BMW M3

The BMW M3 is a sports version of the popular compact BMW 3-Series automobile, made by BMW Motorsport.

The first M3 was based on the 1986s E30 range, and there has been an M version of every 3-Series since.

Contents

E30 M3

BMW M3 E30

Based on the 1986 E30 3-Series body, the first M3 was introduced with a 2.3 L S14 engine, derived from the M10 inline-4 block and the valve train and head architecture from BMWs M1 and later M6 inline-6 cylinder. One of the main reasons for production of the road car was to homologate the M3 for Group A Touring Car racing, as an answer to the "2.3-16V"-model of the Mercedes-Benz W201 which was introduced in 1983. A notable characteristic of the E30 M3 is its racing pedigree, campaigned by BMW as well as other racing teams including Prodrive and Schnitzer Motorsport.

The first version produced 195 hp (143 kW) (catalyzed model). Not available to the North American market; following evolution models continued with 2.3 liters but adopted revised cam timing, increased compression along with the lack of a catalyst producing approximately 215 hp. Later the Sport Evolution model increased engine displacement too 2.5 L and produced 238 hp (175 kW). 786 cabriolets were also produced, all by hand in BMWs Garching plant, at the time the 215 Hp example was the world's fastest four seater convertible.

The E30 M3 differed from the rest of the E30 line-up in many ways. The M3 was equipped with "box flared" fenders to accommodate a wider track with wider and taller wheels and tires. It also had three times the caster angle of any other E30. The M3 shared larger wheel bearings and front brake calipers with the E28 5-Series.

To keep the car competitive in racing following homologation rules, homologation specials were produced. Homologation rules roughly stated that the Race version must reflect the street car aerodynamically and in engine displacement therefore improved models were periodically released for the public. Special editions and homologation specials include: the Evo I, Evo II and Sport Evo (AKA. Evo III) some of which featured less weight, improved aerodynamics, taller front fender arches (Sport evo; to further facilitate 18 inch wheels in DTM), Brake ducting, and more power.

Production of the original M3 (E30 coupe) ended in 1991.

The M3 was (and is) a successful racer, winning the Deutsche Tourenwagen Meisterschaft, European Touring Car Championship and even the one-off world title in 1987. The E30 M3 is also a multiple winner of Macau Grand Prix, 24 Hours Nürburgring and Spa 24 Hours.

In 2004, Sports Car International named this car number six on the list of Top Sports Cars of the 1980s.

Performance

(2.3l-16v I4) - 143 kW/195 bhp 0-60 mph - 6.9 s. Top Speed: 140 mph
(2.5l-16v I4) - 175 kW/238 bhp 0-60 mph - 6.2 s. Top Speed: 150 mph

E36 M3

1996 BMW M3 coupe, North American version

The replacement for the original M3 appeared at the 1992 Paris Auto Show. This E36 coupe model got the 3.0 L S50B30 straight-6 engine, which produced 286 hp (210 kW).

For the 1996 model year the M3 was upgraded to a new 3.2 L, 321 hp (236 kW) engine (S50B32),a six speed gearbox and the M5's larger brakes. The new SMG gearbox was also offered as an option. These models are often described as the "Euro" models to differentiate them from the models sold in the US which were quite different. The 3.2 Euro is also known as the M3 "Evolution" or "Evo".

The first E36 M3 to be imported to the United States was the 1995 model, which received a 3.0 L engine with 240 hp (176 kW) and 305 N•m (225 ft·lbf) (S50B30US) and a different suspension. The reasons for the less powerful motor were largely due to excessive costs for the US market with the original engine and possible difficulty in getting the Euro engine to pass emission tests. The 1996-1999 model years had displacement bumped up to 3.2 L, with 240 hp (176 kW) and 320 N•m (236 ft·lbf) which is the same engine used in the early M Roadster and M Coupe. The 1996+ model is known for being more difficult to performance tune, due to slightly smaller intake manifold runners and more complicated electronic parts. It was also available as a sedan starting in model year 1997, and as convertible in 1998. Production of the sedan was halted in 1998, while the other models continued until 1999.

Performance

(3.0l-24v I6) Euro Version - 210 kW/286 bhp 0-60 mph - 6.0 s. Top Speed: 155 mph (electronically limited)
(3.2l-24v I6) Euro Version - 240 kW/321 bhp 0-60 mph - 5.5 s. Top Speed: 155 mph (electronically limited)

Special Models

There were five special-edition models of the E36 M3 produced: the M3 Euro-Spec (Canadian Edition), M3 CSL (also known as the M3 Lightweight), M3 GT, M3 GT-R, and the M3-R.

M3 Euro-Spec (Canadian Edition)

In 1994 agreements existed between Canada and several countries in Europe which allowed any car federalized in one participating country to legally be sold in any of the others. Though BMW had unveiled the next generation E36 M3 in Europe in 1992, the company felt that the production version would need to be priced much higher for export to North America than the market would allow. While the engineers worked on a less expensive North American version of the E36 M3, BMW Canada seized the window of opportunity: 45 numbered European specification M3 coupes were specially produced and imported into Canada.

Even with a base price of $87,500, all 45 cars were spoken for in just 3 days by wealthy, well connected buyers. Unlike the other special versions of the E36 M3, buyers were free to choose any colors and options they wanted on their cars, limited only by their wallets. The cars all came equipped with the 286 bhp 3.0 L inline 6 cylinder engine, vented brakes with floating rotors, glass headlights and other European standard equipment. They were initially delivered to Toronto, then shipped all across the country to the dealerships where they were ordered.

Canada would not see another E36 M3 for sale until two years later, when BMW finally made the American versions of the 1997 M3 available for sale.

Canadian Government Imposed Changes

Rear fog light delete
Daytime running lights
Third brake light

BMW Individual Program

Unlike cars sold in the United States (with few known exceptions), Canadian buyers had full access to the BMW Individual program, giving them many unique custom paint and interior color combinations and other options for customization of their vehicles.

This program was not available in the United States due to special laws granting buyers the right to cancel specially ordered vehicles without penalty - a situation BMW would not allow.

Number Built

45 Euro-Spec Canadian Edition cars were built, each one having a numbered engraved plaque in both the glovebox and the custom leather case which holds the owners manuals. Only the Australian M3-R was built in lower numbers.

M3 CSL

Beginning with the first E36 M3's delivered to American shores, BMW racers began pressuring BMW North America and BMW AG for a race-ready version with which to compete against Porsche 911 in sports-car racing.

In 1995, BMW relented and began building batches of the M3 CSL at BMW Individual. Upon completion they were sent to Prototype Technology Group (PTG) Racing in Virginia for final preparation, which included the front and rear Motorsport flag decals, and "trunk goodies."

Performance Modifications

3.23 final drive
Adjustable front splitter
Slightly shorter and stiffer springs. Shocks were same as regular E36 M3
Aluminium doors
no Sound insulation
no Radio (though there were still speakers, amp, and connections to plug in the standard E36M3 radio)
no Air conditioning
no Tool kit
no trunk lid liner
basic OBC with fewer features
Very light BMW Motorsport forged double spoke wheel: 7.5" x 17" front and 8.5" x 17" rear, both with 41 mm offset
"Hand-picked" motors (see section below)
There were several boxes of parts left in the trunk of the car. Each had a sticker attached which read, "WARNING. This part is intended for off-road use only. Installation will void your warranty." These parts were:
* A rear truly functional wing with integrated brake light and risers. This wing is often referred to as adjustable, but in order to install or remove the risers, it was necessary to entirely remove the wing. No other part of the wing was adjustable
* A baffled aluminium oil pan with dual pickups. It was discovered that early M3's would become oil-starved in sustained high-G corners. Because replacement of the oil pan was difficult procedure, it is likely that few were installed
* Front strut tower brace
* Cross-brace, or X-brace, for front subframe stiffening at the front underbody of car

Some claim that adjustable camber plates or cross-drilled brake rotors were included with the M3 CSL, however, this is incorrect.

Appearance Modifications

Available only in Alpine White III
Interior color of black with Anthracite Motorsport cloth upholstery on 325is front sport seats and standard rear bench
Carbon fiber ashtrays, door sills, above glove box trim with "BMW Motorsport International" badge, and gear shfiter console area trim
BMW Motorsport flags on front left and right rear corners
"BMW Motorsport International" badges on exterior door trim, interior door sills, and above glove box
Black grill below bumper (other 1995 E36 M3s had body colored grill or slats if luxe-package)
No sunroof
All of the glass was standard E36M3 glass windshield, side, and rear.

CSL vs. Lightweight naming controversy

There is a minor controversy in which some people believe the M3 CSL should not be called an M3 CSL (referring to the famous 3.0 CSL), but rather an M3 Lightweight, as that was the name that BMW advertised the car as.

While it is true that BMW's press referred to the car as the M3 Lightweight, each M3 CSL's build sheet (the instructions from BMW AG to BMW Individual) clearly labelled the car as an M3 CSL, so there can be no doubt that the factory itself thought of the car as a CSL. In addition, the additional manual that came with the "M3 Lightweight" identified it as the CSL.

This controversy can perhaps be attributed to the fact that the English translation of CSL is Coupe Sports Lightweight.

Number built

Although BMW promised to build at least 85 examples, BMW never released the number of M3 CSL's built, and because of the peculiar assembly line, to this day may not know. However, enthusiasts now believe the number of models extant are approximately 120.

The first two cars, which were used as press cars, are not technically M3 CSL's as they were regular production M3's that PTG made similar in appearance to the not-yet-built CSL. After press duties, those two cars were brought back into the PTG stable and successfully campaigned.

Hand-picked engines

BMW and other German car makers test each engine on the assembly line to ensure that they meet the claimed power rating. It is claimed that the most powerful motors of each batch were hand-picked and reserved for the M3 CSL. However, at least one M3 CSL owner disassembled his motor and compared it to a stock U.S. S50 engine and found no differences. Nonetheless, some who drove both stock M3's and M3 CSL's remarked how much more powerful the M3 CSL motor was. ^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]}

Racing history

In an ironic twist, the car that BMW built for Americans to race was hardly raced.

Outside of multiple cars raced in the BMW CCA Club Racing series (an amateur series specific only to BMW models) PTG had between two to four models that they raced in IMSA. It seems that one of those cars was sold to Jeff McMillian, in which he won the SCCA World Challenge series, without winning a single race. One was raced in the SCCA's Touring 1 class by John Browne, and one or two may have been raced in the extinct Motorola Cup.

Most M3 CSL's, it seems, never saw a racetrack.

M3 GT

1995 BMW M3 GT Individual

The M3 GT Coupe was a limited-edition mainland Europe only edition of which 356 were made, 50 further M3 GT Individuals were made in right-hand drive for the UK market.

Famous for being British Racing Green with a Mexico Green interior--a peculiar choice when the traditional German national racing colors were white with red numbers.

Performance Modifications

Final drive ratio was shortened to 3.23 (originally 3.15)
Standard dampers and rear springs with front springs being uprated to cope with the increased downforce potential of the front splitter
Adjustable front splitter and GT Class II rear wing to which riser blocks and twin Gurney flaps can be added
A retuned version of the S50 B30 powerplant with 264-degree cams, a BMW Motorsport dual-pickup oil pan, duocentric oil pumps, fluted inlet trumpet and upgraded engine management software, producing 295 hp at 7,000 rpm and 238 lb/ft of torque at 3,900 rpm
Maximum speed limiter removed allowing 174 mph
Front strut-tower brace
X-brace between chassis monocoque and front suspension subframe
Optional Aluminium doors
Polished, forged, aluminium alloy roadwheels engraved with 'BMW Motorsport'

Appearance Modifications

Exterior paint only in non-metallic British Racing Green
Nappa & Alcantara leather in Mexico Green and Anthracite
3-spoke steering wheel
Amber indicators all round for the GT Coupe, clear front and side indicators for the GT Individual
Carbon fibre interior trim set for the GT Coupe, Birds-eye Maple Graphite, real wood trim set for the GT Individual
BMW Motorsport International plaque on passenger side of dashboard
BMW Motorsport International door emblems on GT Coupe, standard M3 door emblems on GT Individual
M3 boot emblem deleted on GT Coupe but retained on GT Individual
Adjustable front splitter
GT Class II rear spoiler

M3 GT2 / M3 Evo Individual

The M3 Evo Individual was a limited-edition UK market car sometimes referred to as the GT2.

Available in Imola Red with a colour coded Nappa / Alacantara interior.

Performance Modifications

None - As standard UK M3 Evo

Appearance Modifications

Exterior paint only in Imola Red
Nappa & Alcantara leather in red and Anthracite
GT Class II rear spoiler incorporating additional stop light
Motorsport International badging

M3 GTR DTM

Very little is known about this car: it is believed that BMW intended to race the E36 M3 in the DTM racing series. When mid 1990s pre-season testing showed the car to be quicker than existing competition, Mercedes-Benz purportedly influenced the DTM sanctioning body to either slow the M3 GTR or make it illegal for DTM. Wide-body E36 GTR cars were entered in the German ADAC "GT Cup" series.

M3-R

Fifteen M3's were ordered by BMW Australia in 1994 to race in the Australian Super Production series. All were delivered to Frank Gardiner Racing for final preparation.

Performance Modifications

A 324 hp (DIN) at 7,200 rpm and 258 lb/ft of torque at 4,400 rpm version of the S50B30 developed by BMW M GmbH and Schnitzer Motorsport GmbH which had
* modified camshafts
* modified intake and exhaust ports
* a lighter flywheel
* dual-pickup oil sump
Driveshaft from the E31 850Ci
3.23 final drive gearing
AP Racing clutch
Group N springs and dampers
Top speed limiter removed
AP Racing brake calipers with the fronts being four-piston calipers
AP Racing front rotors
Adjustable front splitter and rear wing with Gurney flap (both from the M3 GT)
M cross-spoke alloy wheels, sized 7.5x17-inch (front) and 8.5x17-inch (rear)
no Air conditioning
no Radio
no Central locking
no Check Control system
Non-functional rear seat

Appearance modifications

Exterior color of Alpine White III
Interior of Anthracite M cloth and Amaretta suede
Fog lights delete
Rear "M3" badge delete
Individually-numbered silver plaque under the parking brake handle

Accolades

The E36 M3 is considered one of the better-handling cars of all time, and was in fact named "Best-Handling Car" by Car and Driver in 1997.

E46 M3

2004 BMW M3 in Laguna Seca Blue, North American version

The 2001 E46 M3 appeared worldwide with the new 3.2 L S54B32 engine. At the time of the car's introduction, this engine had the highest specific output naturally aspirated engine ever made by BMW, producing 343 PS (333 SAE net hp (252 kW) in North America) and 365 N•m (262 ft·lbf) of torque. The first batch of E46 M3's delivered were in the striking color of Laguna Seca Blue. The available SMG Drivelogic (also known as SMG II) transmission, a Formula 1-style electrohydraulic manual gearbox with no clutch pedal and steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters, is also a highlight. The model also came with a new 6-speed transmission and red-line RPM's of 7900, a first for any BMW. The engine also consisted of 6 independent throttle bodies and electronically driven throttles (without a cable).

BMW gained fame for the ability to produce more than 100 horsepower per litre (333 bhp/3.2 litre) in a naturally aspirated automobile engine, while Honda had already raised the record to 120 hp /litre in the Honda S2000.

Performance

(3.2l-24v I6) - 343 PS (US model = 333 hp / 252 kW) 0-62 mph - 4.7 s. Top Speed: 155 mph (electronically limited) 195mph (delimited)

M3 GTR V8

An E46 GTR came to life on February 2001, powered by a 4000cm³ V8 producing over 450 bhp. Unlike the straight-six powered M3 versions, which was out paced by the Porsche 996 GT3, the racing version of the E46 M3 GTR V8 was very successful in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), entered by Schnitzer Motorsport. Arch rivals such as Porsche complained as a V8 engine was not available in the road-going BMWs this car was more of a prototype, which is in violation of the spirit of Gran Turismo. In 2001, ALMS regulations stated that cars must be for sale on two continents within twelve months of the rules being issued. In response, BMW put on sale 10 GTRs for 250,000 euros (then $218,000) each, allegedly only available for select customers.

In the end, the rules were rewritten to state that 100 cars and 1000 engines must be built for the car to qualify. Although BMW could have raced the V8 with the new weight and power penalties under these new regulations, they chose to pull out of the ALMS, effectively ending the M3 GTR's career.

Two Schnitzer Motorsport GTR cars saw a comeback in 2003 at the 24 Hours Nürburgring, winning 1-2 in 2004 and 2005, as well as entries in the 24 Hours Spa.

E90/E92 M3

This article or section contains information about a scheduled or anticipated .
It is likely to contain information of a speculative nature, but is usually sourced from the automotive news media, automaker media press releases, or other news sources. The content and specifications for upcoming vehicles may change significantly as the vehicle nears production and more information becomes available. Upcoming automobiles are also subject to delays or even cancellation by the automaker.

BMW was expected to announce an M3 E90 at the 2005 Frankfurt Motor Show (to be released in 2007), but this did not happen. It is rumored that the next-generation M3 will have a 425 hp (315 kW) 4.0 L V8, and there is much speculation as to whether or not it will be marketed in coupé or convertible form as the M4, instead of M3. Some believe the E90 convertible may be a coupé convertible, similar to the Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class; however, such rumors have yet to be substantiated, and the issue will not be definitively settled until BMW officially releases the new 3-Series Cabrio. Speculation and rumor also continues to circulate around the possibility of a sedan version of the M3 becoming available shortly after the release of the coupé. This would mark a milestone in the M3 series and the first appearance of a 4-door M3 since the E36.

External links

[BMW M3 (2001-2006)] Specifications and Road Test
[The BMW M3 2008 Spy Preview]

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.