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BMW E30 M3 vs Audi V8 vs MB 190 E. The DTM Heroes

Today the DTM Championship is still disputed between the 3 major German manufacturers and things are, as always, pretty tight. However, back in the 1990s things were even more exciting, making those years the 'Golden Era' of DTM.
BMW E30 M3 Audi V8 and Mercedes Benz 190 E 13 photos
Photo: Motor-Klassik.de
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Most of the credit must go to the unbelievable cars that were competing, the Audi V8, Mercedes-Benz 190 E 2.5-16 Evolution II and the BMW E30 M3. Every time these 3 would meet on the black tarmac of the DTM circuits, sparks would fly.

The Mercedes was a beast, and a proper competitor for the incredible E30 M3. It had an AMG PowerPack fitted to the 2.5-liter engine with a full SLS suspension and a completely new body kit designed by Richard Eppler (a professor at the university of Stuttgart). The engine delivered 235 HP at 7,200 RPM and would go up to 7,700 RPM, while the torque levels registered at 181 lb-ft (245 Nm) at 5,000 RPM.

The Audi was another incredible car for its time. The 3.6-liter V8 delivered 250 HP at 5,800  RPM and 251 lb-ft (340 Nm) of torque starting with 4,000 RPM. It was the first car to enter the DTM Championship with a four-wheel-drive system, the famous "quattro". The number of groundbreaking technology that was fitted on this engine is too long to write it down here, but it was the pinnacle of the early 90s.

We saved the best for last, the E30 M3 and not just any M3 the Sport Evolution model, that was used in the DTM. It had a naturally aspirated S14 2.5-liter engine that produced 238 HP at 7,000 RPM and 240 Nm (177 lb-ft) of torque starting at  4,750 RPM.

The visual differences of the DTM version were small since the M3 was already designed by BMW's Motorsport division. When looking back at this amazing machine, it's no wonder that it was declared the most successful touring sports car in the world. It was simply breathtaking, especially on the circuit.
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