Back in the ‘golden days’ of the DTM, there were three cars racing against each other, one being the most successful model ever to run in the German competition. This is the BMW E30 M3, a car that is now regarded as the forefather of all M3s and a timeless classic. Looking at it you’d definitely be able to see why that’s the case as its design withstands the test of time but prices for a mint model have made it a ultra-rare occurrence on public roads.
The guys from CarWow have gotten their hands on one of these and it’s a pristine model. It’s also a special edition, being a “Ravaglia” E30 M3 which doesn’t mean it has incredible specs. Instead, this was a limited-run edition sold by BMW to celebrate the Italian pilot. It is the rarest version of the M3 ever made, with only 25 units being built and all of them dedicated to the UK market. In terms of performance, the specs remain the same but the Ravaglia models set themselves apart through some small design details such as the exterior paint or some very interesting add-ons inside and out.
On this day though, the E30 M3 will take on a rather unfair rival: the Audi RS2. The RS2 actually came out after the M3 and it would’ve been a more suitable rival for the E36 M3. It was Audi’s response to the Mercedes-Benz 190E AMG and the E30 M3 and it came with a turbocharged 2.2-liter 5-cylinder engine, something of a rarity back then. It was developed in collaboration with Porsche which is why the wheels and brake calipers wear the Stuttgart-based company’s logos.
Needless to say that due to its turbocharged nature, the RS2’s specs trump over those of the M3. The 2.2-liter mill of the Audi delivers 315 HP and 410 Nm of torque while the 2.3-liter naturally aspirated S14 4-cylinder mill of the BMW has 215 HP to rely on. Any sort of straight line race would come to the same conclusion but what about going round a track? Could the 400-kilos lighter M3 prove better?
Let’s find out.
