RUNNING IN THE FAMILY
‘THE CSL HAS SO MUCH MORE URGE THAN THE E30 AND HOWLS ALONG WITH REAL PURPOSE’
YOUR PASSENGER WON’T get why the E30 M3 is so revered. There’s nothing ‘wow’ about the light grey interior and initially not much excitement in the engine department, the in-line four at first offering modest urge and sounding plain and a bit tappety. The ride is soft and a little bumpy, especially if you’re the driver, sitting on the left, on the rougher edge of the road.
If I’m honest, I too am struggling to see the magic in the original M3, even though this is one of the most potent, being a late-model Ravaglia limited edition, based on the Evolution II E30. That still means only 212bhp and, quite frankly, so far there’s little sign of that.
Yet even in the company of the E46 M3 CSL and the brand new and much-lauded M2 CS, it still looks fantastic. You have to wonder why nobody makes cars with proper box ’arches anymore. On reflection, it’s probably because no one makes boxy cars like the E30, Delta Integrale and, er, Vauxhall Nova, anymore.
I’m grateful to cross paths with iconic cars such as the E30 M3 every seven or eight years. The M3 never changes but my impression of it is changed by context, newer and newer cars making it look ever smaller and narrower, more upright and under-wheeled. Metaphorically they’ve given it greying temples and laughter lines, but overall it still looks trim and healthy.
Inside, it’s basic in a way that even the cheapest new car today isn’t. You unlock it by twisting a key in the door lock, there’s no steering wheel adjustment, no radio and no air con. The trip computer looks like
