Munich. 2016 marks the 30th anniversary of a motoring
icon, one which revolutionised the mid-size sports car segment when
its production started in 1986. The very first BMW M3 set a new
standard by which other carmakers would be measured – and, five model
generations later, are still judged today. BMW Motorsport Division,
the precursor to BMW M Division, was incredibly rigorous in its
deployment of undiluted motor racing technology in the development of
the first-generation BMW M3. Its endeavours produced a thoroughbred
high-performance sports car – based on the series-produced BMW
3 Series – that was perfectly suited to daily use. Over the three
decades that have followed, BMW M has gently refined its trailblazing
and highly successful creation from one generation to the next, while
always taking great care to preserve the original character of the M3.
The upshot is that there is arguably still no other car that blends
such prominently honed motor sport genes and uncompromised everyday
practicality into such an emotionally stirring overall package.
The 30th anniversary of the BMW M3 provides an ideal opportunity to
look back at four highly intriguing model variants that, for various
reasons, never made it past the prototype stage. Four surprise guests
will therefore be attending their progenitor’s birthday party: the BMW
M3 Pickup from 1986, the BMW M3 Compact from 1996, the BMW M3 Touring
from 2000 and the second incarnation of the BMW M3 Pickup unveiled in 2011.
Use in touring car racing was the overriding development
objective for the first-generation BMW M3.
The BMW M3 was not an attempt to produce a sporting
flagship for a volume-produced model range; instead it originated from
the idea of developing a racing car for motor sport that would also be
available in a road-going version. The selected category of racing was
Group A production touring cars – as seen in the German Touring Car
Championship (DTM) that had succeeded the German Racing Championship
(DRM). The Group A regulations stated that for a racing car to be
homologated, at least 5,000 road-legal units had to be sold within 12 months.
Having the chance to develop the production and race versions of the
car alongside one another presented the development team with a
tremendous opportunity, which they duly capitalised on. The axle
kinematics, suspension and damping were all perfectly tailored to the
future demands of motor racing, as was the braking system, which
combined the standard ABS with inner-vented brake discs at the front
and an engine-driven high-pressure pump. Details such as the
transmission’s shift pattern with first gear at the bottom left also
gave a clear indication of the vehicle’s singular focus on racing.
On top of this came extensive weight-saving measures. While the body
with broad wheel arches was manufactured from sheet metal in the
traditional manner, the front and rear bumpers along with the side
skirts, boot lid and spoiler were made of plastic, reflecting the
engineers’ commitment to intelligent lightweight construction. The BMW
Motorsport experts tweaked the car’s aerodynamics too, with the
C-pillar of the BMW M3 following a slightly shallower angle than the
standard body and having a broader base. This allowed the airflow to
be directed towards the distinctive rear spoiler more effectively.
Extensive use of high tech in the powertrain, too.
The experts at the Motorsport department used the
two-litre four-cylinder engine fitted in series-production models as
the basis for the M3’s unit, as the low weight of its construction and
its high-revving capabilities meant it had exactly the right
ingredients for a racing engine. To transform the well-mannered
everyday engine into an athletic performer with sports car
credentials, however, they had to subject it to some intensive power therapy.
First, they increased its displacement to 2.3 litres and converted it
to a four-valve arrangement. For this purpose, the team employed a
suitably modified cylinder head taken from the six-cylinder engine
featured in the BMW M1, whose combustion chambers were – conveniently
enough – spaced exactly the same distance apart as the four-cylinder
unit’s. The crank drive on the BMW M3 was designed to be so rigid that
it could handle 10,000 revolutions per minute and more. The standard
production car’s rated engine speed of 6,750 rpm therefore left plenty
of margin for further evolutions of the motor sport off-shoot.
From sporting machine to heavy-duty transporter: the BMW M3
Pickup (1986).
When the first generation of the BMW M3 was brought
out, it wasn’t just customers who were enthralled by its exceptional
dynamic abilities. It also caused quite a stir within the BMW
Motorsport department responsible for its development, who saw it as
the perfect means of transporting work equipment and parts around the
premises of what is now BMW M Division in Garching near Munich. The
only problem was that goods transport didn’t figure very highly on the
list of the first BMW M3’s many talents.
It didn’t take long to remedy the situation, the body of a BMW 3
Series Convertible being transformed into a BMW M3 Pickup. “The
convertible bodyshell was chosen as the basis for two reasons,”
recalls Jakob Polschak, head of vehicle prototype building and
workshops at BMW M Division and an employee at the company for more
than 40 years. “Firstly, we happened to have such a model at our
disposal and in perfect condition. And secondly, the convertible’s
built-in bracing made it the ideal choice for a pickup conversion.”
The first BMW M3 Pickup did not sport the original’s boldly flared
wings, as it was equipped with the narrower body of its regular,
volume-produced sibling. At first it was powered by the engine fitted
in the so-called “Italian M3”, which had a reduced two-litre
displacement due to tax regulations there and an output of 192 hp.
“Later we switched to the original 2.3-litre four-cylinder engine with
200 horsepower,” reveals Polschak. The BMW M3 Pickup went about its
work around the factory premises reliably for over 26 years before
finally being retired four years ago.
The BMW M3 Pickup’s long service life alone is clear evidence that
the one-off versions being presented here are not mere gimmicks or
engineering exercises. On the contrary, they are high-performance cars
that have been optimised to perfectly match their intended task or
field of use. As such, they epitomise the philosophy of BMW M. Plus,
they also fulfilled another important purpose: “Our apprentices,
graduate trainees and placement students assisted in the construction
of all of these prototypes,” explains Polschak. “This allowed them to
gain invaluable hands-on experience at the same time as freeing up
resources for us – a classic win-win situation.”
A starter model for young target groups: the BMW M3 Compact (1996).
The same was also true of the 1996 BMW M3 Compact,
of course. The idea behind this model was to present younger
customers, in particular, with an entry point into the world of BMW M
cars. “To a certain extent, the M3 Compact can be regarded as the
forefather of today’s BMW M2,” remarks the BMW M workshop chief with a
twinkle in the eye, and it’s easy to see why he draws the comparison.
If it had gone into production, the M3 engine’s power would in all
likelihood have been lowered somewhat. In the prototype, however, it
was allowed to unleash its full 321 hp, which made easy work of
propelling a lightweight car (it tipped the scales at just 1.3
tonnes). “It is 150 kilograms lighter, more agile, firmer and even
more uncompromising,” enthused German motoring magazine “auto motor
und sport” (issue no. 13/1996) after testing it.
A feasibility study under real-world conditions: the BMW M3
Touring (2000).
The BMW M3 Touring prototype likewise materialised
because a production model was under consideration. The M3 Compact was
made available to journalists for testing in order to both project an
image and sound out customer interest. But the M3 Touring served
entirely in-house purposes. “This prototype allowed us to show that,
from a purely technical standpoint at least, it was possible to
integrate an M3 Touring into the ongoing production of the standard
BMW 3 Series Touring with very little difficulty,” explains Jakob
Polschak. “One important thing we needed to demonstrate was that the
rear doors of the standard production model could be reworked to adapt
them to the rear wheel arches without the need for new and expensive
tools.” Once it had passed through the assembly line, the M3 Touring
required only minimal manual follow-up work to fit the M-specific
add-on parts and interior details, for example.
History repeats itself: the BMW M3 Pickup (2011).
Once the first-generation BMW M3 Pickup described
above eventually started to show the first serious signs of wear after
around a quarter of a century of service, it was time for a successor.
As with the original, those responsible for its creation again opted
for a convertible body due to the existing strengthening elements.
“The conversion work had initially proceeded in the usual, largely
unspectacular manner during the spring of 2011. But then someone came
up with the idea of marketing the vehicle as an April Fools’ joke, as
April 1 was just around the corner,” recounts Polschak. To prime the
public, spy shots of calibration runs on the Nürburgring’s
Nordschleife circuit emerged in the run-up to the day, which served to
fuel speculation about plans to build a production model.
And it worked. Reports from the time show that a good many
journalists and bloggers took the bait and believed the rumours. Even
the official press release published on 1 April 2011 did not
immediately set matters straight, first presenting the BMW M3 Pickup
as the “fourth body variant” following the Sedan, Coupe and
Convertible, before going on to say: “309 kW/420 hp under the bonnet
and a payload capacity of 450 kilograms over the rear axle take the
BMW M models’ hallmark blend of racing-style driving pleasure and
everyday practicality to a whole new level.” It also pointed out that
the Cd was only marginally higher than that of the BMW M3 Coupe, the
car was 50 kilograms lighter than the Convertible and the 20-kilogram
targa roof could be removed to further lower the centre of gravity and
therefore deliver even sharper handling dynamics.
It wasn’t until the final paragraph that the press release discreetly
revealed the model in question was actually a one-off built for use as
a workshop transport vehicle. Unlike its predecessor, however, it had
also been licensed for road use.
The BMW M3: a sporting icon and dynamic benchmark for five
generations.
30 years ago almost to the
day production began of the first series-produced BMW M3s. This
represented the opening chapter in a story of success which has no
equal in the automotive world. The 2.3-litre four-cylinder unit with
four-valve technology produced 147 kW/200 hp and accelerated the M3,
which weighed just 1,200 kilograms, from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in
just 6.7 seconds. Top speed was 235 km/h (146 mph). In 1988 the Evo
version was unveiled, with power increased once again to 220 hp and
its top speed to 243 km/h (151 mph). And this was followed in 1990 by
the final development stage of the first-generation M3: the BMW M3
Sport Evolution with 238 hp 2.5-litre engine, produced in a limited
run of 600 examples.
The second generation of the BMW M3 – not developed specifically for
use in motor sport this time – was a much more understated affair.
Unveiled in 1992, its six-cylinder engine developed 210 kW/286 hp from
three-litre displacement and peak torque of 320 Newton metres (236
lb-ft). It also featured the innovative new camshaft control system
VANOS. The new model set two world records – for the highest output
per litre (97 hp/l) and the highest specific torque (108 Nm (80
lb-ft)/l) produced by a volume-produced naturally-aspirated engine.
An extensive facelift in 1995 saw the displacement of the
six-cylinder in-line engine increased from 2,990 to 3,201cc, with
output rising to 236 kW/321 hp. Added to which, the new engine also
employed Double-VANOS, which brings fully variable camshaft control on
both the intake and exhaust sides. In summer 1996 the BMW M3 became
the first series-produced car to be offered with the option of an SMG
automated manual gearbox.
Featuring an aluminium bonnet with powerdome, prominently flared
wheel arches, an aerodynamically optimised boot lid with rear spoiler
lip and four tailpipes exiting the dual-flow exhaust system, the
third-generation BMW M3 unveiled in 2000 cut an extremely eye-catching
figure once more. Power again came courtesy of a naturally-aspirated
six-cylinder in-line engine. The completely newly developed unit
developed output of 252 kW/343 hp from its 3,246 cc and peak torque of
365 Newton metres (269 lb-ft).
Instead of being equipped with a straight-six engine, like the two
previous generations of the car, the fourth incarnation of the BMW M3
presented in 2007 was powered by a high-revving, naturally-aspirated
V8 developing 309 kW/420 hp. Among the extensive intelligent
lightweight design measures employed were the carbon fibre-reinforced
plastic (CFRP) roof fitted as standard and a front axle made almost
entirely from aluminium.
The current (fifth) generation of the BMW M3 was introduced in spring
2014. In keeping with the change in nomenclature for BMW’s
series-produced models, only the four-door sedan is badged “M3”, while
the coupe and the convertible variants were given the model
designation M4. In all three body variants, a free-revving
straight-six engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology and
317 kW/431 hp provides the power. Rigorously applied intelligent
lightweight design elements include the extensive use of lightweight
materials such as CFRP and aluminium for many chassis and body
components. All of which has shaved around 80 kilograms off the weight
of its predecessor.
This summer, BMW M Division released an exclusive special-edition
model – limited to 500 units worldwide – as a special tribute to the
successful 30-year history of the BMW M3. With its Macao Blue metallic
exterior paint finish, the BMW M3 “30 Jahre M3” harks back to the
first generation of car, for which this colour shade was first
offered. The Competition Package, which is included as standard and
comprises extensive powertrain and suspension modifications, pushes
the engine output of the anniversary model up by 14 kW/19 hp to 331
kW/450 hp.