BMW 3 Series: Motorsport Legend

The BMW 3 Series has been around now for five generations and it has been an undoubted success for the Bavarian badge. With that in mind, here’s a trip down motorsport memory lane to look at how well the 3 Series has performed as a racer - and how the racing technologies have informed the production cars we see on the road. The technology still shines through in the BMWs of today and will do for the future.

Compact dimensions, dynamic engines and sporty suspension have all contributed to the 3 Series success in racing as well as in showrooms. Since 1972, two years after it went on the market, the 3 Series Sedan has been a racetrack sensation.

The 320i was a Group 5 racing touring car with a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder 300bhp engine. With awesome road-holding, torsional stiffness and massive front and rear wings, these three cars were driven by the BMW Junior Team of Manfred Winkelhock, Marc Surer and Eddie Cheever. They debuted at the Belgian Grand Prix in 1977 and from then on, raced in countless national tourer championships and netted a full trophy cabinet for BMW Racing. Other drivers to pilot this amazing car included Hans-Joachim Stuck and Ronnie Peterson.

In 1978, a turbo version of the 320i won the German Racing Championship, a 1.4-litre, 410bhp bad boy. This engine was the precursor to the power unit used by Nelson Piquet in 1983 when he became the first “turbo champion” in F1 in a Brabham BMW.

The BMW M3 drove into the motorsport limelight in 1982 and ended up becoming the world’s most successful touring car. In 1987, an M3 was created in compliance with Group A rules, such as 5,000 being made in a year, and it was a beast. The engine was an inline six-cylinder with four-valve technology from the M1 and M 635 CSi thus shortening it by two cylinders - the result was a stonking 2.3-litre four-cylinder engine. In that year, the 300bhp racing version of the M3 won every prize on offer with 1987-1992 being the car’s golden era. It posted wins globally - Australia, Finland, France, Holland, Germany - including a rally victory. In the DTM contest, the M3 won 40 times and had more than 150 top three rankings.

Other successes for the M3 include the World and European Championship titles and wins in the 24-hour race at the Nurburgring-Nordschleife and in Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium. Battles between fearless drivers such as Roberto Ravaglia, Johnny Cecotto, Steve Soper, Emanuele Pirro or Joachim Winkelhock became legendary.

From 1993-1998, success was had with four- and six-cylinder engines and with diesel, this being the third generation of the 3 Series in motorsport. In keeping with increasingly complicated regulations, the type of cars BMW was racing ranged from the BMW Coupe and Sedan with an almost production car body and a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, sixteen-valve engine with around 300bhp through to a seriously modified BMW M3. Success was again achieved worldwide in this era with the STW Cup won in Germany as well as trophies lifted in England, Italy, Asia, Australia and South America. One of the most stunning victories was the 1998 win in the 24-hour race at the Nurburgring in a BMW 320d with a 200bhp turbo diesel engine.

The new century saw the fourth generation BMW 3 Series with the four-door sedan as the basis for cars competing in touring and long-distance events. Since 1999, BMW Motorsport GmbH had been developing the 320i with a four-valve, inline six which ended up pumping out more than 250bhp. In 2005, BMW won the newly launched World Touring Car Championship in a 320i with Andy Priaulx at the wheel.

Then there was the second “weapon" based on the fourth generation of the 3 Series - the M3 GTR which won the American Le Mans Series and the 24-hour race at the Nurburgring in 2004 and 2005. 

Fifth generation BMW racing again focuses on the M3 and the sedan. Victories include the 24-hour race with the M3 GT2 and its overall win at the Eifel Classic 2010, in which more than 200 competitors took part. Other highlights include World Championship title in 2006 and 2007, second place at the Nurburgring in 2011, third place in the 24-hour race at Le Mans and the 2010 manufacturer’s title in the ALMS.

From 2012, BMW will be back in the German Touring Car Championship with three teams and the M3 DTM - the M3 DTM concept was presented to the world’s motoring press in Munich this July. This car will set the standard for racers and road cars with a CFRP monocoque construction, naturally aspirated 4.0-litre V8 and an air restrictor limiting maximum power to 480bhp. It does 0-62mph in around three seconds and top speed is around 190mph. The drivers for the racing version will be multiple World Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx and rising star Augusto Farfus.

But you can rest assured that while the road version might not be quite as heavy on the power, the technology, quality and precise German reliability is sure to come to a showroom near you soon.



The original 1970s 3 Series racing bad-boy. Wide enough for ya?



The E46 shape we all know and love



A little more of the understatement as 3 Series time wears on



D’oh! Back to the crazy paintjobs!


By Georgia Lewis

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