What cars do you think its fair to compare with the e30 M3?

[edwardsamule]

Hi Diplomat,
It is not fair to compare e30 M3 with any car.I think that e30 is best car I had ever seen.

[Steven Chang]

Nothing can compare to E30 M3.........

[Doggy]

Only a few in my eyes. E30's in general are my fav cars of all time!

Corolla AE56- driving fun
Merc 190- its main competition of the era, classic timeless styling
porsche 944- handling
Ferrari F40- my second fav car, built for the track
BMW z3- the last hope for a fun drivers BMW
R34 Skyline- its prowess
E28 M5- big bro
But none have all of what the E30 has: Put all of these cars together and you have an E30

E30's make me wanna >< wish i can dance like that

[cozmic512]

It is said that the M3 was produced in order to compete in the European Touring Championship and needed a minimum of 5,000 pieces in 12 months. Since the M535i and M635csi were $$$$ money and were totally hand built in the Munich plant (which could never build 5,000 in 12 months), they decided on using the E30 as the foundation. The E30 was extremely profitable for BMW (circa 81), so it was a natural progression. It is also rumored that the M5 & M6 were not as successful as BMW had expected, but that's another story.....

Yes, the E30 M3 was purposely built to race, but the E30 wasn't. It is a specialty item, but others companies have built iterations of their cars in order to produce track masters. Call it GT, GTR, CSL, Track Meister, Limited edition or whatever you like. BMW knew that proven performance would continue to establish the company as a dominant force in the market.

The E30 M3 is a convergence of technology, heritage, performance and styling that was learned from it's lineage (from the M1, M535i, M635csi, E30, 1961 inline 4 with iron block, etc....). So The heritage of the E30 M3 "IS" directly responsible for it's racing success.

You can argue about it and you can leave some room for newer models, or even past models that we may have forgotten.... But you can't change history, and with over 1,400 wins on a car that has around 15,000 produced, I ask "what other touring car has been more successful? Can you list any other cars that would be considered "The most winningest" in the touring car circuit?

I guess it just goes back to the question of which car would you compare the E30 M3 with? You'll never get to realize the answer if you're are looking for a "one is better than the other." Personal preferences! History changes on a daily basis, so unfortunately the e30 M3 is no longer a working race chassis in the touring car circuit. So stop looking for definitive answers to a question that can never get answered.

So what cars do you think compare?

this is an interesting thing.
and I wanted to say that in america, there arent many cars that can claim anything close to that. of course its one of the reasons I have an E30 M3. as adam said earlier, It was built as a race car and then made into a street car to conform to the rules.

One car we had here in america like this was the celica alltrac or gt four.
they made a rally car and then made enough to homologate it for the rules to be eligible to race. a 2 liter awd rally car? whats that? only its a sports car not a sedan...
It was developed from the group b program and in 8 years in wrc competition won the drivers championship 5 times. Lancia was a juggernaut back then. and that is another car comparable to the e30 M3, the lancia delta. another homologated special.

no doubt, these are part of the reasons why we love these cars.
they are homologated race cars that a few, 5000 or so, average people can get their hands on and play with.
and anyone who has raced a bmw from a 2002 to an e90 knows,
they work on track.

my .02 cents.
I like the topic though, and I think everyone should be aware of history.
Cory

[Stranger941]

The ferrari 430 scuderia or the bugatti veyron are the only cars that I can think of to compare haha

[Audio4u]

this is an interesting thing.
and I wanted to say that in america, there arent many cars that can claim anything close to that. of course its one of the reasons I have an E30 M3. as adam said earlier, It was built as a race car and then made into a street car to conform to the rules.

One car we had here in america like this was the celica alltrac or gt four.
they made a rally car and then made enough to homologate it for the rules to be eligible to race. a 2 liter awd rally car? whats that? only its a sports car not a sedan...
It was developed from the group b program and in 8 years in wrc competition won the drivers championship 5 times. Lancia was a juggernaut back then. and that is another car comparable to the e30 M3, the lancia delta. another homologated special.

no doubt, these are part of the reasons why we love these cars.
they are homologated race cars that a few, 5000 or so, average people can get their hands on and play with.
and anyone who has raced a bmw from a 2002 to an e90 knows,
they work on track.

my .02 cents.
I like the topic though, and I think everyone should be aware of history.
Cory

This must tbe the reason I like the cars in my sig. Both have similar history as the E30 M3.

Tyler

[Sepp]

this is an interesting thing.
and I wanted to say that in america, there arent many cars that can claim anything close to that. of course its one of the reasons I have an E30 M3. as adam said earlier, It was built as a race car and then made into a street car to conform to the rules.

One car we had here in america like this was the celica alltrac or gt four.
they made a rally car and then made enough to homologate it for the rules to be eligible to race. a 2 liter awd rally car? whats that? only its a sports car not a sedan...
It was developed from the group b program and in 8 years in wrc competition won the drivers championship 5 times. Lancia was a juggernaut back then. and that is another car comparable to the e30 M3, the lancia delta. another homologated special.

no doubt, these are part of the reasons why we love these cars.
they are homologated race cars that a few, 5000 or so, average people can get their hands on and play with.
and anyone who has raced a bmw from a 2002 to an e90 knows,
they work on track.

my .02 cents.
I like the topic though, and I think everyone should be aware of history.
Cory

That's why I choose the ur Quattro...and own one.
I've made quite a few comparisons (naturally) after being a long time ur Quattro owner, and a relatively new M3 owner. They are such very much different cars, built for different types of racing (although the M3 performed wonderfully in rally)

But,

The history of both cars is well bred, and both cars have made great impacts to the sport, and the automotive world.
Both cars kicked major butt in motorsport. Both cars have the same dedicated following. Both cars can be driven daily, and turn heads everywhere they go.
Both cars instantly invoke a passion to those whom gaze upon them. (love them or hate them..people talk about them)
They have the same horsepower, and similar (not identical) body flares...and similar interiors. Both are easy to work on, and prices for parts are about the same.

Both the other E30's, and the Audi Coupe GT's an be robbed for parts...and share about the same number of parts of the M, and ur.
Both are homologated specials, and wasn't the M3 built exclusively by hand as well??(the Audi was)

I'd even say they were priced about the same?..and maybe similar production numbers? (15,000)
With both cars, the more you let them run, the more they give back to you. Both involve decent driving skill so you don't end up in the ditch, and take a bit of time to learn to PROPERLY drive. Both will bite you in the ass like a horse if you lose a firm hand of control.
Both are extremely rewarding cars to drive, despite the low (compared to current cars) horsepower.

The Sport Quattro isn't a good comparison in my book, as the SQ was UBER limited production, (<50) and had a price tag way, way beyond the M3. Still does. The power isn't a good comparison 300 vs. 200. The SQ on a long windy road is not a comfortable car...very twitchy, and a bit nerve wracking. Far from fun to drive on the open road.

[Audio4u]

Well said. I myself have been searching a quattro for sometime.

Tyler

[Sepp]

UBER limited production, (<50)

Sorry, major typo.
214 Sports were made total. Some street cars, some for race only purposes, some were built for spare parts.