How many times have you wished you had a time machine? How many times have you actually wanted to travel back in time to fix something that didn’t really go your way? Furthermore, how many times have you dreamed about driving a brand new E30 M3 as if it just left the factory? I know I have and the guys from Carfection actually went ahead and drove one. It’s not brand new but not far off either and it’s a special model, the Sport Evo.
The guys set off to drive five iconic BMW M3 models made over the years and, of course, they had to start with the car that created the M3 badge in the first place: the E30. What they drove though is considered by many the best version of the E30 M3 ever made otherwise also known as the Sport Evolution model. The original M3 was created as a homologation vehicle which means it was developed to race first and then adapted for road use.
That’s why the original M3 used a 4-cylinder engine that was basically derived from the iconic M88 straight six. The head engineer at that time, a certain Mr. Paul Rosche decided it would be better to go with a four-pot banger rather than a straight six not only to save weight but also because it would rev higher, an aspect very important for the main purpose of this car: racing. Also, in case you didn’t know, the S14 name came from the fact that it apparently only took 14 days to create this mill, which is quite amazing.
As for the Sport Evo model, it was differentiated from the standard M3 by a number of small tweaks. From larger fenders to accommodate 18″ wheels, to adjustable aerodynamics, a different grille and a slightly larger engine with a different crankshaft. Other changes were done to the engine to get it up to 238 HP in the production model which was a small but noticeable increase. But what is it like to drive? I’ll let them explain it, in the video below.
