--- title: "Game Recognizes Game: BMW Gives Mate Rimac Props for Super-Rare E30 M3" date: "2025-02-20" modified: "2025-02-20" authors: - name: "Byron Hurd" job_title: "Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/byron-hurd.md" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/game-recognizes-game-bmw-gives-mate-rimac-props-for-super-rare-e30-m3" categories: - "BMW News" - "News" - "News by Brand" --- # Game Recognizes Game: BMW Gives Mate Rimac Props for Super-Rare E30 M3 ![]() *\BMW M (via Instagram)\* It's no secret that [Bugatti]() Rimac CEO [Mate Rimac]() is a fan of vintage German automobiles. We've touched on [his collection]() before, and let's face it, when you run one of the most high-tech performance outfits on the planet and still choose to daily drive 20-plus-year-old sport sedans, it says quite a lot about you as an enthusiast—and to be clear, we like what we're hearing. Evidently, we're not alone, because Rimac's internal combustion fleet keeps earning him atta-boys from all over the Internet. This time, it's coming straight from the mothership. > [View this post on Instagram]() > [A post shared by BMW M GmbH (@bmwm)]() It's Rimac's E30 [M3]() Sport Evolution that is getting attention this time around. His impeccably clean, one-of-600 Evo III's would turn heads just about anywhere, so it's no surprise that it caught the eye of the folks in Munich. ![]() *BMW M (via Instagram)* This conspicuously rare E30 was spawned from BMW M's Touring Car racing program, which was restricted to production models. At the time, that was defined as anything with a series run of 5,000 units or more. The M3 itself satisfied that requirement. When BMW wanted to turn up the wick on its race cars even more, it turned to an exemption that allowed them to use even hotter components than the standard M3's so long as a minimum of 500 units were produced. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ-NTcci4Iw This is how the Evolution was born, and we'd eventually get three iterations of it. The third arrived just as BMW was winding down its motorsports efforts with the chassis, making it as much a send-off for the model that served as the foundation for the performance world's best-recognized four-door nameplate. ![]() *BMW M (via Instagram)* ![]() *BMW M (via Instagram)* Behold, then, the 1990 BMW M3 Sport Evolution III—the screaming little sport car's final form. The punched-out four-cylinder engine displaced 2.5 liters (instead of the standard 2.3) and produced 238 horsepower to the standard M3's 192. That may not seem like much compared to today's 500-horsepower sport sedans, but you weren't seeing numbers like that out of a four-cylinder in 1990. Rimac's example is a beaut. If there's a piece of trim out of place or an incorrect replacement part, we can't spot it. Hey, anything impeccable enough to get the attention of your competition must be pretty special, right? *Got a tip? Email us at tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Byron is an editor at The Drive with a keen eye for infrastructure, sales and regulatory stories. He brings a light, punchy style to all of his content, believing that there's plenty out there to be laughed at—himself included. Born and raised in Maryland but now based just a stone's throw from Detroit, Byron is an auto enthusiast and generalist who enjoys building and tinkering with things of all kinds, from cars, computers and digital cityscapes, to the new garage that will soon house his fleet (a CT4-V Blackwing, a JK Wrangler and an NA Miata). Inspired by an early love of rollercoasters, Byron quickly caught the high-performance driving itch. He's been tracking and auto-crossing his cars since 2007. In his downtime, Byron enjoys reading, playing city builders, and studying the history of the Motor City. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]() ## More - [Mate Rimac Drives an E39 BMW M5 to His Day Job as a Hypercar CEO]() - [1991 BMW E30 M3 Race Car Could Sell for More Than $200,000 at Auction]() - [$350,000 BMW E30 M3 Build Packs an M5 V10 With 625 HP]() - [This Student-Built, SEMA 2018-Bound E30-Generation BMW M3 Packs the Engine of a 2018 M3]() - [Jay Leno Takes an E30 M3-Swapped BMW 2002 for a Spin in L.A.]() - [This E30 BMW M3 Just Sold for $250,000 On Bring A Trailer; Your Brain Is Now On Fire]() - [You Could Buy This Like-New 162-Mile BMW E30 For $82,000]() - [Floridian Hero Stuffs E30 BMW M3 and Volkswagen GTI In Living Room to Ride Out Hurricane Dorian]()