Few touring cars have the racing pedigree of the BMW E30 M3, and this 1989 example has the history to match. Built for BMW Team Bigazzi, it raced in period with some of the biggest names in touring car racing before becoming a regular front-runner in historic competition.

Chassis M3 11190 was supplied new to Bigazzi for the 1989 Italian Touring Car Championship, initially built to Group A specification and raced by drivers including Jacques Laffite, Pierluigi Martini, Gianni Morbidelli and Jean-Michel Martin. For 1990, it was upgraded to DTM specification, gaining a 2.5-litre S14 engine producing around 340 bhp and the BMW M Sport/Warsteiner livery it wears today.

Steve Soper drove the car in the DTM at Mainz-Finthen in 1990, finishing fourth in the opening race before taking second in race two. After leaving Bigazzi, the M3 eventually made its way to the UK, where it has been prepared for historic racing by BMW specialists Amspeed Racing.

Its second career has been every bit as successful. The car won the HSCC Super Touring Car Challenge in 2013 and the Motor Racing Legends Historic Touring Car Challenge in 2018, before taking overall victory at the 2023 Donington Historic Festival with four-time BTCC champion Colin Turkington sharing the driving.

An original DTM-spec E30 M3 with genuine period competition history, a formidable roll call of drivers and proven pace in historic racing, this is far more than an iconic BMW. It is a racing car that has never really stopped racing.

BMW’s original DTM weapon

Twisted Metal