The prized BMW M3 with the last non-turbo engine blew up spectacularly while driving fast on the highway

It’s a sad movie, but it reminds us of probably the biggest weakness of this power unit, which needs attention. As long as it’s pedaling, it’s an eight-cylinder gig, when it’s not, it’s a tragedy for one minor explosion and a puff of smoke.

When we first brought this car back from Munich in 2007, it was hard not to hide the disappointment. The BMW M3 E92 was a clear step aside from the E46 generation, admired then and still today, a move towards a somewhat cumbersome touring car, which, although it handled long highway journeys well, was a source of embarrassment on the popular circuit. However, one thing about it was respectable even then – its 4.0-liter, still hand-assembled rotary eight-cylinder, which pulled like a bull in the entire spectrum of usable revolutions. It’s an engine that wows you with its power and sound at 6,000rpm before you realize you’ve got another 2,000rpm of the same. We dare say it is one of the best performance engines in history.

Where are these snows, in any respect. The M3 E92 is no longer viewed with hostility, subsequent generations have gone in the same direction even further. True, it is more complicated with the F80, regardless of the perception of the car as a whole, but the E92 became the last M3 with an engine without a turbo, the first and one with an eight-cylinder engine, the last with a hand-assembled power unit, and it is defined by about a thousand other similar “lasts”. It is therefore a properly valued car that you can’t buy for less than a million and a half in perfect condition with low mileage, even by mistake. The event that happened to one of the German owners is even more chilling.

He drove the M3 (apparently the E90, i.e. an even more valuable sedan) on the German highway, where this car feels like a fish in water. That is, until his engine blows up. We cannot clearly say what happened, from many years of experience with these M3s, but after seeing the consequences, we can say with 99% probability that there was a rupture of the connecting rod bearing, which was either not replaced in time (because it is necessary for this engine), or was replaced incorrectly. And we can see the consequences for ourselves.

The owner takes it in stride, but it’s a really sad sight, which will also be quite expensive – the damage to the car, including the potential loss of value, can easily run into the hundreds of thousands. In short, you have to pay attention to this thing with the M3 E9x, it can happen basically out of nowhere. Finally, see for yourself, here too the explosion came without warning.

The BMW M3 of the E9x generation – here as the most common E92 coupe – can be a source of joy today as the last em-troika with an authentic engine. But he can also torment, as you can see below. Photo: BMW

Source: [email protected]

Petr Miler

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