Photo: r3vlimited.com
Probably the most acclaimed BMW ever made, the E30 M3 has a huge following these days, more than a quarter of a century after its introduction. However, the original M3 was only built in Coupe and Convertible guise, other body types being left out altogether.
That’s a shame for a lot of people that fell in love with the chassis of this car. Considering it only used a 2.3-liter inline 4-cylinder atmospheric engine, the power it delivered wasn’t the main attraction for the M3 as it later became a tradition. Oh no, back then, it was the balance of the chassis that made things interesting.
Therefore, those that didn’t like the prospect of having just two doors on their cars had to either look the other way or do something about it. That’s how legends of four-door E30 M3s started showing up.
Some say that the first four-door M3 was made by the automotive gods in their basement and it was only available for their children to play with, when they weren’t home. Another legend says that it was so good, Odin himself has the only one left in the world and he uses it only to track down Thor from time to time.
All we know is that it was never officially built by BMW and that whatever four-door E30 M3 you might see on the street was definitely converted by some sort of enthusiast.
That being said, we managed to find some pics on various forums of people that actually had the audacity of building one of these. We found a BMW E30 M3 Sedan but also a Touring version, both of them absolutely enticing to look at. Since the Germans are still selling spare parts for the E30, building one of these could be possible, I guess, but it would take a lot of hard work, especially if you want the S14 engine under the bonnet.
All I know right now is that, as a general fan of sedans, the E30 M3 in this guise looks absolutely amazing and could’ve been a big seller back then. However, BMW decided to offer an M3 in this body type only several years later when it launched the E36 M3 and, at the time, it looked like a bad decision. Living proof is the E46 M3 that was offered only in Coupe guise later on.
Therefore, those that didn’t like the prospect of having just two doors on their cars had to either look the other way or do something about it. That’s how legends of four-door E30 M3s started showing up.
Some say that the first four-door M3 was made by the automotive gods in their basement and it was only available for their children to play with, when they weren’t home. Another legend says that it was so good, Odin himself has the only one left in the world and he uses it only to track down Thor from time to time.
All we know is that it was never officially built by BMW and that whatever four-door E30 M3 you might see on the street was definitely converted by some sort of enthusiast.
That being said, we managed to find some pics on various forums of people that actually had the audacity of building one of these. We found a BMW E30 M3 Sedan but also a Touring version, both of them absolutely enticing to look at. Since the Germans are still selling spare parts for the E30, building one of these could be possible, I guess, but it would take a lot of hard work, especially if you want the S14 engine under the bonnet.
All I know right now is that, as a general fan of sedans, the E30 M3 in this guise looks absolutely amazing and could’ve been a big seller back then. However, BMW decided to offer an M3 in this body type only several years later when it launched the E36 M3 and, at the time, it looked like a bad decision. Living proof is the E46 M3 that was offered only in Coupe guise later on.
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