BMW M3 2007-2013
It ha s one of the greatest naturally a spirated engines ever made – and the cha ssis to exploit it. Today this could all be yours from just £ 15k by Peter Tomalin
WHEN THE E92 M3 WAS LAUNCHED
in the autumn of 2007, BMW’S baby M-car had made quite a journey in the 21 years since the original E30. From a delicate 2.3-litre four-cylinder 200bhp road-racer, it had evolved into a 4-litre eight-cylinder 414bhp monster. What we didn’t realise at the time was that it would also be the last naturally aspirated M3.
And what an engine. Unique to the M3 and drawing on BMW’S F1 experience (the block came straight from its F1 foundry at Landshut), it had individual throttle butterflies for each cylinder, double-vanos valve timing, a pair of oil pumps for the twin sumps, and incredibly low masses that allowed it to rev to a searing 8400rpm. We’ll probably never see its like again.
There was a choice of a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (an extra £2500), while all cars got an M Differential and driverprogrammable modes for throttle response, stability control, steering weight and suspension stiffness (EDC, or Electronic Damper Control, was a £1295 option, later standard).
The two-door coupe (E92 in BMWspeak) came first, with a basic price of £50,625, though few were sold like that. It was subtle, almost understated in appearance, especially on the standard 18-inch alloys (most had the optional 19s), though there were enough visual clues – the unpainted carbonfibre roof, the four tailpipes, the ‘powerdome’ in the bonnet – to signal its M-division origins.
The saloon (the E90) followed in 2008. Though it did without the carbon roof, it was only marginally heavier and every bit as good to drive – in fact we rated it even more highly than the coupe.
There were a number of variations. The M3 Edition, launched in 2009, was largely a cosmetic exercise but did include a 10mm drop in ride height, which gave the chassis even more poise. The Competition Package, released in 2010, had the lowered springs but also revised stability control, a new Sport setting and revised damper rates within the now-standard EDC, plus 19-inch Csl-style alloys.
The ultimate was the stripped-out, roll-caged 444bhp GTS version of the coupe and its CRT (for Carbon Racing Technology) saloon sibling, but they were rare and fantastically expensive – and still are. It’s the regular coupe and saloon we’re focusing on here.