MANHART MH3 3.5 TURBO (E30)

It was in the wild 1980s that the BMW E30 M3 won its title, which is still valid today, as the most successful racing touring car of all time: a world championship title, two European championship titles, more than 60 state championships – including two titles in the German Touring Car Championship – and far more than 1,000 overall victories in national and international car races and rallies can be attributed to the broad-shouldered Bavarian. In view of such a nimbus, we naturally took the opportunity to ennoble a copy of the E30 M3 under our MANHART Classic Cars label: the MH3 3.5 TURBO.

As early as the 1980s and 1990s, our technicians did not shy away from complex technology swaps, for example equipping E30 M3 vehicles with M six-cylinder engines from the E28 M5 (M88) or E34 M5 (S38). The MH3 3.5 TURBO is even more spectacular. The legendary 2.3-litre, high-revving four-cylinder was thrown out of the M3 engine compartment to make way for an even wilder unit: the turbocharged six-cylinder of an ALPINA B7 S Turbo moved into the engine room! Thanks to forced ventilation by a K27 turbocharger from Kühnle, Kopp and Kausch, this 3.5-litre in-line six-cylinder already delivered “standard” 330 hp and 500 Nm, which powered the B7 S Turbo on a BMW E12 basis to a Vmax of 260 km/h that made it the fastest series-produced sedan in the world at the time. But that’s not all! After modifications to the turbocharger and the intercooler, 405 hp and a mighty 650 Nm are now available on demand. The power can be throttled via a manual boost controller. The exhaust gases roar into the open through a MANHART exhaust system, which does not affect the historical admission. The engine power is transmitted to the drive wheels via a five-speed manual transmission and a Drexler differential with a 25 percent lock and an additional cooler.

In order to once again underline the motorsport heritage of the MH3 3.5 TURBO, we gave the two-door sedan a carbon front spoiler blade and a rear spoiler with carbon wings, each of which is reminiscent of the ultimate E30 M3 expansion stage “Sport Evolution”. In addition, the MH3 3.5 TURBO wears a matt green foil dress, to which the black taillights and indicators contrast far less than the surrounding, red accent lines. Those are also carried by the in-house alloy wheels: The MANHART Concave One wheels in the classic double-spoke layout measure 8.5×19 inches with 215/35R19 tyres on the steering axle and 9.5×19 inches with 245/30 tyres on the drive axle. Behind the wheel/tyre combinations, the callipers of the MANHART brake system shine bright red, which acts on drilled 330×32 millimetre discs with four-piston Brembo fixed callipers at the front. At the rear, also drilled brake discs were combined with the E30 M3’s OEM floating callipers. A MANHART monotube coilover suspension by H&R ensures optimal road adhesion of the wheels and extremely agile handling of the civilian racing touring car.

There is no need to fear motorsport asceticism with regard to the MH3 3.5 TURBO passenger compartment: Here the passengers are greeted by an original leather interior in cardinal red. The three-spoke Momo sports steering wheel with a diameter of 350 millimetres and the wooden gear knob bear the MANHART logo. A data display integrated into the left of the middle air vent informs the driver about numerous vital signs of the B7 S turbo engine.

At MANHART Performance we are always ready to help you out and full-in your requirements, especially after you read all the information on this page. If you have any questions with regards to specific tuning parts, engine upgrades, any other details or you would like to order your parts now, then please reach out to us.