Brief History of the car:

After the fall of Group B in 1986, The legendary Prodrive team was forced to step into Group A and they chose the brand new M3 for the part.

The team started developing the rally spec as early as 1986, alongside the touring car. At first, they toyed with the idea of designing a 4WD drivetrain layout but this was binned early on. BMW didn't want to venture too seriously into rallying. They would only supply the know-how, with the rest remaining on Prodrive's shoulders. That meant they would have to build the car on top of the circuit variant, all be it with a lot of modifications for use in rally.

The iconic S14 engine was re-tuned for mid-range punch and was initially rated at 270 horsepower in 1987. It was upgraded to a six-speed gearbox and went up to 285 HP in 1988. Finally being able to produce 295 HP a year later.

Some of the changes made for the rally car included: stiffer chassis, body shell and power trains; completly different suspension geometry and tuning to deal with the rougher roads; shorter transmission and steering ratios; bigger rear brakes for more rear bias; smaller fuel tank; inclusion of reverse and auxiliary lights, heating system, passenger seat and all of the additions that have to be implemented to race with a co-driver.

Despite all these completly new additions and reinforced parts, Prodrive managed to keep the weight relatively low. Only about 100 kg heavier than the circuit variant.

The RWD layout meant that the car wasn't able to compete against its 4WD comtemporaries on loose surfaces. It was surprinsingly good on asphalt stages, though, and went on to win the Tour de Corse in '87, several national championships and selected rounds of the WRC between '87 and '89

Despite the victories, though, BMW still treated rallying with "supreme indifference", and its two-wheel drivetrain layout was beggining to take its toll. This culminated to 1989 being the last year Prodrive would race the E30, before welcoming Subaru.

Even though it was outshined by the enourmous success of its touring car counterpart, the M3 E30 still managed to become a rally icon, and is still being raced on regional rallies to this day.

0:00 - 0:33 Intro
0:34 - 1:25 Car Details
1:26 - 11:14 Rally Action


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