

Wayne had tired of the Range Rover on the track: a high centre of gravity meant the body roll was horrendous, particularly at speed, but he didn’t want to sell the engine having spent so much money developing it.

“It’s a very strong engine. Very, very torquey. To get that same level of performance out of the M3 engine. I’d have had to spend a packet. It didn’t make sense.”

As it turned out, the match was relatively straight forward, though minor under bonnet modifications had to be made to mount the aluminium engine. The Rover V8 is lighter than the M3 engine it replaced – but it’s around the same length so it slipped nicely in to the bay. The gear lever even slotted through the same hole that original did.

The M3 engine was cradle mounted but this was removed so that the Rover could be chassis mounted – for rigidity. Sump and engine mounts had to be designed and fabricated by DJM Motorspot to make the work possible. The stainless steel tubular exhaust headers had to be modified to fit by Milton Keynes based company Exhaust by Design – but the toughest part of the engine conversion was positioning the left-hand drive steering column around the engine. A larger Rad-Tech radiator was also installed which meant the brake servos had to be relocated.

Mating the Rover transmission to the BMW prop-shaft was simple; Wayne used a knuckle to link the two to transmit drive to the rear diff, though a shorter prop-shaft was needed to accommodate the knuckle.

With so much power being transmitted through the engine and gearbox, a heavy duty clutch was needed. Wayne found the ideal component from AP which was designed for the Lamborghini Countach. It has helped cut down on the number of gearboxes he is wearing through, and at £680 a throw (he’s blown three over the last 1000miles) any saving there is a welcome relief.

The original discs and callipers were replaced with AP racing components. Bigger 360mm front disc are clamped by four pot AP callipers, while the rear disc were left alone.

“I’ve never had problems with them over heating; it’s the front ones which seem to get all the work, so the rears didn’t need upgrading at all aside from new pads.”

Ride height was lowered by 40mm front and rear but Wayne retained the factory spring and damper settings with new fixed rate Bilsteins. He also upgraded the track control arm and anti-roll bar bushes to Group A touring car spec ones.

Power is transferred to the ground through 17 inch BBS rims – 8inch wide at the front and nine at the back – which are clad in Falken JRB rubber.

“I’ve used Falken tyres for 10years and never had a problem.”

Wayne says the engine and suspension work has transformed the performance of the M3. Where he felt himself wanting for power out of the Range Rover, the lighter body of the M3 almost feels as though it’s picked up and hurled down the road.

“It pulls like a train in every gear, and the torque is amazing. You can start off in fourth gear – but you can also be reaching to change for fifth at 150mph. It’s really incredible,” he said.

“The engine is slightly lighter than the M3 and it really pulls the weight – it’s as smooth as silk.”

Power to weight ratios are where the improvements really begin to show. By transplanting the worked Rover V8, Wayne has dramatically increased that ratio because he’s effectively chopped the vehicle’s weight in half. Where the Range Rover gave him around 170bhp per tonne, the M3 now delivers around 285bhp per tonne – for a fraction of the cost of tuning the original engine.

It also means the engine acts much differently now. Where the weight of the Range Rover would bog the car down down, the M3 launches itself with a hefty shunt in the back and a rorty, rip-snorty roar from under the bonnet.

“The first time out a Castle Combe was brilliant. It’s so quick in the dry that people can’t believe it’s an M3. In the wet, it’s a different story. It’s so twitchy that I don’t bother. You really need to get out and give it a good go in the dry.”

With his foot firmly planted during a brief test session at Bruntinghorpe, Wayne displayed just how impressive that power is. He fired the M3 around the shortened top part of the test track while snapper Harmer panned and clicked. With more than 350bhp under the right foot and masses of torque, the Rover could be prompted to stick its tail out when needed. Careful right foot contemplation was needed to hold it there, and Wayne seemed a bit worried about holding his car in a controlled four-wheel drift. We didn’t have time to test drive the car ourselves – Wayne had to get back to Birmingham to collect his kids from school.

Outwardly, the car appears to sit nicely on the road though it tends to push on through corners if not driven hard. Right foot control is where the secret to driving this car quickly lies. Overstep the mark and it’ll let you know. Learn to tame it, and it’d make any track seem a lot shorter. But that’s how this engine responds. Just look at its derivatives; early TVRs, the TR8, Marcos, Morgans….they all need to be mastered.

Wayne says the car probably owes him £18,000 all up – £10,000 for the car, parts and labour and £8000 for the engine work. But he sees it as money well spent. That said, he’s already contemplating new projects and would like to sell his M3 to help fund them.

He’d like to drop a 440bhp 4.5 litre Cerbera engine in to a 206′ shell to drive the rear wheels. It’ll be a ground up build and it will be built specifically for track days – it won’t have a scrap of non-functional interior trimming. First off though, he needs to track down an outfit which prepares the shells for rear-drive running gear. He’s promised to keep us posted.

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