1987 BMW M3 (E30). The pinnacle of oldschool engineering.
Have you ever wondered what happened to the days of the lightweight, nimble enthusiast car? A car that was made to be driven, not to be babied.
Not too long ago, I was called by a friend to come to his place to see something special. He refused to tell me what it was until I got there. The sight that awaited me in his garage was a mint condition 1988, chassis-code E30 BMW M3, the original. It was an exercise in minimalist engineering. It had little in terms of amenities, having what can be equated to meat-and-potatoes: a steering wheel, a 5-speed manual gearbox with a clutch, a limited slip differential, a tape player, sport seats, and that is all. It had none of the safety gear, plush leather, or electronic nannies governing the motor or suspension of today’s new cars.
Introduced to the USA in 1988, the E30 M3 was created to compete with the Mercedes Benz 190E 2.3 16v sport sedan in European Class-A Touring Car series. The car was made up of components and characteristics from various successful BMW race cars of the past. The motor was a derivative of the 2002 and 320 series cars, bored out and reinforced with specs similar to those of the company’s famed inline-6 motors. The M3′s inline-4 was later used in the design of the M1 and M6′s inline-6 motors due to the aggressive valve and head designs allowing for huge amounts of airflow. After the original E30 M3 with the 2.3 liter 190hp motor was released, 2 other versions (often called Evo II and Evo III) were introduced, which upped the power significantly, to 215hp and 235hp respectively, with the Evo III powered by a 2.5 liter motor rather than the 2.3 from before.
One would think a 2.3 liter, 190 horsepower motor would provide for a slow, unmoving experience. Due to the car’s weight, or, frankly lack thereof, the motor propelled the car to a blistering for its time 6.7 second 0 to 60 time. It pushed you back into your seat and simply would not let go. The manual gearbox coupled with the motor felt crisp and direct. The noise inside the cabin was noticeable, but one who drives it and expects it to be dead silent is simply driving the wrong type of car. The clutch was stiff but still civil enough for city duty. The sound of the motor was violent and loud; a symphony of brutality, elegance, and engineering.
Before I could object, he had me in the driver’s seat driving to Santa Cruz through what can only be described as a car enthusiast’s dream road. This road, starting from Skyline Blvd. was full of off-camber corners with elevation changes, dips and blind crests. The first thing I noticed on this car, was how nimble and raw it felt. One minor turn of the sporty steering wheel sent the car hurling into a corner with a precision that could only be described as surgical. The car’s severe caster angles, 3 times that of the regular 3 series cars, allowed turn-in to be immediate and precise. The amount one turned the wheel was the amount one rotated the car. Rear wheel drive helped the car’s back end stay loose, yet controlled. I could feel the car at the limits of grip, but refusing to come out from under me. It simply continued to let the car go through any corner without a concern. At the first sign of lost grip, the 25% lockup differential did a wonderful job of keeping traction, allowing the driver to initiate and control a slide or e-brake turn.
Braking stability was phenomenal due to the shared wheel bearings of the E28 M5, allowing for bigger brake rotors. Under braking, the car did not wiggle at all; it simply continued to scrub off speed in the exact direction the driver intended. One could brake into a corner, and suddenly snap the tail out in any direction, and it would follow without any body shimmy or chassis float. The car simply felt planted in every situation.
It was in essence, a car made for driving; a car that depended only on the person strapped behind the wheel rather than technological big-brothers watching and controlling his or her every move. It demanded concentration and alertness. As a reward, it gave the driver an experience not found in any other vehicle of its time. It was the original M3. The three next generations of the M3, while incredible pieces of machinery in their own right, strayed away from the original formula. They all had electronics, amenities, inline-6 or v8 motors, and vastly different handling characteristics from the original. While M3s of all generations continues to be excellent vehicles, they are simply not the same as the E30. In short, if there was one single word to describe the 1987 to 1992 E30 M3, it would have to be precision.
-KF
