The peerless BMW M3 turns 25

Engines have always been crucial to the BMW brand and the 'Four-Cylinder' Tower in Munich had been sending this message to the world for 14 years when BMW launched what would become the most famous four-cylinder car in motorsport history, the M3.

Its purpose was to allow BMW to compete in the World Touring Car Championship and 5000 examples were produced in 1986.

That original M3 was a real hotrod, a purpose-built race weapon. The engineers at BMW's M Division had to work with the existing E30 3 Series (E for 'Entwicklung' meaning development), which required a major makeover. Those huge guards allowed wider front and rear tracks and larger wheels to be fitted.

The menacing appearance which contrasted with the demure standard car was almost an unintended bonus. No panels except the bonnet and roof were common. But it was the Formula One-derived four-cylinder engine in combination with the near perfect weight distribution of the M3 that was its secret weapon. In Australian racing folklore the Torana XU-1 is the giantkiller, but on the world stage this role was reserved for the BMW M3.

BMW Chairman Eberhard von Kuenheim commissioned engine guru Paul Rosche, who was responsible for the F1 BMW engine, to develop a new unit for the M3. Rosche had developed the Formula One turbocharged unit which powered Nelson Piquet to the 1983 World Championship in his Brabham BMW.

Rosche mated the four-cylinder M10 block used in Formula One with a four-cylinder version of the 24-valve head from the M1 supercar. This 2.3-litre engine weighed little more than the 316i's but made close to 147kW (200hp). In 1988 the Sport Evolution variant weighed less but offered 175kW (238hp) and revved to 7500.

The second generation M3 was a far less extroverted machine because it was always part of the E36 product plan. It was indeed so different in nature that a new name had been considered, said BMW Motorsport managing director Karl-Heinz Kalbell. Said Kalbell: "It really is unfair to compare the new M3 with its predecessor. While the old car was an uncompromising driving machine, the new model is a civilised all-rounder."

The E36 was not just heavier but almost 25 per cent so, up from 1198kg to 1457. And, if much of BMW's technical reputation had been founded on four-cylinder engines, so be it; the latest M3 used a muscular six, developed from the existing 2.0- and 2.5-litre units. Gone were the flared guards and the huge rear wing. It did have especially stylish 17-inch alloys, as well as a discreet front air dam and sideskirts. There may have been less of a boy racer image but there was nothing anti-climactic about the performance on offer.

This sophisticated M3 had vastly superior aerodynamics and the longer wheelbase made for improved stability at high speeds. Of course it was speed-limited to 250km/h but unlike its predecessor could have gone way beyond this figure. If the E32 had been a hotrod of unusual charisma and sensitivity, this new car was a hard-edged grand tourer.

At the E36 M3's Australian debut in January 1994 (its predecessor never having been offered here), BMW Australia invited journalists to test the M3 down a 400 metre strip of the Albert Park Lake circuit in Melbourne. This tester found there was quite sufficient power to move the tail out on the shift from second to third gear through a gradual turn. Times were in the order of 15 seconds flat, which was sensational in this pre-Subaru WRX era.

Was the E36 M3 as good as the Porsche 911? In terms of performance for the money, undoubtedly. The M3's tag was $124,650 which was $50K less than the 964 911. It was also an easier car to drive on the limit than any rear-engined Porsche.

About the only criticism that could be levelled at this BMW was that the steering was too light at low speeds. The power assistance was speed-related so at highway speeds there was a decent amount of feel at the rim of the somewhat ugly air-bagged steering wheel.

While it seems paradoxical to call any M3 mainstream, this E36 was less in-your-face and uncompromising than its predecessor. The aim, of course, was at least in part to woo 911 devotees out of their Porsches (in Australia, one imagines, the M3 converted some HSV owners).

This time around, the M3 was a more elegant, smoother riding and better equipped machine with much more on its agenda than success in various touring car championships. With the E36, BMW positioned its M3 for the future.

In 1996 the 3.2-litre version produced a staggering 236kW at a time when a Commodore SS extracted just 168kW from its 5.0-litre V8. The slick-shifting five-speed gearbox was replaced by an equally sweet six-slot unit. Standing 400 metre times dropped into the mid-14s, probably just as well given the raucous presence of the $39,990 WRX! But to our knowledge, no M3 drivers felt an overwhelming urge to reverse their caps.

By May 1997 buyers could choose the SMG (Sequential Manual Gearbox) version, but this early application of the technology left much to be desired. Many of us still preferred a clutch pedal.

The E36 M3 slipped off the market in mid-2000 and there was a year's wait for the E46. Essentially, the first M3 of the twenty-first century was much like its predecessor but with still more performance and an edgier appearance.

The flared guards and hood bulge were welcomed by anyone who thought the E36 had looked a little underdone. The 3.2-litre six was essentially all-new and now made 252kW of power and 365Nm of torque (up from its predecessor's 350). In 2003 the staggeringly fast CSL variant was offered in Australia for $210,000. With 265kW, 370Nm and a carbon-fibre roof, this M3 paid homage to the thunderous 1973 CSL 'Batmobile' at 30 years of age.

In October 2007 the E92 M3 arrived locally. In 20 years the now iconic BMW coupe had gone from four cylinders through six to eight. This made sense, because during the life of the E46, some customers preferred to buy a 330i (which had more performance than an E36 M3) and save some cash.

The new M3's 4.0-litre 32-valve V8 made 309kW and 400Nm and brought an even higher level of urge along with a preternatural ability to rev. Zero to 100 km/h is nice work in 4.3 seconds (50 per cent quicker than the E30). This joyous engine was derived from the V10 used in the M5 and M6.

Thought was given to changing the name to M4 but, fortunately, sense prevailed with BMW executives realising that there was great emotional capital tied up in the M3 moniker: history matters. The E92 M3 followed the E46 CSL in using a carbon-fibre roof panel to lower both weight and centre of gravity.

Indeed the M3 'brand' was set to grow, the E92 coupe being joined locally in November 2008 by the E90 sedan and the following month by the E93 convertible. To purists this latter risked being a contradiction in terms because it lacked the purity of purpose intrinsic to the M3 concept; for a convertible it had good torsional rigidity but the dedicated driver was aware of scuttle shake.

You needed to erect the power-operated hardtop to regain full integrity and this unit was responsible for adding more than 200 kilograms to the kerb weight.

But the M3 sedan, by contrast, made great sense. After all, the M5, always faster than its M3 sibling, had four doors. The availability of a sedan variant also lowered the entry price of M3 ownership. It had a steel roof like other 3 Series sedans but did have the same frontal styling as the M3 coupe.

Further broadening the appeal was the option of a seven-speed 'sports automatic transmission' (actually a twin-clutch manual gearbox) from July 2008 -- entirely unthinkable on the original E30, either the automatic or the seven speeds!

In a sense the growth of the M3 range reflects the evolution of BMW itself. Does any manufacturer better exploit every market niche?

The purveyor of the 'Ultimate Driving Experience' came to realise in the late 1970s that many customers wanted to own a BMW even if it was not necessarily especially fast or hard-edged and so the Bavarian company edged its way into the mainstream while still offering absolutely dedicated models such as the original M3. If the E92 had the same kind of character as that E30, sales volumes would be much lower.

But by offering the highest level of performance and dynamics in a luxurious coupe, sedan and (slightly compromised) convertible, BMW ensured maximum sales potential without compromising the exclusivity of the M3 identity.

If you want one illustration of the formidable march of BMW, look no further than the always charismatic M3. It joins the Porsche 911 as constituting a benchmark for high performance cars.

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