BMW (E30) M3 Sport Evolution (1990)

In 1983 Nelson Piquet won the Formula 1 championship in a Brabham powered by a BMW engine. The engine's designer Paul Rosche was told by BMW's CEO that 'we need a sporty engine for the 3 series.' This fabulous, four-cylinder motor was to become the heart of the M3. The production of the celebrated E30 road car was to homologate the M3 for Group A Touring Car racing and was campaigned successfully by BMW as well as other teams including Prodrive and Schnitzer.

Built between 1987 and 1990, the M3 was supplied in various guises for both the European and US market. Equipped with 12 different and unique panels from the standard E30. Improved aerodynamics were afforded by an additional trim piece that reduced the angle of the rear windscreen and box-flared wheel arches on the front and rear to accommodate a wider track and wider wheels and tyres. Suspension was greatly improved too, and the brakes had special callipers and a revised master cylinder.

Once a manufacturer had constructed the 5000 base cars required for Group A homologation, further uprated Evolution variants could be produced once every twelve months. For each Evolution to be approved, 500 base cars to this latest specification had to be built.

The first Evolution was permitted as soon as Group A homologation had been approved. Accordingly, BMW had produced a batch of E30 M3 Evolution 1s with revised cylinder heads upon which the Group A racing variants for the M3’s debut season in 1987 were based.

Towards the end of 1989, BMW announced what was to be the most extensively evolved variant of the E30, the Sport Evolution. With a view to compete in the Division 2 category, the most notable change came in the form of the bored out, 2.5-litre engine, with a considerable number of mechanical developments to suit the higher displacement. The chassis and bodywork were also subject to review, with an aim to deliver more focused handling. Bookended by adjustable front and rear spoilers, required for homologation, the Sport Evolution remains not only recognisable within the M3 lineage, but represents the pinnacle of the E30 platform.

Despite its principal rival, the Ford Sierra Cosworth, running an engine with a swept volume of nearly 2.8-litres when the 1.4 multiplier for turbocharged engines was considered, the M3 saw immense success in Division 2 (open to cars with a capacity less than 2.5-litres).