The BMW E30 is the most popular Series 3 ever produced. Produced for 12 years from 1982 onwards, it would end up selling near enough 2 million units. The M3 version was the first "M" developed commercially by the sports branch of the brand, BMW Motorsport GmbH. Of course, its success was instantaneous and the M3 E30 even served as a basis for the DTM and Rally versions of the E30!