BMW E30 M3 restoration rebuild—episode 3, focusing on detailed assembly and progress toward returning this classic car to its ...

Complete BMW E30 M3 restoration project from S1E4 to S14, featuring a detailed engine rebuild and full respray to restore ...

The M3 story begins in 1972, when BMW’s motorsport division, ingeniously called M, came to life. At first, they only worked on the racecars, not venturing on to the roadgoing models.

The BMW E30 M3 is one of the most desirable products that the automakers has ever released. Despite soaring values, one owner felt it appriopriate to shove a Honda K24 engine into his Group A classic.

The first-ever M3 is a fast-appreciating collector car, after all, with factory examples with low mileage demanding over six figures. But just a few years ago, these cars weren't worth as much.

As quick as those times were, however, the E30 M3 still didn't make it as one of the Car & Driver's fastest cars of the 1980s. Fortunately, BMW made the E30 M3 for those who loved to drive.

In 1988, the BMW M division unveiled the M3 Sport Evolution. It came with a revised 2.5-liter version of the original inline-four with 238 horsepower, making it the most potent E30 M3.