BMW M3 Coloring Page: Free Printable PDF Sheet for Kids

BMW M3: History & Fun Facts

A 1986 Racing Homologation Special

BMW built the very first M3 in 1986 mainly to satisfy Group A touring car racing rules, which required automakers to sell a road-going version of any car they wanted to race competitively. That original M3, based on the compact E30-generation 3 Series, needed flared fenders and a different rear window angle just to fit the wider racing tires and aerodynamics engineers wanted for the track.

Six Generations, One Engine Layout Debate

BMW has built six distinct M3 generations since 1986, cycling between four-cylinder, inline-six, and V8 engines depending on the era, before returning to a twin-turbocharged inline-six for the current generation. Enthusiasts still argue about which layout suits the nameplate best, a debate that has followed the M3 through decades of steady redesigns.

The First M3 With a V8

BMW gave the fourth-generation M3, built from 2007 to 2013, a naturally aspirated V8 engine, the only time the nameplate has used a V8 rather than a four-cylinder or six-cylinder engine before or since. That generation also revived a lightweight carbon-fiber roof panel, a weight-saving trick BMW carried forward into several later M3 model years.

A Grille Redesign Sparks Debate

The current sixth-generation M3, launched in 2021, arrived with a noticeably larger and taller front grille than any earlier generation, a styling change that split opinion among longtime BMW fans just as strongly as the shift between engine layouts once did. That taller grille shape is echoed in the vertical-slat front end traced in this outline.

A Wagon Body Joins the Lineup

BMW built its first-ever M3 wagon, called the M3 Touring, starting with the current generation, giving performance-sedan buyers a five-door cargo-hauling body style that had never officially existed for the M3 nameplate in over three decades of production. That wagon shares the same drivetrain and grille styling as the four-door sedan this outline traces.

A Racing Career Beyond the Road Car

M3 race cars have won championships across touring car series worldwide, including multiple appearances at the Nurburgring 24 Hours endurance race, where the compact sedan has repeatedly outrun larger and more powerful rivals on the demanding German circuit. That racing pedigree is part of why the M3 nameplate still carries weight with enthusiasts nearly four decades after the first homologation-special version left the factory.

A Video Game Icon

An E46-generation M3 GTR race car became one of the most recognizable vehicles in video game history after starring as a rival car in a popular street-racing game, a role that introduced the M3 to a generation of players who had never seen the real race car compete in person. BMW built a small run of matching road-legal GTR versions to satisfy homologation rules for the American Le Mans Series, a real endurance program running at the same time the game was released.

A Manual Gearbox Holds On

BMW kept offering a traditional manual transmission on the M3 long after most rivals dropped the option, a choice aimed squarely at enthusiast drivers who wanted to shift gears themselves rather than rely on a quick-shifting automatic. That manual option remains available on the current generation traced in this outline, paired with the same twin-turbocharged inline-six engine offered in the quicker-shifting automatic version.