DREAM TEAM.

First off, the numbers: with a displacement of 2.5 litres, this free-aspirating four-cylinder S14 engine produces a remarkable 238 hp – which is still enough to deliver an acceleration value of around 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 250 km/h to this day. This is all made possible thanks to its low vehicle weight of around 1,200 kilograms, aided by the special glass used in its rear and side windows. At the front axle, the Sport Evolution is ten millimetres lower than the normal BMW M3, and the brake system is akin to the production model.

Of course, the true spirit of the Sport Evolution is not revealed simply by looking at the data sheet, but from the driver’s seat. Once you’ve taken a ride in the Sport Evolution, you won’t let go of the fascinating driving experience for a long time. Matthias Unger is sure of this and enjoys taking his place behind the wheel in the leather racing seats with the sewn-in M stripes. After a metallic click of the red seatbelts, he brings the engine to life with a quick turn of the key. Even when idle, the large-volume four-cylinder engine demonstrates its distinctive sound, literally craving the first blast of gas. Speed is the Sport Evolution’s trump card: the longitudinally-mounted engine only develops its full performance potential from 7,000 revolutions and continues to churn to a maximum of 7,500 revolutions.

This is by no means a disadvantage; Unger regards the Sport Evolution as what it is: a street-legal racing car that can be pushed to the limit with vim and verve. While the relationship between work and relaxation is usually a contradictory one in today’s world, it goes hand-in-hand at the wheel of the M3 Sport Evolution. This is meant literally when it comes to Matthias Unger, as he shifts the manual transmission’s five gears with pleasure time and again, exploiting its full range of speed and leaving curve after curve behind him. The M3 Sport Evolution now gives everything it’s got. The suspension travel is short and the steering is a bit more jagged than on the already-agile M3 series. Then, as we fly over the autumn country roads, the realisation sets in: the almost 30-year-old M3 is a revelation in terms of driving dynamics. The phrase displayed on the small suede-covered badge behind the gear stick sums it up quite well: Sport Evolution 1990.