It’s hard to believe that it’s two years and four months since we ran the international launch of the E46 M3 as our cover splash. It was, is, and will remain to be, a hell of a car. But the hype surrounding the latest M car has subsided somewhat. Waiting lists are shortening, a mild facelift is imminent and used values are beginning to drop with some rapidity toward the realms of common sense (early cars are down to around £34, 000 now). It even got defeated quite heavily in this year’s Car of the Year assessment. The excitement has died down, but do the superlatives still apply?

To get a little perspective, we’ve visited the Independent Motor Company near Aldermaston in Berkshire to drive all three generation of M3. The showroom is brim full of M3s, but whereas last time I visited for an M3 comparison E30s dominated, it appears the E36 is now in the ascendancy.

I make no excuses for the fact that the E36 M3 isn’t my favourite M3. I’ve also stated before that the E30 Evo Sport is something of a darling. Until now, though, I’ve never driven all three generations back to back, head to head and indeed, toe to toe. Should be interesting.

I bag the E30 as we head cross-country for our photo location on Salisbury plain. This 85,000 kilometre example feels taut and eager. The dog-leg gearbox is firmly sprung for my slightly wimpy right arm but it amazes me just how quickly you acclimatise to driving this left-hook machine.

I love the suede steering wheel, and the ultra supportive race-inspired seats locate you superbly. Twist the key and the 2.5-litre four-pot explodes into a bass-heavy idle with a hint of popping and banging on the overrun as you blip the throttle. The racecar cues slowly infuse into your brain through every control interface. The zizzy vibrations, the blaring exhaust note, the feedback through the steering as your pace increases, the massive adjustable wing that dominates every glance in the mirror. This is a car that wants, needs to interact with the driver.

I love the size of the E30, it has almost perfect dimensions. There’s enough space in it to be practical, but compared to a modern car in this class it’s almost petite. Plus, its square corners allow you to place the car with great precision, giving you a feeling of space on all but the narrowest of byways.

The 238bhp engine is very strong – torquier than you’d think, but at its best as revs head past 4000rpm. Benchmark figures of 0-62mph in 6.3 seconds and 154mph flat out are nothing to write home about in this company, but the Evo Sport makes up for it when it comes to the twisty bits.

Despite looking hard enough to drag you down a back alley and nick you wallet, the E30 rides with impressive composure. Turn-in is direct and it just grips and grips. The tyres are utterly unprepared to give up the available traction, at either end, without a considerable fight. If oversteer’s your thing, the Evo Sport can oblige, but it seems happiest going round bends neutrally and very quickly. It certainly doesn’t feel like a chassis that’s 13 years old.

The E36 M3, here in 3.2 litre Evo guise, is seemingly the antithesis of the Evo Sport. Whereas the E30 trumpets its sporting heritage through wing, bulges and splitters, the E36 is sleek, elegant and understated. Where the E30’s interior appeals to the racer, the E36 caters for the executive with wood, leather and plenty of toys.

On paper, the E36 M3 is a big step forward in the performance stakes. There’s 321bhp to play with, enough for 0-62mph in a Porsche-rivalling 5.3 seconds, and a restricted top speed of 155mph. The BMW engineers claimed that without the limiter, 180mph was achievable. Even by the standards set by today’s loony saloons, this M3 is very, very quick.

Contemporary road-testers criticised the E36 for lacking torque low in the rev-range, but this fighting fit example seems to have loosened up nicely and feels strong everywhere. Of course, the Evo’s party piece really gets underway between 5000rpm and the redline, with stonking acceleration and a gorgeous howling accompaniment putting a mile-wide grin on you chops.

The gearchange of the six-speed gearbox is no match for most modern BMWs, feeling a bit notchy – the clutch, too, needs firm control. Perhaps the biggest complaint, though, is directed at the numb steering. It just can’t match the sensitivity of the E30s’.

That said, it does little to undermine your progress. The race-bred ‘floating’ brake disc after immense retardation and the chassis is extremely competent. There’s a bit of bodyroll, but traction out of bends is excellent. It just lacks the final ten per cent of involvement that elevates the E30 into the realms of mythology. What the E36 offers, in both M3 guises is a high level of refinement in the cabin that makes long distances a pleasure – a challenge to be relished. Personality-wise, the E36 is the GT to the E30’s GTi.

It is also very practical machine, with good accommodation, fuel economy and low-speed manners….sure, the suspension is firm, but not jarringly so. The E36’s looks also score here. They get knowing nods from the cognoscenti, but attract minimal attention from filthy tea-leaves. As reunions go, this stint with the E36 M3 has proved remarkably pleasurable.

So to the E46. Has  it lost its shine, is the halo slipping? Nah! Every time I drive one of these, especially a manual, I come away convinced that BMW has created one of the all-time great machines. Its breadth of ability is truly staggering. Comfy, cool, well priced and bloody quick. Most press demos come to us with only a couple of thousand miles on them. This lovely 21,000-miler felt considerably faster. Holding onto your license would be very hard work.

There are many more touches around the car, whether it’s the wing vents, the grey dials or the glow-in-the-dark M gear knob that underlines the fact you’re in something special. Although a twitch of the right foot and the corresponding aural explosion serves the same purpose.

Whether you like to drive clean and smooth or play the hairy-arsed lunatic, the E46 will oblige. We’ve said it before but it still seems incredible that this machine is 911-quick on the road yet is over 15 grand cheaper than the Porsche. It mightn’t quite have supercar road presence but it still turns heads wherever it goes.

One thing that makes human beings special is our ability to learn from mistakes and to improve ourselves. The great thing about this test is to see, hear and feel BMW learning from its mistakes, maximising its strengths and improving the finished product.

The first generation of M3 was all about winning races. Those chunky arches accommodated bigger race tyres, the bodywork on this Evo Sport was concerned with increased downforce and quicker lap times. The side effect, almost, was a sublime road car with enough creature comforts to appease the thrusting young executive and a chassis to impress Roberto Ravaglia.

With the E36, BMW made a conscious decision to broaden the appeal of the M car. The looks were toned down to such an extent that only the mirrors, wheels, and a subtle body kit differentiated it from lesser models. There was even a four-door version, surely an all-time great Q-car.

Inside, you got comfy seats, quality ergonomics loads of toys and typical BMW build. The car was more composed, easier to drive and more useable, more of the time. It also came in right-hand drive of course, making it the first choice for more than just die-hard enthusiasts prepared to tolerate left-hand drive. BMW also introduced a clutchless M3 for the first time with the 5MG.

All this added up to a very healthy balance sheet but there were murmurings of dissent. Some people felt the E36 had diluted the essence of the M3. So, with the E46 the company retained the best bits of the E36 but also managed to recapture some of the E30s sparkle.

The pumped bodywork and quad tailpipes instantly differentiate it from lesser Threes and the chassis now revels in the hooligan streak that the E36 had forsaken. It also packs one of the finest engines in any car on the planet. All for about 40 grand.

Of course, you need a lot less than 40grand for an M3 – even an ultra rare Evo Sport like this (only 600 were built and only 45 were officially imported into the UK – chassis numbers ran from AC79000 to AC79599) can be had for £12, 000. It is undoubtedly the finest, most focused and most desirable of the E30s. However, I think I’d be tempted to buy a cheaper Evo II and spend the difference on a roll-cage, brake upgrades and sticky rubber and turn it into a proper track car.

The E36 M3 Evo is currently sitting around the £15-£16,000 mark, depending on mileage and condition. Despite my hard heart, I warmed to the car during this test. It’s a phenomenally accomplished all-rounder, and at that money, a conspicuous bargain. Plus, as it was more commercially successful than the E30, there are plenty of good ones out there to be found. If you need to combine your petrohead ambition with practicality, this is the kiddy.

The fact that this comparison only underlines that the E46 M3 is the best M3 ever is probably no great surprise. What was a surprise, and a delight, was just how much the personalities of these cars differ, and how the product itself has evolved and impreoved. And that bodies very well indeed for the next M3. Can’t hardly wait.

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An almost unbeatable combination of rearwheel drive handling, balance and power, combined with BMW reliability, makes the E30 M3 appeal across the spectrum of enthusiastic drivers – from the near-penniless to multi-millionaires – that’s how good the chassis dynamics of this homologation special are.

Always left-hand drive and hideously expensive new in Britain, few could be found in the UK until specialists like Munich Legends started importing them – mostly from Germany and Italy – a few years ago. ‘Now even the Germans come here to buy them,’ laughs Tony Halse of Munich Legends. They say we’ve taken all the best ones. We’ve sold them all over the world, to Chile, Venezuela, New Zealand. People buy them for what’s possibly the greatest handling chassis ever, like a Caterham with a lid.

‘The engine is a gruff, four cylinder screamer, at its best between 4000 to 7000rpm, you have to row it along, so don’t buy one if you prefer to be lazy. The quick rack and great feel make it safe for mere mortals to drive quickly, it’s very forgiving. Lots of owners use them every day as well as for tracks day. They’re boringly reliable.’

Racing heritage gives extra kudos to owning an M3; so prolific was its success, it’s claimed to be the most successful competition car of all time. In DTM (German touring car) race-spec, a 2.5 litre M3 produced 350bhp at 10,000rpm, giving a top speed of 186mph and 0-62mph in 4.6 seconds.

Later M3s have not shared the motorsport heritage and have far less enthusiast appeal and do not retain their value as E30 M3s do. Convertible E30 M3s are misfits too; scuttle shake impairs the handling purity and though desirable and rare, they are not as good convertibles as the cheaper 325i Motorsport cabrios.

Care when buying is vital: don’t be blinded by the cars’ undoubted ability. Tony Halse has lost count of the number of times he’s heard the mantra: ‘Oh my God, I wished I’d bought a good one in the first place.’ Like most modern classics, the cost of getting a scruffy car into really good condition is far greater than buying a top car in the first place.

Body/Chassis

The M3 bodyshell was built for racing, and is stiff but light. It’s well able to take normal stresses but you need to check it carefully for damage from accidents, excessively hard use or rust that will weaken the structure.

Rust in external panelwork is unusual, except at the bottom of the windscreen frame where corrosion can begin around the bonded screen if the bonding fails or the screen is carelessly replaced: it then proceeds to rot out the panel below the windscreen. To replace costs anywhere between £3-400 as the windscreen is bonded in and has to be removed, although the panel itself only costs £34. Other rot often begins with store chips on door scrapes.

Look down each side of the car and across the roof for evidence of creases or ripples from accident damage, dents or differing paint textures. Wheelarches should have sharp swage lines, which are difficult to recreate once bent. Under the front, broken or missing undertray panels may just have fallen off, but it’s more likely they’ve been broken in a crash: look for signs of creasing in the front chassis legs and evidence that a new front panel has been welded on. Bonnet fit can also be a good indication and excessive wind noise on road test may be an indication that does fit has been compromised.

Check under the bonnet behind the suspension turrets for any rippling and also for cracks resulting from excessive track use, especially if harder suspension is fitted. Cracks can also appear in the front sub-frame around its mountings: check these from under the car. Barney Halse of Munich Legends says that this is a common failing and says it is better to repair and reinforce the sub-frame, eliminating the problem, than to replace it. These repairs cost around £__.

At the back, inspect the inside of the boot floor and inner wheelarches for buckling or crash repairs. Some cars have an extra long-distance fuel tank mounted inside the boot: take a look at the tool box in the nearside inner wing (which holds the jack and wheelbrace) and the one in the bootlid (screwdrivers and spanners). The bootlid is injection-moulded plastic, but condensation inside It suggests damp is getting in, damaged rear light lenses can lead to a wet boot, as can blocked sunroof drains, which run down the rear inner wheelarches.

Sills rarely rust unless they have been crudely replaced, but check from underneath where they step up to the floors. Look for areas of missing or different underseal across the floorpan and the chassis legs.

‘Fake’ Sport Evos are not unknown, so check chassis numbers when buying. Look out for a plaque on the centre console, engine code 25-45L VIN prefix WBSAK07 and serial numbers AC79000 to 79599.

Engine

The M3’s twin-overhead camshaft, 16-valve, fuel-injected power unit is an impressive piece of kit, producing close to the benchmark 300bhp per litre. Consequently, it’s not worth trying to extract more power; you’re likely to spend a lot of money with little effect other than to make it less flexible. Power outputs rose during production but the only really noticeable difference came with the increased torque, and therefore greater flexibility of the larger-capacity Sport Evo.

Regular maintenance should give the engine a long, trouble free life – but it’s essential that the timing chain and the crankshaft sprocket are replaced at 100,000 miles, a £2000 job when done professionally because the parts alone come to £780. If the owner claims it’s been done, demand to see the bill and make sure it’s big. With the tensioner and head gasket replaced at the same time – and ideally the valve-stem oil seals – the engine should be good for the next 100,000 miles.

Clattering noise when cold on tickover suggests timing chain problems – but it can be 2 side effect of using the wrong grade of oil. “Exotic synthetics are not ideal for the engine,” says Tony Halse. “We find Castrol Magnatec 10W 40 suits it best.” Oil leaks from sump and chain tensioner are common and will require attention if excessive.

Misfiring when hot is often caused by perished intake blocks adjacent to the cylinder head. These cost £53 each, plus around £120 labour. Also inspect the condition of the three breather hoses, at front, rear and centre of the plenum chamber at the top of the engine.

Genuine BMW exhaust systems are expensive, so check the manifold carefully from below for blowing or missing nuts and inspect each end of the silencers for corrosion. Munich Legends often fit Supersprint systems. A front box is £881 from BMW, with a complete system around £__65. Barney Haise advises avoiding stainless steel as the harsh engine leads to it cracking. Expect to pay £1300 for a Sport Evo system as there is no aftermarket at present, although Barney hopes to soon offer a pattern one for around £900.

If air conditioning is fitted, check its mounting brackets under the manifold for cracks. Check the radiator for leaks cooking the engine would be a costly mistake because a full rebuild costs more than £4000.

Transmission

‘If the M3 has an Achilles heel, it’s the gearbox,’ says Munich Legends’ BMW trained engineer Mick Hope. ‘The bearings get noisy and the synchros wear, especially if the is regularly abused on the track. Noisy differentials are also likely to be an indication of track abuse.’ Gearbox mountings and propshaft rubber drive couplings also take a pounding on the track. The mountings and coupling perish with age; once replaced they should last well. Costs involved are coupling £65, gearbox mounting £10 and labour £60.

USA/Canadian M3s use a different Getrag gearbox from the 325i, which isn’t as well suited to the M3.

Suspension

‘You can tell so much about an M3 on the road,’ says Hope. Any odd behaviour from steering or suspension – jerkiness, clanks, in fact any feeling of insecurity – suggests problems that require closer inspection. Not all of it is expensive to rectify. Be wary of aftermarket handling kits as the standard set-up was extensively tested and is rarely bettered. Over hard suspension rarely improves handling and may damage the car’s structural integrity.

When checking underneath, squeeze steering rack gaiters if they’re full of oil, the rack needs a rebuild. Check the lower steering column rubber coupling as failure of this is dangerous. Inspect all bushes – especially those at the rear of the front lower wishbones, which cause rapid tyre wear and tramlining when they fail – and the anti-roll bar links. At the back, inspect the rear subframe’s front mountings ahead of each rear wheel. If the subframe is resting down on its mounting plate, the bushes have failed. The third mounting in this triangle is above the differential – inspect it too. Broken springs and leaking shock absorbers are not uncommon, but not too expensive to rectify. Expect to pay £56 each for standard front springs, £160 for a rear pair. Boge front dampers are £___ each, the rears are £94 each.

Brakes and Wheels

Juddering brakes means discs are warped and, if the discs are fairly new, may be an indication of track abuse. Genuine BMW wheels are expensive, £322 new for the standard M3 7X15 in alloy and more for Evo wheels, though aftermarket Hartge wheels are cheaper. Make sure the correct spare is undamaged and present; standard M3 alloys can be found secondhand but Evos are rare.

‘M3s are very sensitive to tyre choice,’ says Barney Halse. ‘Michelin and Pirelli don’t suit them – Bridgestone SO3s and Goodyear Eagle F1s are good.’

Electrics

Through generally reliable, BMW electrics are complex and a thorough check to ensure everything works is vital: you can easily spend £500 just having the electric engine fan replaced. The dashboard incorporates service indicator lights. An orange service light will specify whether a full service or just 7000mile oil and filter change is required; a single amber light suggests that the service indicator is faulty. The warning panel should flash ‘check’ when you switch on, going out once you touch the brakes. Check all gauges two buffer batteries maintain the service indicator when the main battery is disconnected, but if these corrode they will damage the circuit boards and affect other instrumentation. Even instrument and switch illumination can be expensive to put right.

Central locking is the greatest weakness of the electrical system and it can be very expensive to rectify. Electrical maladies linked to the doors often result from damp penetrating the multi-plug at t A-post. Check locks with the key too, as they are easily damaged.

The ECU (electronic engine management system) can give trouble; £400 for a rebuild and £940 new. Modified control chips are effective but can cause more trouble than they’re worth. Some disconnect the rev limiter so, if the engine revs above 7000rpm (don’t blow it up trying to check!) you can be sure it’s been modified.

Interior Trim

Though not cheap, M3 seat trim can be bought piecemeal, making replacement of odd damaged panels relatively economical. Sport Evo trim, which includes a suede steering wheel and red ‘full harness’ Recaro race seats, is the most desirable but costs £7000 to replace in its entirely.

Make sure that the seats tilt, recline, are secure and are uniform in shape, because their frames can fracture and are difficult to repair. Inspect carpets in the corners behind the front seats for signs that a roll cage has been fitted in the past.

Exterior Trim

Sport Evos have bigger front wheelarches, and a large, adjustable rear spoiler: ‘They make a huge difference,’ says owner and BMW Car Club M-Power registrar Richard Baxter. “It’s amazing how quickly the rear tyres wear out if you keep the spoiler fully extended.” Genuine BMW trim parts are all available, but are expensive. Early M3 cabrios have electro-hydraulic hoods (look inside for rams) which are not as efficient or reliable as later electro-mechanical ones. Rear screens go opaque and cost £400 to replace. Hoods can wear thin where they touch the metal frame. Make sure windows open and shut properly with the hood up and always open and close the hood fully, forcing it, however, will strip motors and gearboxes costing £300 each to replace.

Conclusion

Damage repairs are relatively common on M3s but it takes very careful inspection to assess whether they have been done properly. Try to find a well-maintained car, ideally with low mileage, though that is far from essential. Buy the best you can afford, maintain it properly and it will reward you with trouble free fun commuting and unbeatable track day delights.

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For BMW fans, touring car racing hits its peak back in 1991. All over Europe one car was dominant, irrespective of the rule difference of the individual countries, and that car just happens to be one of the best looking race cars ever built. The E30 M3 competition car, more than any other, proved the mantra that if a car looked right, it was right.

Some may argue that the winged Batmobile CSL had more drama in its lines, but for us the pure, focused, workmanlike E30 has it licked, with just enough aggression in tis stance and the toned muscle of the flared arches and the simple, yet effective, wings and spoilers. In the UK the late Will Hoy wrapped up the BTCC title, where the front rows of the gird were always the sole preserve of M3s.

The winning had begun almost as soon as it arrived back in 1987. Zakspeed won the German championship that year, while Wilfried Vogt bagged the European title, and the car conquered the championships in Holland, France, and Portugal too. This success coincided with the rise and rise of touring car racing, with massive crowds and millions watching on TV. The wins continued and in Europe in 1990 the 2.5 litre Sport Evolution ensured that the E30 stayed at the head of the field (in the UK cars were to be restricted to 2.0litres). In racing form these engines actually ran a slightly larger capacity than the road car, 2493cc as opposed to 2467cc, increasing performance especially in the mid-range. These were the best of the best and if you want to own one today, these are the cars to seek out. With all this success there were quite a few out there, around 350 competition E30 M3s had been sold, at a cost in 1991 of almost £150, 000 each. Of course, only a handful of those were works cars.

Don Grice is a very lucky man and he knows it. This ex-works car is his and he can’t talk about it without a huge smile breaking out across his face, and who can blame him? Gleaming in the Oulton park sunshine in Marlboro colours, it looks at least as good as it did the first time it turned a wheel in the Dutch Touring Car Championship a dozen years ago. Back then it was raced with considerable success by Car Euser; in fact, he won the championship. At the end of that year he also raced the car at Donington in a round of the DTM, before the car competed in that series full time in 1992, piloted by Swedish driver, Peggan Andersson and running under the colours of Mobil.

Andersson competed in the two Grand Prix support races held in the UK in 1993 (Donington and Silverstone), before taking the car back to Sweden in 1994 to compete in the Nordic version of the championship. From there, according to Grice, the history of this car gets a little hazy. It went out to Macau to run for several years in the Macau Grand Prix support races and the South East Asia Touring Car Championship and there it was raced by various drives and in various liveries. In fact, by the time the car arrived back in the UK in 2000, it had been painted a horrible shade of turquoise and came complete with orange wheels. This is when Grice first saw the car. It was a dream for him to own of these cars, as it is for many of us, but it looked so poorly he rejected it at first. It was only some time later when looking at the car a second time in more detail that he realised the potential underneath. Despite all the racing over the years and the door handle rubbing with the other lunatics, the car was properly straight. It was soon evident that this car has escaped it all without serious chassis damage.

Grice bought it and immediately set about restoring it to its former glory and he knew just the man to do it. Grice himself had begun racing BMWs at about the time this car was competing at the highest level. Over the years he teamed up with Alex Elliot of Rondell Racing, a man equally passionate about E30s and with the skills and knowledge to be able to carry out a project such as this. The car was stripped back to the shell, resprayed and then carefully and lovingly put back together. The whole process took almost nine months, but the results make all that effort well worth it. The car is simply stunning.

Elliot used many new parts, most of which are still readily available from BMW Motorsport, though the engine and gearbox required nothing more than full servicing. The engine itself was built to sprint racing specification rather than the endurance spec that the long distance racers used. This means that Grice has 360bhp to play with and, in a car weighing in at around 960kg, it’s not going to hang about. The downside is that this engine will require more regular rebuilds, but Grice has thought of that and has another complete engine for back-up.

The detailing and the level of finish is superb, you could be forgiven into thinking that this was a brand new car that had spent the last decade in a museum. The dash is about the only road car item inside the cockpit and it has been liberally sprinkled with a multitude of dials. It all adds to the analogue feel of the cockpit, there is no laptop downloadable data to acquire here and no electronic gizmos to improve your lap times. The speed comes from the driver alone and his ability to interpret what he feels and what is happening to the car – it’s how it should be.

Grice is still competing today, but not in this car; it’s obvious that this is his pride and joy and he would be devastated if anything were to happen to it. He even admits to regularly popping out to the garage just to look at it – well, you would, wouldn’t you? That doesn’t stop him driving it on track days though and he drives it with relish. I ask him to do half-a-dozen laps for the camera and before I’ve finished the sentence he’s already climbing on board. Such is his enthusiasm he catches his mechanics on the hop, who rush around the car, frantically checking tyre pressures before Grice heads down the pit lane. A couple of minutes later a flash of white and orange charges up over Deer Leap and down the pit straight. The sight is mesmerising, as is the sound, it’s mainly raw induction roar, rasping high in the rev range and giving the noise meter man cause for concern. Fantastic!

It looks so different to the current crop of big touring car machines. It looks lithe, darty and conductive to close racing, an observation Grice confirms when he comes back into the pits. “It’s a real racing car,” he says, “and it needs to taken by the scruff of the neck and driven hard. Steering inputs are minimal compared to modern tourers and it is electric on turn-in. When driven this way it is a very positive car to drive and hugely satisfying.”

“The fact that it’s smaller than the E36 car that I race and the accuracy with which you can place it means you have more road to play with too. The steering is packed with feel and gives you a lot of confidence in the way the chassis behaves. But the best bit about it all Is that you’re driving a DTM car – it’s an awesome experience.”

And that is all without having spent much time getting the car set up. Grice is still a racer and that means most of his track time is spent making his race cars go faster and, for most of the day, the E30 sits under the awning doing nothing other than drawing admiring glances from anyone who happens to walk past. Grice is saving this car for later, he tells me it will be his track day car when he retires from racing. If you are bitten by the motor racing bug it is very hard to ever give up, but if anything may dissuade you from continuing, then the thought of a motorsport legend waiting for you may be just the carrot…

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It’s been almost sixteen years since the first M3 hit US shores. When the ‘88 M3’s boy-racer flanks first charged down American roads, Michael Jackson was a respected celebrity, the Soviets were the world’s bad guys, and car guys liked to tinker with their steeds.

At least some things haven’t changed.

The M3 has always represented the pinnacle of Bavarian engineering, but just as there’s no such thing as being too rich or too beautiful, M3 owners have always worked to make their cars handle better, go faster, and stand out among their peers. Having now enjoyed huge sales success around the world, there are tens of thousands of unique and exciting examples of owner-customized M3s. These cars are out lapping race tracks, gracing car shows, or parked in front of your local Starbucks; here in California, it’s usually all three.

Recently we drove three fine examples of modified Munich muscle to compare their individual – and individualized – nuances, unravelling the threads that run through all three and the experience that makes each car unique.

1: Real M3s Have Four Cylinders

Owners of the first-generation M3 are as fervent a group of enthusiasts as you will ever find. Some of their sacred chants include “real M3s have four cylinders” and “the most successful Touring Car racer in the world.” The cult of the E30 M3 is a complex and mysterious one; as the owner of a ‘95 E36 (“Too soft! No racing heritage!”) I felt the need for a proper initiation with just the right car.

Enter the Lach Silber E30 of Sacremento’s Jim Tappan. On the kind of sunny Sunday afternoon that reminds me why I live in Northern California, I slid behind the wheel of Jim’s well-tuned car for a hard run through the Marin County hills. The deep-bolstered Sparco seats and small-diameter racing wheel are the first hint of what this car has in store.

The back roads of the Marin County Headlands would be familiar to anyone who watches sports-cars commercials with the rapt attention of a typical four-wheel fanatic. These are the kinds of roads that polarize drivers, terrifying those who push their automotive appliances from Point A to Point B, and energizing those of us who believe the journey is the destination. The ribbons of pavement overlooking the San Francisco Bay are second only to the Alpine roads your BMW dreams of.

Starting the buzzy S14 motor for the first time, I was struck with the sensation that this powerplant wants to be driven, and will only be happy above 5,000rpm. This sensation is only enhanced by the knowledge that this particular motor is a little different; Instead of sucking air through a standard-fare cone-filter intake, Jim Tappan’s car has air force-fed through a one-of-a-kind supercharger system. I dip into the throttle and slip the clutch and the roads starts to roll.

This car wants to be wound up tight and driven hard. Below 4000rpm, the M3 feels sluggish and unresponsive. However, running it through the revs and managing your gear selection to keep it there rewards the driver with the feeling that you are strapped into a tin-topped luge – not the sense of thrust that you’d get from a big-bore engine, but instead a sense of momentum. Skillful drivers of the early M3 know all about carrying speed, losing as little as possible to brakes and side forces.

The small-displacement blower on Tappan’s car certainly enhances overall power, but ultimately detracts from the overall M3 experience. The throttle response tends to be slower than that in a naturally-aspirated car, making the powertrain feel sluggish. Despite the excellent fit and finish of the blower, my money would instead be spent on bumping up the car from the stock 2.3 litres to the E30 M3 Evo’s 2.5. Proving that car guys think alike, Tappan is looking to make that same conversion at some point in the future.

When driven confidently, the first-generation M3 is like a pure extension of your hands and feet. Enhanced by a coil-over set-up from Ground Control Suspension Systems, which consists of custom-valved and shortened Koni shocks matched to 2.5″ Eibach springs, this car has no hesitation when driving for the apex of a corner. In mere seconds I find myself pushing the little car hard around the redwood-lined curves, rolling the wheel lightly from left to right to dance through numerous S-bends. Just look through a corner and the M3 flows through with ease. Amazing.

Amazing, that is, as long as you understand and appreciate the nature of the care. Otherwise, as great as the running gear beneath this car is, you’ll think the brakes are at the other end of the spectrum. Driven as a momentum car, the E30 M3 carries balanced speed through the corners, but it may seem underwhelming for drivers not used to that technique; There’s not much brake torque, and very little fade resistance with stock street pads. Racing pads tend to improve things, but the car is never going to satisfy people who don’t understand the nature of its balance. Drivers who want to throw out the anchors on the way to a turn and then blast down the next straightaway by stomping the accelerator and spinning the rear tires do not understand the nature of the beast; a conservative driver’s less-than-optimal cornering speeds are the wrong way to drive an E30 M3 quickly around a track. Tappan plans to increase his braking power with a seat of AP Racing big brakes as soon as the parts make it to his front door. Other E30 M3 owners have adapted the much-improved brakes from the ‘95 – ‘99 E36 M3 to work with their lighter car, a less expensive option that uses OEM parts.

But this car isn’t about braking; it’s about getting up to a brisk pace and carrying that speed through corners. At this, the E30 M3 excels. Much to Jim’s chagrin, I find myself unconsciously “using the whole track” and sliding the wide 16X8 BBS RK wheels and quasi-DOT Toyo RA-1 track tires all the way to the pavement’s edge. It’s easy to forget that this car is not a racer and that this is a mountain road, not the formerly-tree-covered hills of Infineon Raceway.

I have found automotive nirvana. It’s just plain hard to hand back the keys to this beautiful and composed automobile.

2: Torque Is Good

For the proud owner of not one but two E36 3 Series sedans – a Dinan-tuned ‘96 328i and an early-build ‘95 M3 – sliding behind the wheel of this second-generation M3 is like pulling on a comfortable pair of track shoes. Alan Taur’s first-year E36 M3 has few visual cues that warn unsuspecting P-car owners that they are about to be trounced. Its Estoril Blue paint contrasts with a set of polished 18″ M Parallel wheels – wheels that simply don’t look like they should fit.

On any other M3, they wouldn’t. If there is one weakness with the E36 body style, it is tire clearance. Probably due to the criticism of the “boy racer” flares on the E30, the crew at M left the next-gen car with the same boulevard-cruising wheel wells as its lesser non-M brethren. Perfectly fine to fit the 15X6 bottle caps on a 318 convertible, the slab-sided fenders are not the right solution for a high-torque canyon carver. Even with heavy-handed use of a mallet, baseball bat, or other fender rolling techniques, fitting a 255-series tire is almost guaranteed to rub away paint.

Alan fixed that problem (at considerable cost) with the help of Conversion Techniques in Oakland, California. They cut away the factory fenders and replaced them with a set of subtle flares, barely distinguishable from the stock look. The flares in the rear sweep into a fibreglass replica M3 bumper that helps keep the modifications hidden from the untrained eye. The result of all of this hard work is the gift of shoes befitting an M3: 255/40-18 fronts on 18X8″ wheels, matched to a set of steamrollers 265/35-18 rears on massive 18X9.5 wheels. But it’s just the width of these parts that is impressive, but their offset. The track of the M Parallel wheels is increased over stock by almost three inches, giving this unique E36 superior cornering grip.

These days some choose wide rubber just for fashion, but Taur’s ride needs all the grip it can get. Starting the car for the first time brings a throaty roar that begs to be let loose. It’s then that you look down for the first time and see an extra gear on the shift lever as a lighted six-speed knob falls to your right hand, ready to be rowed.

Not content with the factory 240ponies under the hood, Taur embarked on a journey to create a one-of-a-kind-car. Using the kind of meticulous attention to detail a model builder would respect, he pulled the power-train from his car and installed the 286hp S50 engine, transmission, and differential from the Euro-spec M3. A glance under the hood reveals the organization, fit, and finish that assembly line could barely achieve in the factory European M3. Not one US specific part remains, making this a very rare, true Euro conversion.

Dipping into the throttle reveals the first evolution of the car from the E30: gobs and gobs of torque. Only a straight six has a feeling like this, and I find myself with my foot to the spotless gray carpeted floor and revving the motor to its elevated redline. Speeds sure to get me arrested on these state-park roads come up in seconds, in part thanks to the shorter gearing Alan installed in the limited-slip differential.

With a tight corner flying toward me, I lift out of the six throttle bodies and dive for the binders. As is to be expected, the simple single-piston, ventilated brakes work like magic, hauling all 3,300 plus pounds of car down just in time to make my desired turn-in. The brakes on the second-generation M3 offer massive grip; time and again I find myself holding my acceleration until the last possible moment and diving for the brakes in time to slow the car for the various hairpins and switchbacks running through the redwoods. So-called “floating” rotors (two-piece OEM rotors with aluminum hats and iron discs) and upgraded pads are all this streak of blue lightning needs to keep even the most overzealous driver from overcooking a corner and launching off one of the many sheer drops to the Pacific.

Attacking the corners after a hard run in the E30 sets the bar high for any car. The E36 delivers….sort of. This lowered ‘95 sports Germany’s finest: a set of H&R coilover springs, stock ‘95 sway bars, adjustable front and rear camber. Alan’s set-up is a fine balance between high performance and comfort. The ride is firm without being harsh, something that the newer geometry makes easy to accomplish compared to the previous-generation M. But even with these upgraded parts, the E36 does not have the kind of cornering thrill that its older brother offered. Even with the upgraded rubber, initial turn-in is met with a fair amount of understeer, immediately cured by a little added throttle to make the rear wheels break a bit of traction and help the rotations. In testing, the E36 always proves to be faster through the turns than the previous model, but it will never match the raw connection that the car enjoyed; the E36 can be driven fast through the corners, but the E30 was the essence of flowing through the corners as part of the car. That said, there is satisfaction in pitching a car into a corner and using torque to get it around – but don’t try that with a four-banger.

The biggest changes to the second-generation M3 lie in the ergonomics and comfort features. That’s one of the main differences between the first M3, developed as a race car with a few grudging amenities to make it streetable, and the succeeding generation, which were high-performance road cars with luxuries disdained by some purists. Taur equipped his blue-on-gray beauty with every imaginable gadget, doodad, and toy: headlight washers, heated seats, electric rear vent windows, a sunroof switch in the center console, and more bits from the OE parts bin. He even went so far as to replace the normally black headliner with the gray liner from the non M-car, the better to match his interior. The jewel in this cockpit, however, is the steering wheel lifted from the M coupe/’99 M3. This conversion is popular with track-driven, air-bagged M3s, as the coupe’s wheel offers a better feel than the school-bus spinner normally found in all but the ‘99.

As this car is similar to my own heavily modified ‘95, I quickly start tossing the car through the tight-and-twisties, enjoying all the torque and tire underneath me. The time flies, and I soon have to pass the keys to this magnificent machine back to its owner and move into the newest member of the M3 clan, the E46.

3: The Grand Tourer

The first time I laid eyes on the newest body style I fell in love immediately. The E46 has the kind of muscular athleticism and presence that was simply lacking in the previous car. In a return to the aesthetic set by the original M3, the ‘01-to-today M3 sits low, wide, and mean. Seeing the new car’s wide, chrome-trimmed kidneys charging up in your rear-view mirror at the track is the automotive equivalent of running with the bulls and looking over your shoulder to find the wide snout of a longhorn bearing down: Move over or you’re sure to be trampled.

For my last drive of the day, I had the honor of sliding not just behind the wheel of any modded E46, but the tuned Titanium Silver ‘01 of Jay Morris, owner of Northern California’s Ground Control Suspension Systems. Few know more about high performance BMW suspensions on this side of the Atlantic than Morris; his parts grace most of the front-running cars in Speed World Challenge, SCCA Solo II, and BMW CCA Club Racing, not to mention countless well-set-up street cars. I knew that the handling in this car would be a real treat.

To those who called the new E46 “overweight” and “bloated,” I recommend checking the figures. Similarly-equipped E36s and E46s are not that far apart, and this car offers the kind of suspension, power delivery, and driver comfort that quickly makes you forget any extra pounds you may be carrying around. From the moment I first rolled on the gas in this car I was impressed with its capabilities. I remain so.

Unlike the leap from E30 to E36, the new car is an evolution of the breed. This is in greatest evidence in the driveline; the 3.2 litre block in the 1996 Euro M3 was developed to become the 3.25litre mill in the new model. With improved engine management, a mild displacement bump, and some new wiz-bang gadgetry, the S54 makes the jump to 333hp (343 in Europe) from the previous model’s European rating of 321. Stabbing the throttle at idle elicits a sound familiar to anyone with a modern inline-six Bimmer – only a bit deeper and more metallic. Sporting the stock exhaust and a mildly modified factory air box, Jay’s car has a more subdued sound than either of the earlier cars still manages to burble out a song that simply begs to be brought to full wait.

Like its E36 sibling, the silver car simply roars through the gears. Unlike ‘95, your sense of speed is even more detached, partially by the acres of leather and piles of sound deadening in the latest model. Illegal speeds still come up on you faster, than the local constabulary would like, but the added thrust of the latest motor would make any ticket worth the price.

But even this M3 isn’t about maximum power, it’s about canyon carving. I enter the first corner as I would in the E36 – at a moderate pace, swinging wide and taking a classic late apex. That’s when I discover just how superior the new car is to the previous generation. Instead of the drama of massive understeer and screaming tires, the new M3 simply tracks through the corner. No muss, no fuss. I charge into the next corner, thinking that I may have simply pussy-footed my way around a fear of a $50,000 mistake. Once again, the car simply glides through the corner at a speed that would have made the E36 scramble for grip and the E30’s tail step out in full drift. Impressive. This car is a grand tourer in the truest sense….all I’m missing is a latte to sip and the Brandenburg Concerto playing through the multitude of Harman/Kardon speakers.

As impressive as the handling of the car, the braking inspires as much confidence. Eschewing the factory cheese-grater rotors and single-pot callipers, Jay installed the finest six-puck AP Racing callipers with two-piece rotors. The brake torque generated by this racing-bred kit would haul down a Mack truck from triple digits. No chance of fade with these pizza plates.

It would be too easy to go to jail in this car. The comfortable high-speed cornering, aided by massive BBS RC’s and Bridgestone S-03 tires, compels you to get on the gas and rocket your way onto the short straights that slice through the trees. Speed steadily builds until all you see are blurs of green and brown, and the occasional blur of primary colours as you dive around packs of bicyclists. This is the Bavarian beast at its finest – motor roaring, tires dancing, feet and hands moving in perfect time to the tempo of the road. If I had 55 Large to spend on whatever I chose, no drug or drink could be as intoxicating as slipping behind the wheel of my new E46 M3.

4: Which Is The Real M3?

Get M3 owners together in groups of three or more, and at some point the question will always come up: Which M3 is the best car? Apples and oranges, horses for courses, pick you own cliché: This has to be the gasoline-veined equivalent of picking a favourite child. Each car offers the same level of excitement and involvement that all devotees of the blau mit weiss seek – and all three generation have the deep aftermarket support to help you make them your own. That’s the real key, you see: Drive what you love and love what you drive. Which is the M3? The one in your garage!

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Spawned during the mid ‘80s, the E30 M3 was thoroughly refined road car with all the equipment needed to homologate it into a pure competition machine.

The E30 M3 Sport Evolution was BMW’s counterpunch to the Mercedes 190E 2.5-16 Evolution, a multi-wing creation which produced a rapid reaction from Munich. The M3 was built to an exacting set of specifications to comply with the FIA’s Group A Touring Class regulations, which required an initial run of 500 road cars. Unlike the later E36 and E46 M3s, the original E30 M3’s main purpose in life was to win races on the track, not the street. It got the job done.

Beginning with an off-the-floor 3 Series coupe, BMW gave its Motorsport division free rein to build a winner. After experimenting with several different engine combinations, BMW Motorsport settled on the M10 block as the starting point for its S14 plant. The original M3’s head design was essentially a sawed-off 2.3 litre version of the 3.5 litre inline six unit from the M5/M6 line. A forged crank, improved oil flow and stout internals filled the short block. A Bosch Motronic injection system fed the four-valve head, the engine ultimately cranking out a respectable 192bhp at 6750rpm. It was linked to a close-ratio, five-speed dogleg gearbox hooked to a limited-slip diff.

The basic 3 Series suspension package was retained but augmented with thicker anti-roll bars, firmer springs and dampers and lower ride height. Extra-fat fenders were installed to accommodate larger running gear, and a pronounced spoiler and wing aided aerodynamics.

It was good.

Over the next few years, BMW advanced the Evo program. Though significantly more expensive than a standard 3 Series, the M3 sold out every year. And they remained a most coveted hunk of machinery.

Gustave Stroes, a Ph. D of mechanical engineering and certifiable car maniac, has continued development of his 1988 M3 and created what is arguably the finest street/club racer we’ve seen. With pieces from the factory bin and parts he developed on his own. Stroes’ M3 resembles what might have been had BMW continued the exercise.

“Since, I first acquired my 1988 M3, I considered converting the engine to a 2.5 litre ‘Evo III style’ unit,” said Stroes. “That day came sooner than I expected when I spun my #3 rod bearing at Laguna Sea in November 1999.”

That mishap set in motion this grand adventure.

“There are a bunch of custom 2.5 litre S14s running around the racetracks of this country, putting out anywhere from 250 to 300+ horses,” said Stroes.

“But the risk is that in developing the top-end power for the track, you may lose drive-ability at lower rpm. I like to autocross my M3 (as well as track it), and for this purpose it really helps to have a wide powerband. Thus my thinking was to build an engine similar to these ‘monsters’, but to back off a bit on a few of the specs in order to retain higher flow velocity and therefore a little more torque in the lower part of the powerhead. I figured I would be happy if I came close to the lower horsepower range of the truly high performers.”

The engine was fitted with an Evo III crank, featuring an 87mm dimension. While it increases in displacement to 2.5 litres, it also provides a big increase in torque. The internals include forged 95mm JE pistons with Total Seal rings and Pauter rods linked with ARP fasteners. The block itself is a “seasoned” unit with polished crank journals to reduce stress risers, and the timing chain tensioner is an uprated and preloaded BMW S52 unit from an E36. Running a heady 11, 35:1 compression, APR fasteners are used throughout the engine – better safe than sorry.

The 16-valve head was ported by Don Fields and retains stock intake valve sizes. According to Fields, the porting job is aggressive but not over the top. The goal was to retain flow velocity at lower rpm. Thus the stock-size intake valves were retained as opposed to the larger Evo III units. Stiffer Evo III valve springs are employed in order to handle the accelerations imposed on the valves by the higher lift Schrick 284/276 cames. A Tuner Motorsport adjustable cam gear allows additional fine-tuning of the torque curve.

Fields then enlarged and ported the throttle bodies to Evo III specs. They now have 48mm butterflies, while the stock units are 46mm, a cross-section increase of almost 9% Fields matched the throttle bodies to accommodate the larger, 48mm butterflies and ported the remaining body to match. The result is not quite as efficient as the Evo III unit, but it’s close – and far less expensive The larger throttle bodies are matched to the larger Evo III intake trumpets to keep things balanced. The intake plenum is an extremely rare BMW Motorsport unit (one of only three produced) fabricated from carbon fiber; it weighs a paltry 1.5 lb. A larger Evo III airflow meter works with BMW “Big Green” injectors and specially turned TMS/Conforti Software.

Stroes developed his own GSP Magnecor ignition wire kit featuring a low-crossfire design.

“The ignition wires on the E30 M3 have always struck me as odd – the way they are crammed into that small, hard plastic loom does not seem like a very good idea. Moreover, they tend to rub up against each other at various points along their path,” said Stroes.

“The insulation surrounding the ignition wires can start to wear through and allow crossfire to take place between the wires, which in turn causes the engine to misfire. The effect may be subtle, but there will be a reduction in power nonetheless. The dust cover fitted over the distributor makes things even worse. It causes the ignition wires to come together at a point almost as soon as they leave the cap.”

Stroes fabricated a bracket from 2024 aluminum alloy and treated it with a hard black anodizing to prevent scratching and, more importantly, prevent it from acting as a pathway to ground. The unit includes MSD wire separators and mounts in the stock valve cover location. The wires are from Magnecor, considered by many to be best wires available (they’re certainly the most expensive), and use a metallic inductive-suppressed conductor to transmit spark energy rather than cooper. The end result is not as tidy as the factory’s solution, but in this case it’s more functional.

The M3 exhales through an Evo III exhaust header and a custom GSP-3in. stainless steel exhaust with a Borla Y-pipe. The header is connected with a 0.5in GSP oversize flange that offers great sealing and thermal characteristics. GSP also supplied the gapless exhaust clamps that feature band clamps welded to stout stainless-steel tubes.

All told, the engine produces 225whp with 173lb-ft of twist – and it has the reliability of a framing hammer.

The oiling system was augmented with a Custom Mecca remote cooler, mounted under the air intake, and an Accusump 3-qt quasi dry sump system mounted in the trunk. Stroes retained the factory radiator but modified it with a 318tifan switch. The a/c and mechanical fan and clutch systems were removed for additional weight savings.

The suspension is comprised of Ground Control’s height adjustable coilover package, which uses Eibach 450lb springs in front and 700lb springs out back; Koni adjustable dampers reside at each corner. Ground Control provided the front camber plates, spherical-bearing control arm pivots and heavy-duty rear shock mounts. Aluminum front control arms and reinforced rear trailing arms are supplemented with the original anti-roll bars(19mm front/14.5 rear). BMP’s spherical-bearing drop links have been adjusted for zero preload at static ride height.

The transmission is based on the Europeon close-ratio “dog-leg” box, held in palce with BMW E28 transmission mounts. A UUC short-shift kit makes shifting chores more precise and offers and adjustable-height lever. The entire assembly sits about 05in lower thanks to BMW 750iL engine mounts. A BMW Motorsport limited-slip diff features a 75% lock-up, runs a 4.10:1 ring and pinion and includes an M Coupe finned rear diff cover. The driveshaft was modified with an E35 M5 “guibo,” a flex disc much more robust than the factory unit.

Stroes retained the factory brakes but removed the ABS system and replaced ti with a Tilton adjustable proportioning valve – the brake pads are a secret recipe. Earl’s custom braided stainless brake lines are at each corner, and the rears are now one-piece instead of two. Evo III brake ducts were modified to accept 4in. diameter “desert ducts,” and first-gen “Bimmerworld” brake backing plates have been reworked to accept 4in hose, Volk Racing provided the running gear forged TE-37 (ET 38) wheels measuring 8X17 and using 18mm BBS spacers. These 15.5lb wheels affix to hubs modified with a TMS wheel stud kit. Stroes uses Kumho Ecsta v700 rubber measuring 235/40WR-17.

The body is clad largely in Evo III components, including the rear wing, front undertray mirrors and front grille. Stroes designed his own front splitter for a fraction of what a factory unit cost and has it set as position four.

“This splitter project started off as an experiment to see if I could, or would, see any benefit in buying a real Evo III splitter,” said Stroes.

“This one worked so well and was so ‘disposable,’ I choose to keep it and not buy the real thing. After all, it’s a track car, not a show car.”

The cabin has been rigged with a Sparco Corsa driver’s seat and Sparco Evo passenger seat. The rear bench was removed and a gorgeous four-point custom rollbar was fabricated and welded in place by Sean McLean. Willans six-point harnesses keep the occupants firmly in place, while Stroes mans the MOMO steering wheel, modified with a GSP quick-release hub.

Stroes has meticulously documented the development of the M3 on his Web site: www.e3on3performace.com. It is perhaps the most methodical, informative and no BS assessment of a project car this writer has ever seen, produced by a person obsessed with building a better M3.

Judging by the purity of that end product, I’d say Stroes succeeded – and then some.

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Allow us to introduce Magnus, a 33 year-old graphic artist. He’s from Manhattan and that means two things. Firstly, he can have just one name like a Brazilian footballer – with Swedish ancestry – and secondly, Now York streets are pretty tough on a car.

When he bought his 1989 M3 about three years ago it was absolutely perfect, with 38000 miles on the clock and Group N suspension. Unfortunately, the latter proved too stiff and low for the cratered streets of NYC, so it was replaced with standard.

Another inevitability of Manhattan is that, sooner or later, you’re going to be caught in a fender-bender, True to form, Magnus got shunted up the arse. Now we all know what happens to a car in a body shop. It goes in damaged and come out modified.

Magnus was aware that purists like to see the M3 standard but couldn’t resist a little experimentation. So while it was in United Collision, he instructed the company to color-code the spoilers. In this instance they comprised of an Evo 3 rear wing and Evo front spoiler. The latter usually sports an E30 3 splitter but it was damaged in a car park and removed for our photos.

Having access to some powerful computers at work Magnus likes to test out his ideas on screen beforehand. He did this with the painted spoilers and also had a go at removing the door handles.

Liking what he saw, he had somebody realize his dream but the job wasn’t good. So the car was returned to United Collision where they welded in a new panel, filled it and painted the doors. Entry is facilitated by remote-controlled solenoids in each door, although he can also roll down the window with the same remote in case there’s a problem with the mechanism.

To be honest, it’s easy to overlook the handles. After all, they don’t exactly stand out. But that’s the point. Magnus wanted to be different but didn’t want to shout about it. Therefore the remaining exterior mods are equally subtle, including a xenon upgrade kit for the lights and silver stripes. The owner used to cut vinyl signs for Macy’s department store, so he did the striping himself.

Mechanically, the M3 benefits from an Evo 2 intake cam and a Borla exhaust. “The car’s only done 48000 miles,” Magnus told us. “I plan to do more engine work when I’ve used it more. In fact, I’m thinking about a 3.2 conversion, but it’s like buying new trainers: you wait until the old ones are worn out.”

For now he’s very happy with the four-pot. “The best thing about this car is it really likes to rev. Most people are unimpressed up to 4000rpm but after that it’s totally exhilarating,” Magnus continued.

Since presentation is important to the owner, he’s sandblasted the trademark cam cover and plenum chamber. The M Power logo was then polished before the parts lacquered for protection.

As we know, the suspension is standard are so are the brakes. The wheels look strangely familiar, and that’s because they’re 8×18s from the BMW 7-series but highly polished.

The interior boasts an Evo 3 suede steering wheel, gear knob and handbrake. It’s due more work in the future. In fact, Magnus clearly wants to let rip on the car but is holding back out of respect. In addition to the 3.2 transplant, he also plans to install a glass fibre toolbox in the boot “because when you own an E30 you need to carry tools,” Magnus assured us.

Visit Magnus’s E30 M3 forum.

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