The Fastest BMW M3s Of All Time

The BMW M3 is a high-performance variant of the 3-series. Every model of the M variant showcases a smooth yet thrilling experience. Our well-curated list consists of the fastest M3s that came into production, from the BMW M3 (E30) to the fastest on the list the BMW M3 CS (G80). 

The earlier BMWs used to come with Inline-4 engines, but the current models offer Inline-6 engines that provide more power to the sedan and make it faster in terms of performance. Apart from that, the aerodynamics also play a vital role in enhancing the already thrilling experience and alluring looks of this performance-oriented sedan. Now, Let’s delve deeper into the article.

12. 1991 BMW M3 (E30)

The BMW M3 (E30) is the first ever M3 based on the 3 Series (E30) platform produced from 1986-1991. However, BMW made some minor changes to the M3 which in turn improved the performance drastically. Underneath the bonnet, you will find a 2.3L inline-4 engine churning out 195 horsepower which is quite impressive for its time. It is a legit quick even by today’s standards. 

Coming to the design, the E30 M3 is small, subtle, and simple to look at. It doesn’t look much different from the regular 3 series except for the rear spoiler and some aero bits but what’s underneath the hood makes a whole lot of difference in terms of performance. It has now become one of the most sought-after cars in the world.

The M3 E30 is powered by a 2.3L inline-4 engine which is capable of churning out 197 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque. This engine gets mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. That said, it is capable of reaching 60 mph in 6.7 seconds and tops out at 146 mph.

11. 1990 BMW M3 E30 Sport Evolution 

If you wanted a more powerful E30 M3 than the regular one, then the E30 Sport Evolution is the one; and it is considered the fastest E30 M3 variation coming out of the factory. It is also known as the EVO3 model and has a larger engine than the regular M3, producing more power and torque. 

This is the generation that made the M3 a thing in the car community, and even though it wasn’t that fast, the feeling it offered to the driver was unmatched. It was one of the perfect cars of its time and if you want to get one now, you’ll have to shell out about $200,000 to get one in decent shape.

The BMW E30 M3 Sport Evolution came with a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter inline-4 engine producing 238 HP and 177 lb-ft of torque. It can go from 0 to 60 mph in 6.1 seconds and reach a top speed of 154 mph.  

10. 1999 BMW M3 (E36)

The next generation BMW M3 (E36) got more sophisticated in terms of driving experience as well as design. This M3 uses a bigger inline-6 engine instead of the inline-4 incorporated in its predecessor.

The performance delivered from this inline-6 engine can put its competitors like the Mercedes Benz C63 AMG and Audi S6 to shame. As for the looks, BMW gave it a whole new design with a bigger chassis. In short, the M3 E36 is a better, prettier, and more lively car to drive than the E30 M3 in every way.

The BMW M3 E30 is powered by a 3.0-liter inline-6 engine rated at 282 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque. You can have it with either a 5-speed manual transmission or a 5-speed automatic transmission option. With this powertrain, the M3 E36 gets to 60 mph in 6.0 seconds and reaches a top speed of 155 mph.

9. 1995 BMW M3 E36 Lightweight

As we have seen in the past, BMW releases race-spec lightweight versions of their M3 models in every generation, and the E36 wasn’t an exception either. While the European markets got the CSL, BMW created the M3 E36 Lightweight for the US car market. Only about 125 units of the M3 Lightweight. Of these only 115 were ever sold to the public and the rest were pre-production models.

Each of the M3 E36 Lightweight was priced at $48,470 when it was launched.

The BMW E36 M3 Lightweight came with a naturally aspirated 3.0-liter inline-6 engine producing 243 HP and 225 lb-ft of torque. It can go from 0 to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds and reach a top speed of 174 mph in the absence of its limiter.  

8. 2006 BMW M3 (E46)

As we mentioned earlier, the BMW M3 E46 is easily one of the best M cars ever made. From its flamboyant design to the screaming inline-6 engine to agile handling, it has got all the traits of a true sports car. There is also a track-focused and lightweight version called the M3 CSL that puts out an additional 17 horsepower.

It is also considered the greatest M car of all time for its raw-sounding inline-6 engine and staggering performance. There is no better M car than an M3 E46 for sheer driving fun and endless smiles.

The BMW M3 E46 gets its power from a high revving 3.2L inline-6 engine. It gets coupled either with a 6-speed manual transmission/ 6 speed SMG transmission. It can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 5.0 seconds all the way to the maximum speed of electronically limited 155 mph.

7. 2003 BMW E46 M3 CSL 

The E46 is the most beloved generation of the M3 among car enthusiasts. In 2003, BMW released the E46 M3 CSL, which underwent some weight reduction. If you are wondering what CSL stands for then let me clear your doubts. CSL means Coupe Sport Leichtbau or Coupe Sport Lightweight in English. 

It had a carbon fiber roof and body panels, used glass-reinforced plastics, and used thinner glass for the rear windshield. Plus, inside the car, you’ll find lightweight fiberglass bucket seats, carbon fiber parts on the dashboard, and a very simplistic steering wheel. All these resulted in a weight reduction of about 110 kg compared to the Regular BMW E46 M3. 

It also had a revised suspension setup, electronic stability control, an M Track mode for aggressive driving, and a lot of new aero parts including a splitter that helped it gain 50% more downforce; plus the engine power output was also increased by about 17 horses and 4 lb-ft of torque. 

The 2003 BMW E46 M3 CSL came with a naturally aspirated 3.2-liter inline-6 engine producing 355 HP and 273 lb-ft of torque. It can go from 0 to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds and reach a top speed of 174 mph. 

6. 2000 BMW E46 M3 GTR Strassenversion

The E46 was one of the coolest generations of the M3 but do you know what’s cooler? The E46 M3 GTR was the first M3 to get a V8 motor under the hood, and it wasn’t available for the masses either. 

What happened was that BMW built this 500-horsepower V8 motor to power the M3 to compete with the Porsche 911 GT3 RS. The Inline-6 motor was reliable but wasn’t nearly as quick as the M3, so the Bavarians created this maniac V8 motor, and it dominated the season without looking back. 

However, because of the homologation rules, they announced that they would build 10 of these units with a detuned engine and price them at about £250,000, which translates to $420,000 in today’s valuation.

The BMW E46 M3 GTR came with a naturally aspirated 4.0-liter V8 engine producing 444 HP and 354 lb-ft of torque. It can go from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds and reach a limited top speed of 152 mph. 

5. 2013 BMW M3 E92

The next generation BMW M3 (2008-2013) is the quirkiest M car of the lot. It is the only M3 without an inline-6 engine but this time around engineers at BMW changed their mind and equipped it with a beefy 4.0L V8 engine. According to some media reports, the M3 E92 feels more like a muscle car than an M car. It fails to offer the awe factor offered by the E46. 

However, BMW came up with a new offering called the M3 GTS. The hardcore and track-ready version of the regular E92 M3. It is an absolute monster of a car. It uses an enlarged 4.4L V8 engine that develops an additional 30 horsepower. With imposing looks and a loud V8 engine, the M3 GTS is a race car built for roads and lives up to its M car credentials.

The M3 E92 uses a 4.0L naturally aspirated V8 engine and 6-speed manual transmission/7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission choices to churn out 414 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. It shoots from 0-60 mph in 4.7 seconds with the manual transmission and 4.5 seconds with the DCT. The top speed, on the other hand, is limited to 155 mph.

4. 2010 BMW E92 M3 GTS

The E92 BMW M3 was the last generation of M3s to get a V8 under the hood, and we believe that this was the best-sounding M3 that ever came out of Germany. However, in 2010, BMW took this V8 M3 to another level by reducing the weight and running a more powerful tune than the standard M3 with an enlarged engine, and they named it the M3 GTS. 

When BMW did the press drive for the M3 GTS in Spain, they kept the regular M3 for the drive as well, to make people understand how different the M3 GTS was. It was a machine that could hoon all day, and maybe you won’t be the fastest on track while competing with some other German sportscars, but you’ll definitely have the most fun and enjoy the drifts all along. 

The BMW E92 M3 GTS was given an eye-watering £100,000 price tag, whereas the regular M3 Competition was on sale for around £56,000. This means that there was about a 200% price bump for this GTS model. And to justify the price more, BMW kept the production of the 2010 M3 GTS model to only 150 units.

The 2010 BMW E92 M3 GTS came with a naturally aspirated 4.4-liter V8 engine producing 444 HP and 325 lb-ft of torque. It can go from 0 to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds and reach a top speed of 190 mph. 

3. 2020 BMW M3 (F80)

The next generation BMW M3 F80 was unveiled in 2013 and produced from 2014-2018. The M3 F80 packs a 3.0L twin-turbocharged inline 6 with an incredible surge of power. Despite having a smaller inline-6 engine compared to the V8 in the predecessor, the switch from naturally aspirated engines to twin-turbocharged engines has considerably increased the power output by 11 horsepower, all thanks to the twin turbochargers. 

There is also a hardcore version of the M3 called the CS, this version’s bigger twin-turbocharged inline-6 engine is boosted from 425 horsepower to 454 horsepower. Also, the weight has been cut down by 50 kg owing to the carbon fiber and Alcantara parts on board.

The BMW M3 F80 is fitted with a 3.0L twin-turbocharged inline-6 engine that cranks out 425 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque. This engine can be had with a 6-speed manual transmission/7-speed dual clutch automatic transmission choice. It zips from 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds with DCT and 4.1 seconds with manual transmission. It also has a limited top speed of electronically limited 155 mph, The optional M Driver’s package further increases the top speed to 174 mph.

2. 2023 BMW M3 G80

The fastest BMW M3 is undoubtedly the new M3 G80 that is currently available in the market. The new design, however, is not appealing compared to the F80 M3. The huge kidney front grille along with sharp headlights gives it a whole different look from the previous generation. It also gets a highly powerful inline-6 engine that has been tweaked to develop 473 horsepower. 

It starts at $73,795 to $81,795 for the M competition package which is even more powerful, rated at 503 horsepower. Our choice is indeed the competition package which not only increases the power but also adds an 8-speed automatic transmission, different seatbelts, and a few more features.

The BMW M3 is powered by a 3.0L twin-turbocharged inline-6 engine which puts out 473 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque. This engine further gets mated to either a 6-speed manual transmission or 6-speed automatic transmission in the competition package.

With that, it gets from 0-60 mph in 3.4 seconds with the normal transmission and 3.0 seconds with the DCT, while the top speed is limited to 155 mph just like previous generation M3s.

1. 2023 BMW M3 CS xDrive

The regular 2023 BMW M3 G8 is for those who want entry-level fun with seriousness and fast four-door sedans. However, BMW didn’t stop just there, they released the M3 Competition with about 30 more horses, and the M3 CS model which gets a more powerful motor and pumps out about 70 more horses than the base M3 sedan. 

Unfortunately, the 2023 BMW M3 CS isn’t available in the US yet. However, production for the US market was scheduled to start in March 2023, and we hope to see it coming very soon. 

The 2023 BMW M3 CS xDrive comes with a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-6 engine producing 543 HP and 479 lb-ft of torque. It can go from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.3 seconds and reach a limited top speed of 188 mph.