According to most sources, the E30 M3 saloon was rendered in one 1985 pre-production example and went into full manufacture during the summer of 1986. Some 2396 M3's were built in 1986 and it was recognised for competition in Groups A and N (5000 examples built in one year) by March 1st 1987. Some ten variants of the saloon were developed between 1986 and 1990. The saloon was joined by a cabriolet version from 1988. Production of the various saloon variants continued until 1990 with the cabriolet continuing until 1991. Total production figures for the E30 M3 are.
| Year | M3 Saloon production | M3 cabriolet production |
| 1985 | 1 | |
| 1986 | 2,396 | |
| 1987 | 6,396 | |
| 1988 | 3,426 | 130 |
| 1989 | 2,541 | 180 |
| 1990 | 2,424 | 176 |
| 1991 | 300 | |
| Totals | 17,184 | 786 |
As of December 1990, the factory reported the development of the following M3 saloon variants.
| Type. | Bhp. | Produced from/to. | Production numbers. |
| 2.3 M3 | 200 | 9/86 to 7/89 | Not limited |
| 2.3 M3 Kat | 195 | 9/86 to 5/89 | Not limited |
| 2.3 M3 Evo 1 | 200 | 2/87 to 5/87 | 505 made |
| 2.3 M3 American specification | 195 | 3/87 to ? | Not limited |
| 2.3 M3 Evo 2 | 220 | 3/88 to 5/88 | 501 made |
| 2.3 M3 Kat Europameister 88 | 195 | 10/88 to 11/88 | 150 made |
| 2.3 M3 Ravaglia | 215 | 4/89 to 7/89 | 25 made |
| 2.3 M3 Cecotto | 215 | 4/89 to 7/89 | 480 made |
| 2.3 M3 Kat | 215 | 9/89 to 12/90 | Not limited |
| 2.5 M3 Sport Evolution | 238 | 1/90 to 3/90 | 600 made |
In addition to the saloons, the following cabriolet variants were reported.
| Type. | Bhp. | Produced from/to |
| 2.3 M3 cabrio | 200 | 1988 to 1989 |
| 2.3 M3 cabrio Kat | 195 | 1988 to 1989 |
| 2.3 M3 cabrio Kat | 215 | 1990 to 06/1991 |
Not unsurprisingly and in keeping with the specialist, limited production, nature of this car, there is some confusion (even between different BMW sources) as to the accuracy these apparently simple statistics. Some sources suggest that as many as 88 examples of the 2.3 M3 saloon were pilot built in 1985, that full production of the 2.3 M3 saloon started as early as March 1986, and that 2.3 M3 KAT production started later, in December 1986.
What is clearer is that although designed by BMW Motorsport GmbH, in order to facilitate the annual production numbers required by the Group A touring car regulations, all M3 saloon variants were built on the standard 3 series production lines (part of BMW GmbH) in Munich. The cabriolets, on the other hand, were all hand built on a separate production line at Garching (still in Munich) which was directly part of BMW Motorsport GmbH (now BMW M GmbH).
Style: Primarily 3 series unitary steel chassis. Steel and
unique plastics 2-door body with extended wheel arches, unique spoilers and side
skirts, raised bootline and re-raked back glass. Bonded front and back glass.
Engine: S-14 coded, in-line iron block four cylinder,
aluminium head, DOHC (chain drive), 16 valves. Bosch ML Motronic
injection/ignition. 2302cc producing 200 bhp at 6750 rpm and 176 lb/ft torque at
4750 rpm. 98 octane leaded petrol.
Transmission: Front
engine, rear drive. Five speed Getrag close ratio gearbox with Borg Warner
synchronisation. 3.25 final drive with limited slip.
Suspension,
steering and brakes: Uprated MacPherson strut front with anti roll
bar/15 degree trailing arms rear. Anti roll bars front and rear. Replacement BMW
Motorsport geometry. Boge single tube, gas pressurised dampers. Coil springs.
Power assisted rack and pinion steering. 4 wheel disc brakes with servo
assistance (11.18 inch vented front and 9.84 inch rear). Standard ABS.
Wheels and tyres: Alloy BBS 7J*15, Uniroyal Rallye 340
or Pirelli P700, both 205/55 VR
Interior: Standard 3
series with BMW sports seating front and rear, Motorsport dash, steering wheel
and gear knob.
In true BMW tradition, standard M3's where somewhat basic (although by the then current 3 series standards, they could actually be considered to have been luxurious as they did include such items as front and rear fog lights, driving lights, tinted glass etc.). Optional extras included:
electric sunroof, windows and mirrors,
air conditioning,
leather
interior,
heated mirrors, washer jets and door locks,
electronic damper
control,
on board computer,
anti theft locking and
headlight wash-wipe
etc.
It should be noted that not all of these options were available on earlier cars.
An appreciation of successive road car variants can be gained by comparison
with the original specification.
2.3 M3 Kat: A standard
M3 but with catalytic converter and lambda probe for those European markets
which dictated their sole use (which included West Germany). 95 octane unleaded
fuel was used and peak power and torque were slightly reduced over the non-kat
car. Otherwise the car was more or less identical to the 2.3 M3.
2.3 M3 Evo 1: An evolution of the 2.3 M3 designed
solely to homologate a number of modifications for racing purposes (an extra 500
evolution cars had to be sold over and above the 5000/yr. for initial
homologation). These Evo 1's are very hard to tell apart from the standard 2.3
M3's as most of the modifications are not that obvious (lighter weight glass,
plastics etc.). The modified engine is only identified by an "e" cast into an
eye in the cylinder block (this is below the inlet trumpet for the No.4 cylinder
and can only be seen with a little mirror). 505 made.
2.3 M3
American specification: A 2.3 M3 KAT but with a four speed plus
overdrive gearbox.
2.3 M3 Evo 2: Further evolution to
homolagte additional modifications for racing purposes. Various engine
modifications raised specific output to 220 bhp at 6750 rpm with 181 lb.ft of
torque at 4750 rpm. Body modifications included an extension to the front air
dam, an additional rear spoiler beneath the main wing and the use of lighter
weight glass. Wheel size increased to 7.5J*16 with 225/45 tyres. Final drive
ratio changed to 3.15. Of no benefit to the racing teams but a nice touch all
the same was the inclusion of white cam covers and air collector box with
red/blue/violet motorsport stripes. 501 made.
2.3 Kat
Europameister 88: An otherwise standard 2.3 M3 Kat with numbered plaque
celebrating success in the 1988 European touring car championship. 150 made.
2.3 M3 Ravaglia: The 2.3 kat engine was uprated in 1989
by incorporating some of the engine modifications from the Evo2. This uprated
engine with 215 bhp was first used in two limited editions, the Ravaglia and The
Cecotto. The Ravaglia (named after works driver Roberto Ravaglia) was a 25 only
run of cars for the UK market. All finished in Misano red with matching cam
covers, the Ravaglia incorporated the Evo2 spoilers, wheels etc., came with a
half leather interior and included a numbered and signed plaque. The rarest of
road going M3's with only 25 examples made.
2.3 M3
Cecotto: Another special edition, identical to the Ravaglia but
available in various colours and signed off by another works driver, Johnny
Cecotto. For all European markets except the UK. 480 made.
2.3
M3 Kat (9/89 onwards): All BMW petrol engined road cars from the summer
of 1989 used 95 octane unleaded fuel only and came with catalytic converter as
standard. This meant the end of the standard 200 bhp car (as it used 98 octane
leaded petrol) and BMW therefore uprated the Kat car by installing the uprated
catalysed engine first seen in the Ravaglia/Cecotto special editions. The body
style remained as original but 16" wheels were adopted.
2.5 M3
Sport Evolution: The final evolution of the M3 saloon developed to take
full advantage of the prevailing regulations for the German (DTM) and Italian
Touring Car Championships. Amongst other modifications, engine capacity was
enlarged to 2467cc taking the specific output upto 238 bhp at 7000 rpm. Three
way adjustable front and rear spoilers were adopted and the interior was given a
slight revamp. For the eagle eyed, the front wings were also marginally wider
than previous variants to accomodate larger wheels for racing. 600 made.