Photo: Silverstone auctions
As far as iconic M3 models go, nothing can compare to the original, the E30 version that started the madness. Back in the 1980s BMW needed a car to be homologated for racing in Touring championships and they had to sell at least 500 of them to the public in order to be taken into consideration.
The Motorsport division got involved and they came up with the M3 that proved to be more than an attempt at entering Group A classes, becoming a phenomenon over the years. Sell 500 units? That numbers was quickly blown away, the E30 chassis showing its perfect balance as soon as it was driven off the lot.
Needless to say that every driver wanted one and then special editions came out. As championship titles kept pouring in, the names of the drivers that achieved the performances were used to nominate special versions. Johnny Cecotto and Roberto Ravaglia are prime examples.
However, the closest you could get to a proper racing car in the 1980s was the Evo II model. It came with a 2.3-liter inline 4-cylinder engine making more power than the stock version which had plenty of grunt already for a total weight of just over 1 ton.
It developed 220 HP, 25 more than the S14 plant used to make normally. That was all due to a new camshaft, new pistons and a bigger intake.
Only around 500 of them were ever made and one will be up for grabs at the Silverstone Auction set for February 21st. This is chassis number 2191493 and it’s expected to grab between GBP38,000 and GBP42,000 (€50,000 to €56,000 at the current exchange rates).
According to the company, it has had only 3 owners so far and the chassis has 147,000 km (91,000 miles) on it right now. The body was resprayed in its original Nogaro Silver color in 2012 and seems to be in good shape.
The collector value of such cars is currently on the rise but considering the mileage this particular M3 has, it’s hard to justify the price tag asked. We’re more than curious to see what it gets on the auction block.
Needless to say that every driver wanted one and then special editions came out. As championship titles kept pouring in, the names of the drivers that achieved the performances were used to nominate special versions. Johnny Cecotto and Roberto Ravaglia are prime examples.
However, the closest you could get to a proper racing car in the 1980s was the Evo II model. It came with a 2.3-liter inline 4-cylinder engine making more power than the stock version which had plenty of grunt already for a total weight of just over 1 ton.
It developed 220 HP, 25 more than the S14 plant used to make normally. That was all due to a new camshaft, new pistons and a bigger intake.
Only around 500 of them were ever made and one will be up for grabs at the Silverstone Auction set for February 21st. This is chassis number 2191493 and it’s expected to grab between GBP38,000 and GBP42,000 (€50,000 to €56,000 at the current exchange rates).
According to the company, it has had only 3 owners so far and the chassis has 147,000 km (91,000 miles) on it right now. The body was resprayed in its original Nogaro Silver color in 2012 and seems to be in good shape.
The collector value of such cars is currently on the rise but considering the mileage this particular M3 has, it’s hard to justify the price tag asked. We’re more than curious to see what it gets on the auction block.
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