Words: Darren Cottingham Photos: Adam Croy

The E30 M3 put the fear of the devil into Mercedes-Benz and Ford in 1987, but how does it compare with the fourth-generation E92 M3?

Back in 1985, Eberhard von Kuenheim, chairman of the board of management of BMW, was itching to use BMW’s success in Formula 1 with the BMW Brabham to create a 3 Series that would put the fear of the devil into Mercedes-Benz and Ford in Group A racing.

Paul Rosche, BMW’s technical director, was the man for the job — he’d designed the turbocharged engine that helped Nelson Piquet win the F1 World Championship in 1983.

Rosche wasted no time in checking the right components were available to create a high output 2.0-litre engine that would be strong and reliable in long distance races.

Top-of-the-line 3 Series cars at the time sported a six-cylinder engine, so the decision in favour of four cylinders must have puzzled many. But it made sense; four cylinders are lighter than six, the engine block could be taken straight from the Formula 1 programme, and the crankshaft on the six-cylinder engine suffered vibration at the engine speeds Rosche knew he’d need to maintain reliability.

The design team engineered a crank on the M3 so stiff it could run in excess of 10,000rpm. BMW set the rev limiter at 6750rpm on the road cars to give a wide tolerance for heavy use. The cylinder head also came from BMW’s existing line, but this time they simply cut two combustion chambers from the four-valve six-cylinder unit. This was possible without complications due to the same distance between cylinders in both versions. Finally the engine was bored out to 2.3 litres.

Many car manufacturers would take months to achieve what Paul Rosche and his team achieved in 14 days. The prototype engine was delivered with the proud moniker ‘S14’, and at the time the engineering team couldn’t have predicted the success yet to come.

Waxing lyrical

Contesting Group A meant 5000 cars had to be created for homologation within 12 months. To Rosche’s chagrin, turbocharging wasn’t an option thanks to both the homologation rules, and the need to keep it driveable on the road.

In summer ’85, Germany’s motoring writers were ecstatic with this 149kW prototype that had a top speed of 230kph and accelerated to 100kph in just 6.7 seconds. They waxed lyrical right up to the Frankfurt Motor Show in the northern hemisphere’s autumn, where the car made its debut to the public with its box-flared fenders, large rear wing and air dams. Then they waxed some more.

BMW had decided to include a fully controlled catalytic converter. Despite being installed on cars since 1975, catalytic converters weren’t often used with performance cars as they increased fuel consumption and robbed the engine of power. Also BMW correctly assumed that the varying quality of unleaded fuel throughout Europe would cause destructive engine knocking for some clients. Rosche and his team found the solution by reducing the engine’s compression ratio from 10.5:1 to 9.6:1, only sacrificing 3.7kW.

In summer ’85, Germany’s motoring writers were ecstatic with this 149kW prototype that had a top speed of 230kph and accelerated to 100kph in just 6.7 seconds

Extensive testing commenced at the Nürburgring — where the exhaust pipes got so hot they expanded by 25mm and burst as they pushed against the suspension units. The engineers found a very simple solution; they used different rubber units on the suspension, which created more play and flexibility. A final test was 150,000km of full throttle, full speed testing at Nardo in Italy. Passing with flying colours, the E30 M3 was put into production with the first units delivered in spring 1986.

The BMW’s dry weight of 1200kg was achieved in part by the front and rear bumpers, side sills, boot lid and spoiler all being made of plastic. The aerodynamics reduced front axle lift by almost half and rear axle lift by two-thirds over a standard 3 Series, and the car’s drag coefficient of 0.33 was impressive for such a boxy shape.

BMW had no problem selling the 5000 units required for homologation despite the DM58,000 price tag, which was a full DM14,000 more than the top of the line 325i. Demand was so high that cars were on-sold at a premium by those lucky enough to have a contract in their hands. But would it perform on the track?

Virtually unbeatable

With a World Touring Car Championship being held for the first time in 1987, the racing M3 received a power boost to 224kW. BMW decided that rather than field a works team it would support a number of private teams such as Linder, Schnitzer and Zakspeed.

On March 22, 1987, the racing debut of the M3 was marred when all the cars were disqualified for allegedly illegal panel thickness. BMW’s appeal came too late, but this minor hiccup did not have an effect on the championship result, with Roberto Ravaglia ending the season on top of the podium.

In 1988 BMW unleased the Evo — a special series of even more powerful M3s with 160kW (with catalyst), and an increased top speed of 239kph, up from 230kph — followed the by M3 convertible, the fastest production open four-seater of the time.

BMW’s racing M3 was virtually unbeatable, racking up the German Touring Car Championship (DTM), other national titles in France, Australia, Britain and Italy, and the Corsica Rally (BMW’s first WRC race win in 14 years). For five years the first-generation M3 lead the way to become the most successful touring car of all time.

The various race series the M3 competed in required different engine sizes. In Britain the engines were limited to two litres, but in Germany and France they increased to 2.5 litres, giving the four-cylinder a maximum output of 268kW. Further revisions were introduced to comply with homologation rules, including the 162kW Evo 2, and the 175kW Sport Evolution (which featured larger arches to accommodate 18-inch wheels).

By the time the second generation M3 (E36) was launched in 1992, BMW had sold over 18,200 units (including 786 convertibles).

The devil is popular

Where good should triumph over evil, the devil nearly won out on the day of our photo-shoot. First off, it was pouring with rain in the morning — not good for taking pictures — and traffic was terrible, so our photographer was held up. That meant we were slightly late getting to BMW, but the E30 M3 was delayed by two hours due to a misunderstanding. Then, 10 minutes into our drive, the E30 got a flat tyre. The wheel would not budge with the wrench in the car, and the E92 doesn’t come with a wrench at all, but an air compressor which was no use because it was the tyre’s sidewall that split (and we wanted to do some serious motoring, not just limp around).

We waited for the AA and eventually the angel won through. The skies cleared, and we drove the glorious roads out through Clevedon to Maraetai.

Arguably, it is virtually impossible to spot the lineage when these two M3s are side by side, and even harder on the inside as the E30 in no way is as luxurious as the E92 M3.

The angel is a pillar of technological luxury. BMW’s iDrive system controls most of the settings in the car via a dial and an in-dash screen. It is possible to spend several hours setting the car up so it’s perfect for you, from the power delivery to the multi-channel graphic equaliser. Should you need a break from the monotony of customising your $170,000 ride, you can watch TV on the screen, or simply recline and let the 16-speaker 825W sound system wash the day’s worries away.

The multimedia functions of the car are impressive. Not only will it synchronise with your BlueTooth mobile phone so you can make calls using buttons on the steering wheel, but the BMW Navigation Professional will direct you and three passengers to your destination with street number accuracy.

The E92 is an angel to drive, too. You would almost be forgiven for thinking the car senses where the road is going; it nurtures and encourages you like your mum did when you first learned to ride a bike. Every corner you can push it that little bit further, leaning in, and there’s just endless grip. And that’s because the training wheels are on. The E92 M3 has a biblical number of acronyms describing the various driver aids. Dynamic Stability Control constantly monitors your driving and, should you flirt with the limits of tarmac friction, intervenes individually in the wheel brakes and reduces power to correct an oversteer or understeer moment.

There are additional functions — ABS, traction control (ASC), Start-Off assistant to stop you rolling back into the fires of hell when on an uphill gradient, Cornering Brake Control to prevent you spinning when applying the brakes hard when cornering, hydraulic pre-loading of the brakes for emergency stops (which doesn’t have an acronym), and the optional Electronic Damper Control (EDC) that adjusts damper forces to reduce roll in corners.

The devil is in the details

Contrast this with the E30. In the earlier M3, you feel every detail of the road, unencumbered by electronic nannying. If you drive it as you would the E92, it’s like juggling daggers. The complete absence of anything that will assist you other than sheer mechanical grip, extreme wheel camber and intestinal fortitude is exhilarating.

There’s more play in the steering wheel and, being 20 years old, it doesn’t feel as precise as the E92, but you cannot help but smile corner after corner.

The E30 is for drivers with sizable quadriceps, as certainly the brake and clutch pedal were used as inspiration for the cross training machines you find in a gym

The E30 is for drivers with sizable quadriceps, as certainly the brake and clutch pedal were used as inspiration for the cross training machines you find in a gym. It’s race-car heavy, but fine once you are used to it. Of course, changing gear also requires that you remember first is down and to the left, second is up and middle, third is down and middle, etc. I arrived at a corner thinking I had selected second only to be thankful not to have exceeded the rev limiter when I brought the clutch up into first.

E30 BMW M3
Specs
Engine    Four, in-line
Capacity    2302cc
Bore/stroke    93.4/84mm
Valves    dohc, 16-valve
Max power    149kW at 6750rpm
Max torque    238Nm at 4750rpm
Fuel system    Bosch Motronic fuel injection
Transmission    Getrag five-speed manual
Suspension    Front Independent by MacPherson struts; Rear independent by trailing arms, coil springs, Boge gas-filled dampers and anti-roll bar
Steering    PAS rack and pinion
Brakes    Disc/disc — ABS anti-lock
Track F/R    1412/1424mm

Dimensions
Wheelbase    2562mm
Length    4360mm
Width    1675mm
Kerb weight    1252kg
Height    1365mm

Peformance
Max speed    234kph (146mph)
0-96.5kph    6.0 secs
Economy    11.7l/100km (24.3mpg)

After driving the devil, the dark and evil side captivated me. I was disappointed with the angel’s heavenly disposition. Sure, it’s supremely comfortable and has an orchestra of bells and whistles, but it’s just too good. I didn’t get the instant smile of ‘ooh, that was exciting’ when I drove it.

Then I figured out why: we tend to change gear based on engine tone, so most of us would change at about 6500rpm. But that’s really where the angel gets its wings. Between there and 8300rpm it builds to 309kW, and the redline is only 100rpm further up the dial! I felt the smile coming on, but it still wasn’t right. Until I threw all preconceptions of cornering grip out of the window.

Where the devil has your soul at 70kph around a corner marked 40kph, the angel offers redemption and spiritual ecstasy at 100kph — the fun is there, just a paradigm shift faster. I could now believe the 4.8-second 0-100kph time — hell hath no fury like the angel scorned.

E92 BMW M3
Specs
Engine    V8
Capacity    3999cc
Valves    dohc, four per cylinder
Max power    309kW at 8300rpm
Max torque    400Nm at 3900rpm
Fuel system    Fuel injection
Transmission    Six-speed manual
Suspension    Front aluminium two-join spring strut axle with tie-bar; Rear five-arm axle with anti-squat and anti-dive
Steering    Rack and pinion with hydraulic assistance and Servotronic
Brakes    Ventilated and cross-drilled discs
Track F/R    1538/1539mm

Dimensions
Wheelbase    2761mm
Length    4615mm
Width    1804mm
Kerb weight    1580kg
Height    1418mm

Peformance
Max speed    250kph (155mph) (electronically limited)
0-100kph    12.4l/100km (combined)