On this episode of Ignition
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MotorTranscript
00:00 This Lime Rock Edition M3 is a very special car, not just because of its paint job, which
00:05 is quite orange, or because of its performance, which is quite good.
00:12 It's a special car because of where it sits and where it will sit in history.
00:17 This car represents over 40 years of the M division, nearly 30 years of the M3.
00:24 And rumor has it, this will be the last naturally aspirated M3 that the M division produces.
00:33 So we thought it fitting to celebrate this car, but in order to do that, we have to know
00:37 the cars that led up to it.
00:39 So we've gathered an E46 M3.
00:42 We have the exceedingly rare and ultra cool E36 M3 lightweight.
00:49 And last but certainly not least, we have an E30 M3.
00:56 The car that started it all.
00:59 This week on Ignition, we're driving all of them.
01:01 [MUSIC PLAYING]
01:30 This is where the M3 story starts, with the E30.
01:34 And as far as beginning stories go, this is one of the best.
01:43 It's incredible to think that a car like this was even built.
01:46 It couldn't happen today.
01:47 You couldn't just say, we want to go racing.
01:49 Let's build a couple thousand of these things and see if they sell.
01:53 Thankfully, it did sell, because it created a brand and a series of cars that are, frankly,
02:02 incredible.
02:04 What is it that caught on with the E30?
02:07 It's a number of things.
02:08 We'll start with the engine.
02:10 It's just over 2 liters.
02:12 It doesn't make a lot of horsepower or torque.
02:14 We're talking about 193, 195 horsepower or so, and only 170 pound feet of torque.
02:21 But it's not the specific output of the engine.
02:23 It's the character of the power band and how that power comes in.
02:30 The engine wants to rev.
02:31 It wants to go to red line and sing.
02:36 It makes a really nice sound when you do that.
02:39 And the way the power swells when you get in the power band, especially when you're
02:43 coming out of a corner, it's really rewarding.
02:49 This car is light and nimble and can basically take whatever you can throw at it with the
02:54 throttle.
02:55 It remains balanced and composed and really fun to drive because of it.
03:00 That's the crucial thing, I think, with the M3, is its balance and its ease of access.
03:07 It's a car you can really lean on and push, and the way the whole chassis and car responds
03:13 is just really invigorating.
03:16 The steering has a lot of turns lock to lock, so you kind of have to throw it way over to
03:20 the side to get into a corner properly.
03:23 But it firms up very nicely when you get to the limits of adhesion.
03:28 In fact, the whole car sort of swells up right when you get to the limits of the front axle.
03:33 It feels really nice and communicative.
03:35 E30 M3s these days have such a high asking price.
03:45 And if you want to buy a piece of automotive history, a piece of automotive culture, something
03:52 that has some charisma to it, you might consider buying one.
03:57 But as far as pure driving thrill goes, it's really good.
04:02 But I'm not sure it's worth the amount of money that these things cost these days.
04:07 We'll find out which one is.
04:14 With the E36 M3 came massive growth within the M division.
04:18 Recognizing potential sales, BMW capitalized, and the car reflected it.
04:23 It shared body panels with the standard 3 Series.
04:26 It wasn't so overt.
04:28 Only the details were different.
04:30 It was heavier than the E30, but it was also faster and more capable.
04:34 This is the lightweight, the original CSL.
04:37 There's only 125 of these in the US.
04:40 They're a little bit over 200 pounds lighter because they don't have radios.
04:44 They don't have air conditioning.
04:45 They don't have leather seats.
04:46 They don't have sound deadening.
04:47 None of that silliness.
04:48 They have aluminum body panels instead.
04:50 They have a massive rear wing.
04:54 And they're pretty cool, if you can find one.
04:56 Now, as for the way it drives, again, we have very nice balance over the car.
05:07 It feels like I can never ask for too much.
05:10 I can always push it as hard as I'm comfortable with.
05:14 And knowing how rare it is, let's be honest, I'm not that comfortable pushing it.
05:17 Still, it welcomes a bit of aggression.
05:22 It likes it's OK being thrown around.
05:25 You can short shift it, and it's still OK.
05:31 It doesn't lust for the high RPM stuff, although that's fun, too, because the engine
05:36 gets that nice metallic rasp.
05:39 In fact, that sound seems to be a trademark of the M3.
05:43 And in fact, the more I drive these cars, the more I'm noticing the commonalities between
05:48 these cars.
05:49 One is, of course, the incredible chassis balance.
05:52 One is the engine sound.
05:55 And one is the sense of control you have over the car.
06:04 Of course, Europe got a more powerful version of the straight-six because they had a more
06:09 advanced head.
06:10 They had variable valve timing.
06:12 They had individual throttle bodies.
06:14 The US didn't get that because it would cost too much.
06:17 We almost didn't get the M3.
06:20 It took a letter-writing campaign by the BMW Car Club of America, a big reaction from enthusiasts
06:25 who basically pleaded to get this car.
06:28 And that's why we have it.
06:29 We can be thankful to them.
06:30 I want to talk about the balance, though, of this and the E30.
06:36 They're modestly-powered cars.
06:38 They don't kill themselves with horsepower, but they have very nicely-controlled chassis.
06:44 That's a crucial thing with these cars.
06:47 Now, the saying goes, you want an engine that isn't as fast as a chassis.
06:52 You always want a little bit more capability in a chassis because that means you can slow
06:55 down the car.
06:56 You can slow down the car, but you can also slow down the engine.
07:00 You can slow down the engine, but you can also slow down the car.
07:03 You can slow down the car, but you can also slow down the engine.
07:06 You can slow down the car, but you can also slow down the engine.
07:09 You can slow down the car, but you can also slow down the engine.
07:12 You can slow down the car, but you can also slow down the engine.
07:15 You can slow down the car, but you can also slow down the engine.
07:18 You can slow down the car, but you can also slow down the engine.
07:21 You can slow down the car, but you can also slow down the engine.
07:24 Along with substantial performance improvements that arrived with the E46 M3, BMW also made
07:30 a concentrated effort to differentiate this car from the standard 3 Series.
07:34 It shared fewer mechanical components, and it wore different body panels, including a
07:39 domed hood and fender flares, which accommodated the wide track and equally wide 18-inch wheels.
07:45 [CAR ENGINE]
07:50 With the E46, we have the transition from a very light, controllable sports coupe to
07:58 a very serious, big, German sports coupe.
08:04 This car feels a lot bigger than the E36 and the E30.
08:07 It feels heavier, but it has one monster of an engine, too.
08:14 Now it makes 333 horsepower.
08:18 It also has this nasty little mid-range at about 5,000 RPM.
08:23 If you have any steering in, and you're in second gear, and you go flat, be prepared
08:28 to put some counter-steer in, because that rear end loosens up really quickly.
08:32 [MUSIC]
08:37 Now, that's what happens when you add more power.
08:39 [MUSIC]
08:43 The thing I love, though, about this engine is that sound, that metallic, raspy sound.
08:48 [CAR ENGINE]
08:53 It sounds so sweet, doesn't it?
08:55 [CAR ENGINE]
08:59 Now, why we're talking so much about the engine is because it seems to me that this
09:03 is when the dials switch from chassis to engine.
09:06 [CAR ENGINE]
09:17 Not to say that this isn't a great chassis.
09:19 It is fabulous.
09:20 It's so much fun to drive.
09:21 But now we have equal, or maybe a little bit more, engine in there.
09:26 [CAR ENGINE]
09:28 So now you have to be a lot more cautious on throttle.
09:30 [CAR ENGINE]
09:35 Now, what does this retain from the E36 and the E30?
09:40 It still has that really easy sense of control.
09:43 It still drives like a smallish car, although it's not.
09:49 It still has that metallic, raspy racing engine note.
09:54 It still is just an absolute sweetheart to drive.
09:57 [CAR ENGINE]
09:59 Between this and the E36, it feels like there's a massive leap in performance,
10:04 in capabilities.
10:05 [CAR ENGINE]
10:09 This car feels so much sharper, so much more responsive, so much faster in every
10:15 way.
10:16 [CAR ENGINE]
10:20 The thing is, this doesn't feel like a direct replacement for the E36,
10:23 though it is.
10:24 This feels more like the predecessor to the E92.
10:29 [CAR ENGINE]
10:37 With the E92, BMW seemed to have improved on everything that made the E46 so
10:42 great.
10:43 It was larger, but not that much heavier.
10:46 Its V8, for example, weighed less than the straight six it replaced.
10:50 But it combined its newfound power and usability so deftly that we even called
10:55 it one of the best all-around cars in the world.
10:58 [CAR ENGINE]
11:01 Now, hopping in the E92, the most impressive thing, most immediate thing,
11:06 is the engine.
11:08 [CAR ENGINE]
11:22 It comes on so quick.
11:25 The torque delivery is so insane.
11:28 Of course, this engine likes higher revs.
11:31 It likes being high in the power band.
11:33 But as soon as you get on the power, it's just a powerhouse.
11:40 It is absolutely incredible.
11:42 The way it sounds, the way it delivers power, it feels like a race engine.
11:50 And it sounds absolutely incredible, too.
11:54 [CAR ENGINE]
11:59 It is just a monster of an engine.
12:02 How can you not like a 4-liter V8 that redlines at nearly 9,000 RPM
12:09 and sounds like the way this thing does?
12:11 [CAR ENGINE]
12:14 It's a beautiful, beautiful thing.
12:17 [CAR ENGINE]
12:37 [LAUGHTER]
12:39 It's addicting, addicting, addicting.
12:42 The thing is, when we edit all this footage together,
12:44 you're going to look at this thing and think it's a drift car,
12:47 because all we're doing is power slides.
12:50 What that means is that this car is flexible.
12:54 It's easy to drive in whatever situation you want to be in.
12:58 If you want it to be a drift car, you can do that.
13:05 If you want to be responsible and smooth, you can do that, too.
13:09 Although, let's face it, it's nowhere near as fun as doing burnouts.
13:17 One of the biggest complaints lobbed at the M3,
13:20 or continually lobbed at the M3, is that the power level keeps increasing.
13:26 Weight keeps increasing.
13:31 When is it going to stop? Is it ruining the car?
13:38 This isn't the E30. It's not that kind of car anymore.
13:41 It's evolved into something different, something incredibly more capable,
13:46 and I think just as satisfying to drive.
13:50 [CAR ENGINE]
13:59 Drive these four magnificent cars back to back,
14:02 and through the tire smoke, you catch glimpses of the commonalities
14:05 that make them so desirable.
14:07 It isn't the number of cylinders or the horsepower,
14:10 as those have changed greatly, but it's the character of the engine,
14:13 how it sounds and feels as near redline.
14:16 It's not the amount of grip, but the control and precision,
14:19 and how the chassis describes the road to you.
14:22 These driving characteristics have made each of these cars
14:25 a benchmark of their time,
14:27 and some of the most enjoyable four-wheeled machines on the road today.
14:31 [MUSIC]
14:41 [CAR ENGINE]
14:51 [CAR ENGINE]
15:01 [CAR ENGINE]
15:11 [MUSIC]
15:21 [MUSIC]
15:41 That's a dead tire.
15:45 You might say it's dead tired.
15:47 Huh? Huh?