It's been 50 years since the first BMW 3 Series graced our shores, believe it or not. Half a century later, the German luxury sedan is still ubiquitous with buyers. Even amongst a field of alternatives more crowded than ever, the 3 Series remains the top dog, with more than 20 million examples sold globally throughout its history.
But BMW didn't get to this point on name recognition alone; It took 50 years of finessing and perfecting to find a formula that worked. In 2025, the G80 generation arguably marks the culmination of what the brand has to offer: performance, technology, and comfort wrapped up in a tidy and stylish package (that last part might not apply to everyone).
That ongoing pursuit of building "The Ultimate Driving Machine" was reflected at this year's Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, with BMW displaying some of its most iconic 3 Series models of all time, from original E21 and E36 Lightweight models, to a lovely F30 wagon and, of course, the latest 2025 generation.
As part of that celebration, BMW gave me seat time in some of its most beloved M3s: An E46, an E92 Lime Rock Park Edition, and a new G80. And they were all spectacular in their own right.
Let’s start from the beginning.
The year 2006 doesn't feel all that distant in my mind, but holy shit, that was 19 years ago?! When the E46 M3 debuted in 2000, it was the hot new thing. It had a modern inline-six and a lightweight construction, and love it or hate it, the E46 marked the arrival of BMW's new automated manual transmission in the American M3 (or, the SMG).
Making 333 horsepower from its 3.2-liter inline-six, the E46 still has enough power in 2025. It certainly isn't he rip-roaring-riot that the modern G80 M3 is, but its inline-six is silky smooth and the six-speed manual—in this case—is perfectly notchy, which allows the E46 to make quick work of the mostly straight roads around the concourse.
The E46 M3 is just… really, really nice.
The E46 is an absolute joy to drive, even slowly. It's not back-breakingly stiff like the current M3, nor overly powerful or too shouty like some of the other German super saloons of the day. The E46 M3 is just… really, really nice.
There's a reason so many BMW fans flock to this generation.
The company went in an entirely new direction with the arrival of the E90 M3 in 2007. BMW ditched the E46's sultry inline-six for a naturally aspirated 4.0-liter V-8 making 414 hp and 295 lb-ft. And it's still the only mass-production M3 to ever get a V-8.
Driving the E92 back-to-back with the E46—it's an entirely different experience. This Lime Rock Park model from 2013 feels eons newer than the E46, even though it's merely one generation removed. The cabin is clean and modern (for 2013, at least), soaked in black leather with a decently sized iDrive screen on the dash and a rotary controller in the center console. The graphics are very 2013-esque, as you'd expect, but everything works cleanly, and the navigation system ain't even half bad.
The E92's V-8 is—for lack of a better word—delicious. It doesn't necessarily have the same silky smooth qualities as the E46's inline-six, but it doles out a wallop of power up front with a smooth, linear curve all the way to its 8,500-rpm redline. Lay hard into the throttle and the exhaust cracks and pops; it's not blisteringly quick, but it's fast enough to make you feel something.
The Lime Rock Park M3 feels like BMW's most complete sports car; this is the brand's best M3 ever.
Pairing that naturally aspirated V-8 with an automatic transmission like the one tested here may seem sacrilegious, but once BMW ditched the SMG for a seven-speed dual-clutch, it was revolutionary. The seven-speed is quick, smooth, and decisive. It has no problem dishing out power appropriately, upshifting and downshifting on command.
The Lime Rock Park M3 feels like BMW's most complete sports car; this is the brand's best M3 ever. But hey, that's just me. Between the naturally aspirated V-8, the upgraded dual-clutch, and of course, the Lime Rock Orange paint job with multi-spoke silver wheels, I can't think of a more perfect combination.
That said, plenty of you would probably argue that the current G80 M3 is also in contention. While it's not my favorite M3 of all time, there's still a lot to like about BMW's most powerful, most capable M3.
For one, the engine is just absurd. Sixty miles per hour takes no time at all, and power builds aggressively to redline before you realize you're well beyond legal speed limits. Even though BMW went back to the six-cylinder on the F80 and the G80 here—both with turbochargers—the 2025 M3 delivers a wallop of up to 523 hp in the Competition xDrive trim. The standard version tested here makes 473 hp by comparison, but that's still plenty.
The six-speed manual is still the preferred gearbox, and it’s short enough for quick rips but not so notchy that it’s uncomfortable to use daily. The clutch has a narrow catch point, but it only takes a few minutes to figure out.
As a pure performance car, at least, the G80 M3 does its forebears proud.
The one big downside of the modern M3 is how damn uncomfortable it is. Thankfully, I didn’t have the aggressive M Sport bucket with the built-in crotch bumper. But not even the softer M seats could soak up the absolutely hellacious blows from the suspension on certain stretches of pavement. The six-ish hour drive from my home in Fort Myers to Amelia was, let’s say, not comfortable. As a pure performance car, at least, the G80 M3 does its forebears proud.
Fifty years is a big deal for anything, really—let alone a luxury sedan in an age where SUVs reign supreme. But the 3 Series and the M3 both prove that BMW’s attention to detail in regards to performance engineering has stood the test of time.
Regardless of what you think of the company in its current state, one thing remains true: The M3 will forever be an icon.
