39% Of Us Vote The Classic E30 As Our Favourite M3

A couple of weeks ago BMW gave us a first glimpse of the new M3... the M4. The name might have changed, but its ancestry hasn't, so we decided to take a look back at M3s of the past, and asked you to vote for your favourite.

Since the E30 that started it all, BMW's super saloon has been a benchmark for its competitors. The incredible driving experience secured its place in the hearts of petrolheads the world over, gaining a fanatical following that is evident in the comments section of our poll.

And the winner is... the E30 M3! But it was by no means a landslide victory, securing just 6% more of the total votes than the second placed E46, and it was those E46 fans who took to the comments in defence of their decision. We'd argue that most BMW fans probably hit E30 without thinking - the iconic styling and where-it-all-started status makes it the obvious choice.

And perhaps it was this fact - that the E30 is the obvious choice - that drove those who voted against it to defend their decision. Dare we say it, but the E46 came across as the thinking man's M3, and we reckon Mickey Jizzle (we hope that's your real name!) summed up your collective thought process perfectly, saying;

Despite the E30 and E46 taking a whopping 72% of the votes, we should probably give a nod to the also-rans. Taking the final spot on the podium is the E36 with 13% of the votes, followed closely by the E92's V8 rumbling along with 10% of you behind the wheel. Propping up the table, unsurprisingly, is the F82 M4, winning over a meagre 5% of voters.

But ultimately the winner should not have been a shock to anyone - the E30 won our poll, and its heroic reputation, through pure brilliance. The game-changing saloon still holds a special place in our hearts as a pure-bred driver's car, its wide-arches barely containing the motorsport-bred tech that makes it a genuine legend of car culture.

So while we've discovered that you lot think BMW drivers are the biggest jerks on the road, you'd clearly forgive them for hooning an E30 M3. Thanks for voting!