Bavarian brilliance
The BMW M3 has reached its 40th anniversary and it’s been a thrilling ride for this renowned performance model.
From motorsport homologation special through rapid family saloon and, eventually, even an estate version, it’s become an important car in the German manufacturer’s line-up.
BMW has explored some intriguing offshoots with the M3, but they all share the common thread of offering astonishing performance coupled with an approachable, deeply satisfying drive.
Here’s our look at 40 years of the BMW M3, viewing the cars in chronological order.
1. 1986 BMW M3 E30
The first BMW M3 was a homologation car to return the marque to touring-car racing success.
The M3 came with unique-to-the-model flared wheelarches and completely different rear pillars, rear window and boot to improve aerodynamics.
Other clues were the five-stud wheels, larger brakes and 16in BBS alloy wheels.
For this model only, the S14 2.3-litre, four-cylinder engine gave 197bhp in standard trim and used a five-speed dogleg gearbox, offering 0-60mph in 6.7 secs and 146mph.
BMW initially built 5000 E30 M3s for homologation, but demand saw several iterations of the car on its way to selling a total of 17,970 of this original model.
2. 1986 BMW M3 Pick-up
Built as a runabout for the BMW factory, the E30 M3 Pick-up went on to work for its keep for 26 years until it was retired to the company’s museum in 2012.
Constructed around a 3 Series Convertible body due to its additional strengthening over the saloon, the Pick-up started life with an ‘Italian M3’ 2-litre engine.
This motor was later swapped for a full 2.3-litre unit, but the car always retained its narrow-body look rather than the flared wheelarches of the M3.
When this unusual M3 was consigned to the BMW museum, it was replaced by another unique M3 in the form of a pick-up based on the E93 M3 Convertible.
3. 1987 BMW M3 WTCC
The reason for the roadgoing BMW M3 was this, the factory’s racing car destined for the new World Touring Car Championship.
The 2.3-litre motor developed 296bhp and could rev to 8200rpm, which quickly put it at the front of the grid.
After a hard-fought season up against the Ford Sierra RS Cosworth, the M3 won the 1987 title in the hands of Roberto Ravaglia, which earned the Italian a special-edition M3 named in his honour.
Such was the dominance of the M3 at this point that it quickly went on to take the European Touring Car Championship, as well as titles in France, Germany, Great Britain and Italy.
4. 1987 BMW M3 Group A rally
An unexpected motorsport avenue opened for BMW when British company Prodrive asked about running an M3 in rallies.
This unlikely plan got the nod as an arm’s-length effort – and it soon started to pay off with success at a national level.
Changes to the BMW M3 for rallying included swapping the endurance fuel tank for a smaller, 60-litre item, centre-lock wheels for quicker changes and making more space inside for the co-driver.
The M3 became the last rear-wheel-drive car to win a World Rally Championship event when Bernard Béguin and Jean-Jacques Lenne finished first on the 1987 Tour de Corse.
5. 1988 BMW M3 Convertible
The drop-top version of the BMW M3 was also the first convertible model produced by the marque’s M Division, increasing its appeal to buyers.
The model used a strengthened bodyshell and a fabric roof, adding 195kg (430lb) to its kerbweight compared to the saloon.
The engines remained the same as the equivalent hardtop M3.
A bespoke feature of the M3 Convertible is that it did without the saloon’s rear spoiler to give it a cleaner appearance when viewed in profile.
In all, BMW made just 786 of these M3 Convertibles, where later generations would go on to become staples of the range.
6. 1988 BMW 320iS
Often referred to as the ‘Italian M3’, this was because the BMW 320iS was only offered in Italy and Portugal due to tax regimes based on engine capacity.
To fit into an affordable bracket, BMW conjured up a 1990cc version of its S14 four-cylinder engine, down from 2.3 litres.
It still managed to produce 189bhp for a 141mph top speed, which was only 5mph down on the standard M3.
Other unusual features of this M3 derivative were that it used the standard E30 3 Series body without flared wheelarches, and customers could order it as a two- or as a four-door model.
Production of the Italian M3 lasted from 1988 to 1990.
7. 1990 BMW M3 Sport Evolution
There had been improved versions of the E30 BMW M3 prior to this model, but what makes the Sport Evolution stand out is its unique-to-this-model, 2.5-litre engine.
Created to homologate changes for the DTM (German touring-car championship), only 600 were produced and all were painted either Brilliant Red or Gloss Black.
As well as the 235bhp, 2.5-litre engine that upped the top speed to 154mph, the Sport Evolution weighed 25kg (55lb) less than a standard M3.
There was also an adjustable rear wing lip, as well as a new front spoiler with brake cooling ducts in place of the usual foglights.
8. 1992 BMW M3 E36
The second-generation BMW M3 took a very different path to its predecessor, because it was not designed with motorsport homologation in mind.
Instead, the E36 M3 was for everyday use, which is why saloon and convertible models were added alongside the mainstay coupé.
Diehard E30 fans baulked at the E36’s 3-litre, six-cylinder engine, claiming it was too heavy, but with 282bhp it delivered the goods in performance terms and in the way it sounded.
This M3 also introduced aerodynamically shaped door mirrors, along with front and rear aprons for aero reasons, plus its suspension was 30mm (1.1in) lower than that of a standard 3 Series.
9. 1994 BMW M3 NA
It looked like an M3, sounded like an M3 and was badged as an M3, but North American BMW customers were well aware they were not getting the full M experience with their offering.
The BMW M3 sold to the North America market made do with a 240bhp S50B30US version of the 3-litre straight-six, which was also sold with a 325is badge early in the car’s life.
Canadian M3 enthusiasts were rewarded with a limited-edition, European-spec model, but most North American BMW M3 buyers had to content themselves with the fact that their cars at least shared the same torque as M3s sold in the rest of the world.
10. 1994 BMW M3 GT
BMW was heading back on track and needed to homologate parts for its assault on the FIA GT Series, which resulted in the M3 GT.
Although only sold new in Germany, many of the 356 M3 GTs made ended up around the world.
Its appeal lay in an uprated, 3-litre motor improved to give 295bhp at 7000rpm and 0-60mph in 5.9 secs.
This was achieved with individual throttle bodies for each cylinder and BMW’s new VANOS variable valve timing.
All BMW M3 GTs were finished in British Racing Green with unique-to-the-model front and rear spoilers, and the UK was treated to 50 cars with the looks, but not the engine upgrades.
11. 1995 BMW M3 Evo
Like the E30 M3 Sport Evolution, BMW’s E36 M3 Evo gained a larger engine capacity that came hand in hand with other upgrades.
The new S50 3.2-litre engine produced 317bhp, to deliver 0-60mph in 5.5 secs – making it half a second quicker than the 3-litre car.
This power output made it the first BMW to break the 100bhp per litre barrier.
Also new for this model was a six-speed manual gearbox in place of the previous five-speeder, though the top speed remained the same at 155mph.
North American M3 Evos used a 3.2-litre S52 engine with more torque but the same 240bhp as before.
12. 1996 BMW M3 SMG
The BMW M3 was the world’s first production car to go on sale with an automated manual gearbox.
Known as the Sequential Manual Gearbox (SMG) by BMW, it retained the standard six-speed transmission, but used a system of solenoids and hydraulics.
All the driver had to do was push forward on the gearlever to change up, then pull it back to downshift.
With familiarity, this early SMG transmission could work nice and smoothly, but it proved to be unreliable.
A much better SMG II gearbox was used in the E46 M3 and was the only transmission offered in that generation’s CSL model.
13. 1996 BMW M3 Compact
In 1996, BMW mooted the idea of offering the M3 in the 3 Series Compact’s bodyshell in a bid to draw in younger buyers.
While the idea never progressed beyond a single prototype, this car was tested by the motoring media and reckoned to be a hugely entertaining machine.
Even with the M3 Evo’s 3.2-litre engine shoehorned in, the BMW M3 Compact still weighed 15kg (33lb) less than its production Coupé sibling and was notably quicker.
This led to some speculation that any production version would have a detuned M3 motor, but the project never went past this prototype stage.
14. 2000 BMW M3 E46
For many, the seminal BMW M3 arrived in 2000 with the launch of the E46 generation of the performance model, helped by subtly bulging wheelarches and bonnet.
Only Coupé and Convertibles were produced, all using a 338bhp, 3.2-litre, straight-six engine coupled to a six-speed manual gearbox and also offered with SMG for an automated shift.
The Coupé was good for 155mph and 0-60mph in 5.1 secs, delivering performance to rival a Porsche 911 for two-thirds of the price.
Little wonder this version of the BMW M3 quickly became the best-selling of the line to date and ended with 85,139 leaving the factory.
15. 2000 BMW M3 Touring
BMW had offered its M5 with a Touring (estate) body previously, but M3 buyers had been denied this appealing mix of pace and space, despite buyer demand.
With the E46 generation of M3, hopes were raised of an M3 Touring and BMW built a prototype that got many excited.
One of the main aims of the prototype was to prove that the Touring’s rear-passenger doors could be made to fit the wider rear wheelarches in a cost-effective way on the production line.
This hurdle was passed with ease, but BMW cancelled any plans for an M3 Touring, so fans of this combination would have to wait a further 22 years.
16. 2001 BMW M3 GTR
Homologation specials were nothing new for the BMW M3 by the time the GTR appeared in 2001, but this limited-run model still stood out for how unusual it was.
To go racing in the US, BMW came up with a 4-litre, V8-powered version of the E46 M3 Coupé.
The all-aluminium V8 could apparently produce as much as 500bhp in race tune, however the 10 roadgoing versions built to stay within the rules of the American Le Mans Series GT class had 346bhp.
The road car weighed just 1350kg (2976lb) and had a top speed of 183mph.
It cost €250,000 when new, making it the most expensive, the fastest and the rarest road-legal BMW M3 at that point.
17. 2003 BMW M3 CSL
The CSL badge came out of retirement when BMW built a more focused E46 M3 Coupé.
Thinner glass, an aluminium bonnet, a carbonfibre roof, different seats and even a pared-down carpet in the boot snipped 110kg (243lb) from the CSL’s weight compared to a standard BMW M3.
All CSLs came with the SMG automated manual gearbox, helping to deliver 0-62mph in 4.9 secs and a 155mph top speed.
A 355bhp version of the 3.2-litre, straight-six engine used a special, carbonfibre intake for added aural drama.
Despite the brakes and optional semi-slick tyres not being praised universally when new, BMW had no trouble selling all 1383 of the CSLs built.
18. 2007 BMW M3 E90
BMW opted for a V8 engine for its fourth-generation M3, launched in 2007.
The 414bhp, 4-litre V8 could catapult the M3 from 0-60mph in 4.6 secs when fitted with the double-clutch gearbox, while top speed was limited to 155mph.
A saloon joined the range alongside the usual Coupé and Convertible models, and the hardtop models received a carbonfibre roof panel as standard.
The limited-edition GTS coupé was 50kg (110lb) lighter and came in Fire Orange, its 444bhp engine helping this model achieve 0-60mph in 4.4 secs, en route to 190mph.
In 2011, just 67 M3 CRTs were produced as saloons with this 444bhp motor.
19. 2014 BMW M3 F80
The fifth-generation M3, known as the F80 in BMW-speak, now became solely available as a saloon, with the two-door Coupé and Convertible models now badged as M4s.
They still shared the same 3-litre, twin-turbo, straight-six engine, which was the first time the M3 had used forced induction.
It helped the motor generate 425bhp at a giddy 7300rpm, with 0-60mph in 4.1 secs.
All BMW M3s now came with a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, while a Competition Package upped power to 444bhp in 2016.
The M3 CS was limited to 1200 cars, and packed 453bhp for 0-60mph in 3.9 secs and 173mph.
20. 2020 BMW M3 G80
The current (as of 2026, the model’s 40th-anniversary year) G80 model of M3 is notable for being the first BMW M3 to be offered with a Touring (estate) body, which arrived in 2022.
Like its immediate predecessor, it uses a 3-litre straight-six with a brace of turbochargers, producing 473bhp.
In standard trim, this M3 offers 0-60mph in 4.2 secs and its top speed is capped at 155mph.
An M3 Competition model improves the numbers to 503bhp and 0-60mph in 3.9 secs.
Opt for the four-wheel-drive variant and that’s another first for the M3 – plus the 2025-on version of this model has 523bhp for 0-60mph in just 3.5 secs.
Want even more? Go for the M3 CS and you get 543bhp, which makes this the fastest roadgoing, factory-produced BMW M3 yet built.