BMW E30 M3 Evo II – well known UK supplied car
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 the best 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. By the time the third version was racing (1. Original version 2. Evolution1 and 3. Evolution 2) BMW had refined the car to perfection, and it started winning pretty well everything, with drivers such as Roberto Ravaglia and Jonny Cecotto clearing up on the world’s touring car circuits. This spawned the now famous post season specials (Europameister, Cecotto, Ravaglia), which were all Evo 2s under the skin. This was the golden age for the E30 M3 when the BMW team had the world at their feet. The Evo 2 sold pretty well in the showrooms too, despite the £30,000 base price tag, and only being available from BMW in LHD (to be fair they only had 501 to shift). Only 50 Evo 2 models were supplied new through the UK dealer network – apparently only 25 in Misano.
The Evo 2 is probably the most distinctive, appearance wise, with that iconic front chin spoiler, ///M striped rocker cover and plenum chamber, checker cloth/leather combo seats, with the tri colour M-stripes built in and of course, the numbered plaque. The beauty wasn’t only skin deep though – the evolved S14 breathed better, had higher compression, revised engine management and lighter components. It had better aerodynamics, and had bigger wheels and a reduced final drive ratio. The glass was thinner, the boot lid was lighter – they even deleted the fog lights, using the hole as an airduct instead. All this helped increase performance, with bhp up to 220 from the original 195, and reduced wait by an important – in racing terms – 10kg. Only 501 of these incredible machines were made. It’s hard to argue against this being the most important evolution of the E30 M3 – the proof being all those wins!
This particular Evo 2 is a pretty famous car that we’ve known for years. A rare UK supplied car from new, and once owned by Colin Wilkinson, then editor of BMW Car magazine, it featured prominently in the publication as Colin documented his time with the car, lavishing care and attention on his pride and joy. We first saw the car in our showroom circa 2012, selling it to a collector who treated the car as royalty. When the collection was thinned down we found the car a new owner based in the US, who has stored the car with us in the UK and charged us with its care routine. Visiting Europe once or twice a year, the car would be made ready for the client’s arrival for a road trip around the UK, being bought back for us to tuck safely away at the end. No expense has been spared to keep the Evo2 in absolutely super condition, and the car is a credit to the owner’s eye for detail and insistence on high standards.
Despite knowing this car intimately, it has still been put through our normal process to arrive in the showroom. Our technical team have carried out a rigorous inspection and are (unsurprised) very impressed with what they’ve seen. A few minor issues have been chalked for rectification before the M3 can begin the next chapter of its life with a new owner. This is a rare opportunity
For more information on this exceptional Evo 2, or to book a visit (by appointment only please) contact our showroom team on sales@munichlegends.com or call us on 01825 740456.
