About: E30 M3 History
Celebrating BMW's Iconic E30 M3
The E30 M3
The BMW M3 is a high-performance version of BMW's 3 Series car, developed by BMW Motorsport (M Division). Based on the 1986 model year E30 3-Series, BMW's production of the road car was to homologate the M3 for Group A Touring Car racing. At the time, homologation rules roughly stated that the race cars be based on a production car and that a minimum of 500 cars be sold to the public to be used on public roads. Thus, the M3 was born. BMW's M cars are widely recognized by the tri-color stripes and "M" (Motorsport) emblem.
The E30 M3 differed from the rest of the E30 line-up in many ways. The M3 was equipped with a revised stiffer and more aerodynamic body shell as well as "box flared" fenders to accommodate wider wheels and tires. The only shared body panels between the standard E30 and the M3 are the hood and sunroof.