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BMW E30 M3

Developed by BMW’s in-house motorsport division, the E30 M3 was, is, and always will be one heck of a great car, writes Nishant Mehta

By Nishant Mehta, wheels
Published: 14:07 August 2, 2012

Image Credit: Suppled picture
With a Paul Rosche tuned 2.3-litre motor, an agile chassis and top-of-the-line anti-lock brakes, the E30 M3 was, and still is, one of the greatest cars of all time.

You may be forgiven for thinking the foremost function of the BMW M division is to make you, me, and every petrolhead around the globe drool over that iconic badge. OK, that isn’t its main function, but it certainly has that affect.

There aren’t many factory tuners that have taken the performance of a regular production series model to the levels created by Munich’s M department.

Upgrading the E30 3 Series is a painstakingly difficult process, especially when you consider how good the regular cars already are.

But through massaged engines, sporttuned suspensions and other performance goodies — not to mention extensive cosmetic enhancements — the boffins continually manage to upgrade an A grade car to an A+.

And you have to be a real tough guy to drive a manual dog-leg gearbox homologation special such as an E30 M3 — one of the best M cars ever.

Its excellent track-honed handling and linear engine performance make it one of the most renowned cars in the M series.

Using the standard 3 Series platform as a basis, the M3 really got enthusiasts’ blood pumping. And it still does. To think it was built 26 years ago…

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