History of the M3

[komodo]

(yes this will be moved to the m3 forum soon, but right now i want a higher exposure, haha)

All right, I want to start putting together informational articles about every aspect of bmws and cars. Again, this site is going to be more than just a forum, it'll be a community for sharing information in addition to uniting bmw enthusiasts. We've pretty much decided on the homepage we want to start adding high-quality articles to build up this knowledge base, and eventually get to a point where other sites link to us for references. From general information to DIYs, we need to start building out the html content part of this site now, adding more "beef" to it. haha

Let's begin with a comprehensive article of the history and evolution of the M3. Please submit parts of the article and help me connect everything into one comprehensive, cronological write-up. Thanks.

First let me throw out some simple facts and bullet points to kick it off:

-4 body styles of the m3, 3 are in production. the e30 from 1986-1993. the e36 from 1994 to 2001, and the e46 from 2002 to 2005. the e90 is the new body style for it. (i'm not sure about all those years, i think i'm off on some of them)
-there were 13 different versions of the e30 m3 produced
-e36 m3 was first introduced in 1992 at the Paris Auto Show, displaying an i6 with 286hp.
-e36 m3 started in 1995 with the s50 us b30 engine
-e46 m3 has 333hp and 215lbs of torque
-m3 csl stands for M3 Clubsport Lightweight
-in 1995 the european e36 m3 recieved a facelift, adding the new s52 engine outputting 321hp, controlled by a 6 speed transmission.
-e36 m3 0-60 is 5.9 seconds. 1/4 mile is 14.3 seconds at 98 mph
-e30 m3 was made to compete against the mercedes 190 class
-e30 m3 is 2.3 liter i4 pushing 195hp
-e30 m3 convertible was made from 1988 to 1991 in limited quantity - only 786 were produced
-e30 m3 does 0-60 in 5.5 seconds

Let's try to focus more on the history of it than the numbers, however when I construct the html page, i'll try to add a few tables for specs of each model.

Thanks.

[xsperf]

well heres the correction for the years:

1983(not sure about, sounds right) to 1991(u put 1993) and then the e36 starts from 92-99(they actually made the first e36 m3 in 95) and when it says that the e36 m3 can do 0-60 in 5.9, is that the US one or the eurospec m3?

[witeshark]

M3 history! Outstanding

[komodo]

yeah, i'm only refering to the m3 when i say 95, not e36's in general. and i'm not sure about the 0-60, i need to chech.

i remember hearing something about them skipping a year or two of production between e36 and e46. anyone know anything about that?

[xsperf]

whiteshark, you seem to really like to use smileys and exclamation points.. lol it doesnt bother me i just notice that u frequently use them.. and sorry for hijacking the thread, back to the point.. and bump for my question

[Torque]

E30 M3 never did 0-60 that fast ! Not even the E36 did.

E30 M3 did it in sub-7 seconds.

[Spieluhr]

good collection. And I agree it is a really good idea tos start making more reference sections on the sight.

[witeshark]

A look at E30 M3 performance

[komodo]

I really want to get this knowledge base going.... anyone with some free time want to start typing up some articles on the M3? You'll obviously get full credit for anything you type up.

[Ant118]

Originally Posted by xsperf

well heres the correction for the years:

1983(not sure about, sounds right) to 1991(u put 1993) and then the e36 starts from 92-99(they actually made the first e36 m3 in 95) and when it says that the e36 m3 can do 0-60 in 5.9, is that the US one or the eurospec m3?

They made the E36 M3 in 1994, they brought only a few Euro ones to Canada (well sneaked in) but i think they go to 93-99. and the 1990 and 1991's where Evo3's with 2.5L with 250hp and weighed next to nothing they only did 0-60 in 6.9 seconds, well my car now is a 2.5L and pushing 310hp and i think it was the REAL M3