Description
We’d like to introduce you to an exceptional Sport Evolution M3, in concours condition. For more photos please visit our website.
The E30 M3 is one of the most iconic cars to come out of the 80s – a decade that saw a lot of fantastic machines. Most of these were produced for homologation purposes – to enable manufacturers to race them, a certain number of road-going examples had to be produced. The E30 M3 was exactly that – a homologation special produced so that BMW could race it on track (mainly the DTM series), and it went on to be one of the most successful race cars in history. It was also a runaway success with the car buying public, and BMW ended up producing over 17, 000 M3s in various incarnations during the production run.
In fact, each time BMW modified their race car for the season, they had to produce a specific number of road-going cars to match, and the production cars that followed carried the modifications with them – there was the original version, an Evolution I, an Evolution II and finally, the Evolution III, or Sport Evolution. The big difference in production terms was that no standard production car followed the Sport Evo as it had done with previous evolutions. It was effectively a very special edition car, with only 600 units made during the run from December 1989 to March 1990, during which time ‘standard’ E30 M3s continued to come off the production line in 215bhp guise (until production ceased in December 1990).
The Sport Evo wasn’t just special because of the numbers. Five years of intense competitive racing went into the R+D of this, the ultimate racer of its time, making the Sport Evo the very best E30 M3 BMW could make. They may only have had an inkling then of just how iconic this car would become.
Under the bonnet, things were very different. Visually, the changes were subtle – red plug caps, leads and throttle grommet hinted that things were not the same, but the engine had undergone some serious sharpening. The cylinder bore was increased to 95mm (from 84mm) and a long-stroke crank was added to boost displacement to 2, 467cc (from 2, 305). In addition, the valves were enlarged and a more aggressive cam was fitted. Special nozzles sprayed oil under the pistons to keep them cool. The end result was a power increase to 238 hp at 7, 000 rpm. A slightly modified 3. 15:1 final drive was fitted.
The Sport Evo version of the E30 M3 is the ultimate of the Ultimate Driving Machine.
Externally, body-wise, things were different visually – but the changes were much more than just cosmetic – they were functional too. The Sport Evolution had thinner glass, a lighter boot lid and bumpers, and brake cooling ducts in place of fog lights. In addition, it was fitted with a smaller fuel tank. The SE had unique adjustable front and boot spoilers, giving greater downforce, even wider front wings, and reprofiled grille slats with sealed gaps for better aerodynamics. The Sport Evolution also sits 10mm lower than the normal E30 M3. The Sport Evo came in two colour options only – Jet Black and Brilliant Red. The alloys are 7. 5×16-inch cross-spokes with the spokes painted Nogaro Silver.
The interior is a special place too, with SE only red safety belts strapping you into the Recaro Vader seats with their integrated headrests – another special SE-only feature, along with suede gear knob, handbrake and steering wheel.
Originally delivered new to Austria, this Sport Evo was imported to Taiwan in 2005, having been purchased by the owner of an Aston Martin dealership out there. Import duties in Taiwan are staggering, and local homologation regulations can mean making irreversible modifications to the car. Additionally, the regular taxes are prohibitive, so the car was never officially registered there, instead being driven on garage trade plates, covering only a few hundred miles per year. The Sport Evo changed hands once in Taiwan, being bought by a friend of the original owner there. This gentleman has now come to live in the UK, and so has imported the car with him – but due to lack of storage space has reluctantly decided the car must find a new home.
We first had contact from the owner before it left Taiwan, and agreed that the car could be delivered directly to Munich Legends, for us to carry out a full and in-depth appraisal. His instructions were that the car should be made perfect in preparation for sale. Our expectations of condition were high, but we were still hugely impressed with this car. With our best specialist on the job, we could only identify a few minor issues – an ABS sensor, wiper blades and a fuel pipe, all of which have been rectified. We feel confident enough to say this car is in perfect, concours condition.
Although we do not have paperwork to be able to confirm the mileage, the condition of the car corroborates the kms shown on the odometer and we are impressed enough to say that purely on condition alone, this is one of the best Sport Evos we have ever seen. It literally wants for nothing. On that basis, we are happy that the mileage appears genuine, and we can certainly assert that this is one of the best Sport Evos in the world. The condition has to be seen to be fully appreciated.
The car comes with a fresh BMW Birth Certificate, confirming the chassis and engine numbers are genuine, and that this is a ‘matching numbers’ car.
For more information on this truly exceptional E30 M3 Sport Evolution, or to book a visit (strictly by appointment only please) contact our showroom team
