{"id":83982,"date":"2025-10-13T11:00:41","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T15:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=83982"},"modified":"2025-10-13T11:00:41","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T15:00:41","slug":"e30-bmw-m4-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=83982","title":{"rendered":"The E30 M4: A Wild Mashup of Classic BMW M3 and Modern M4 Power"},"content":{"rendered":"

The BMW M4 didn\u2019t exist until around 2013. That year, the brand decided to officially split two- and four-door models of the 3 Series. Sedans kept the 3 badge, while coupes and convertibles became the 4 Series. Of course, this split also spawned the confusing 4 Series Gran Coupe, which was a ultimately a four-door version of a two-door version of a four-door sedan. But, we\u2019ve digressed. The changes carried over to the brand\u2019s M Series lineup, too. The following model year, convertibles and coupes became the M4, while sedans retained the M3 title. As a result, reading or hearing \u201cE30 M4\u201d might cause some immediate confusion. But, courtesy of BMW M\u2019s Instagram page, we now know (or remember) that it\u2019s \u2014 at least in some capacity \u2014 very real.<\/p>\n

The E30 M4, as BMW itself referred to it, is a heavily modified E30 M3. While one glance of the exterior tells you the car isn\u2019t stock, the real magic takes place under the hood. As the name suggests, the S14 four-cylinder normally found under the bonnet has been replaced with the twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six from the first generation M4. While sadly missing the beautiful carbon strut brace that bejewels most S55-powered cars, it\u2019s amazing the engine fit in the first place \u2014 we won\u2019t pick nits for presentation. Besides, when it comes to handling, the E30 M4 has things more than under control. This S55-swapped E30 M3 also features a custom push-rod suspension setup.<\/p>\n

Getting to Know the E30 M4<\/h3>\n
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You\u2019ve already got the S55 engine<\/a> under the hood and a heavily customized suspension setup. So, why not go the extra mile? Builder JP Performance must have agreed, because they\u2019ve done exactly that. As a result, the E30 M4 sports mostly M4-sourced running gear inside the car. The factory gauge cluster, steering wheel, and even dual-clutch transmission (and shifter) all made it in. There are some factory E30 M3 bits remaining, too. Much of the interior, like the door cards and headlight switch, remains intact, and the car\u2019s bodywork is largely held over from the icon of the 80s. Even the check control is visible in some videos. However, it\u2019s likely non-functioning, as JP Performance swapped all the sensors over from the F82 M4. While some modifications exist \u2014 custom Recaro seats and cooling bits by CSF, for example \u2014 the car is largely a \u201cbest-of\u201d collection of the F82 M4 and E30 M3.<\/p>\n

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This isn\u2019t the first time we\u2019ve seen BMW feature the E30 M4. And, it bears saying that this isn\u2019t even the only S55-swapped E30 out there. But thanks to its extreme suspension setup, it\u2019s safe to say this is one of the most extensive E30 M4 projects ever. It\u2019s also one of the best documented. What better way to start your week than by flipping through pictures of the only car BMW has ever called the \u201cE30 M4?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The BMW M4 didn\u2019t exist until around 2013. That year, the brand decided to officially split two- and four-door models of the 3 Series. Sedans kept the 3 badge, while coupes and convertibles became the 4 Series. Of course, this split also spawned the confusing 4 Series Gran Coupe, which was a ultimately a four-door […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":83983,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=83982"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83982\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/83983"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=83982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=83982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=83982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}