BMW has just released the first of a series of five videos devoted to the BMW M3 E30, the M that launched the M series to global fame. Designed to be a cross between a racecar and a standard road car, the M3 was a homologation requirement for the racecar BMW used to beat the Mercedes 190E 2.3/16V in the German Touring Car Championship.
The story goes that BMW worried about selling all 5,000 units they were required to make of the E30, as it was 50% more expensive than the M before it. Fortunately, people liked it so much that it eventually sold over 16,000 units. When the E30’s production run ended in 1991, its most powerful version boasted a 2.5L engine that churned out 238 HP – and had earned its reputation as the greatest touring car ever.
Watch the BMW M3 E30’s complete backstory in BMW’s video below.
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