It's Time We Stopped Hailing Old Cars As The Pinnacle Of Driving Excellence

If you follow us on pretty much any form of social media, you’ll know that at the beginning of November, we gathered together every generation of BMW M3 for the biggest shoot in Car Throttle’s history. You’ll know this mostly because we spammed the hell out of every one of those social media channels with pictures of what we were up to. But hey, who wouldn’t?

There was a recurring theme when it came to the replies on these posts, though: outpourings of love for the original M3: the E30. Many assumed that it’d be crowned the ‘winner’ of the test. After all, it was made in a time before the takeover of electronic driver aids, a time before electric power steering and morbid obesity among cars. So, while it was by far the slowest car we had on the day, surely it would be the most satisfying, involving and exciting one to drive? Well no, actually.

I don’t want to drop a massive spoiler in this piece, but let’s just say when pondering our favourite car of the day, the E30 wasn’t exactly at the forefront of our minds. Why? Because it left everyone who drove it a little underwhelmed. 215bhp is a decent output for something weighing 1215kg, but the way it delivers that power isn’t exactly what you’d call urgent. Then there’s the very slow steering, and the soft, roll-tastic suspension.

In the grand scheme of things, this is not a sharp driver’s car, something we all agreed on during the day. And it’s not just us: our man Alex admitted he’d been told by countless other motoring journalists not to drive the E30 M3, as the reality would never live up to its lofty reputation.

None of this is the original M3’s fault. It’s still an exquisite thing (its classic, boxy proportions are ridiculously gorgeous), and there’s no questioning its motorsport history and how incredible a car it was in its day. But its day was a long time ago: the particular E30 we drove - a Roberto Ravaglia limited edition - is 26 years old, for Pete’s sake. And yet, people haven’t been able to move on, treating cars like the E30 - plus others from and before its time - like they’re the pinnacle of driving excellence. I even recall seeing a review of the E92 M3 in one respected motoring publication which claimed the V8-powered car wasn’t as exciting as the old E30. Are they mad?

If you drive a lot of old and new cars like we’re fortunate enough to, you’ll soon find this idea of performance cars from the early 90s and before being the superior driver’s machines to be nonsense. Steering has never been so quick and direct, while braking and suspension technology has come on leaps and bounds in recent years.

There seems to be this misconception that if you step into an older car, you’ll immediately be rewarded with a pure driving experience, with go kart-like, feelsome steering. Actually, older cars usually have some of the worst steering you’ll come across, often being incredibly slow and woefully vague.

"By all means, celebrate older performance cars for what they achieved in their time. The E30 M3 and countless others deserve that"

Sure, there are exceptions to the rule, and yes, I do think there was a point where cars generally ‘peaked’ in terms of driver feedback and involvement. But I reckon that peak point is much more recent than people seem to think; something we’ll talk about in more detail when it’s time for the full M3 generations test. I also think - particularly at the faster end of the scale - there are signs that the whole feel thing is coming back onto the agenda, despite what the doom-mongers say.

I’m not saying that I dislike classic cars, quite the opposite: they’re usually better to look at, more characterful and entertaining to drive in their own quirky way. By all means, celebrate older performance cars for what they achieved in their time, for how they stood up to their contemporaries. The E30 M3 and countless others deserve that. But don’t whatever you do put them on some sort of pedestal like they’re still the benchmark for driver’s cars. They’re not, and that’s just fine.