BMW never fails to put on a show at the annual Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. The event is always important, since BMW has been its organizer since 2009, but this year is even more so. This year marks the 40th anniversary of BMW’s most iconic sports car nameplate, the M3. And the Bavarians plan to celebrate that on the stunning shores of Lake Como.
The original E30-generation M3 launched in 1986. BMW wanted to race the M3 in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM), to take on Mercedes and its mighty 190E. But, per DTM rules, the M3 couldn’t race unless BMW sold 5000 roadgoing versions to the public. The E30 M3—the only version of the model that was a true homologation special–was born. With its buzzy 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine, boxy fender flares, and razor-sharp handling, the E30 M3 went on to become the most successful DTM car of all time, a title BMW still claims.
Now, 40 years later, the M3 is a far cry from its homologated race car origins. The current-generation G80 M3 only comes with four doors (the M4 admittedly comes with two), it has all of the creature comforts of a luxury car, can be had with a traditional torque-converter automatic transmission, and is even offered with all-wheel drive. It’s an entirely different beast from the stripped-out, lightweight, feral little race car that the original was. That’s not to say it’s bad—it isn’t. The current M3 is one of the most violently fast cars on the market, and bullies the laws of physics until they do what the M3 wants them to do. So it will be fascinating to see them next to each other on Lake Como.
BMW won’t only be celebrating the M3 in Italy, though. Interestingly, 2026 marks the anniversaries of several iconic Bavarian nameplates. The original 328, the car that won the Miglia Miglia in 1938, will be celebrating its 90th birthday. The BMW 6 Series, which debuted with the shark-nosed E24 generation, turns 50. And the BMW 02 Series, possibly the most important car in the brand’s history and the most famous from the original “Neue Klasse” (New Class) series of cars, turns 60 years old. That last one is especially interesting, as BMW is now launching a new Neue Klasse, but this time they’re electrified.
According to BMWBlog, the current M3 will live until 2027, with the G81 M3 Touring being the last purely gas-powered domino to fall. After that, the next-generation “G84” M3 will arrive, ushering in a new era of M3. Thankfully, it will still keep its inline-six, which will make purists happy.
The future can wait, though. Instead, it’s time to celebrate some of the most important cars in BMW’s history, with some of the world’s most beautiful scenery in the background, on May 15.
