[The HACK]

I've driven EVERY generation M3 on track but have never owned one. Each is "special" in their own way. That's why they earned the coveted "M" badge. But if I were to pick one that's truly unique, it would have to be the E30 M3. But that's primarily because it was the car I coveted when I was a teenager.

There are special reason to own each one.

If I can only have one out of all the M3s? E30 M3 for sure. It's the original. It the most limited in production number. It is truly the only car on this list that can be considered "special." It holds a special place in my heart as my first car love. You can't replace that.

IF I have to pay for one car to drive, and it can only be an M3? E46 M3. Unlike the other M3s that follow it, it can be driven like you stole it, it has respectable, usable space, it's small and light enough to be "toss-able" on track, and that S54 is probably going to be the GREATEST inline 6 engine ever built. I can live with daily driving the E46 M3 and take it to the track on the weekend and not worry about having to take out a second mortgage just to pay for the car, or the gas (it gets up to 26 mpg on the freeway!).

IF I'm paying for a track car? E36 M3. No question. They're affordable enough now where you can still pick one up to convert into a respectable NASA/BMW CCA race car, likely in a competitive field. They're common enough where you won't feel so bad converting one to a race car, and should something happen to it, sure, it'll hurt, but it won't hurt like crashing an E30 M3 hurt. And it still has what most considered one of the best steering racks BMW has ever built.

If I already have a track car, like a Lotus Elise/Exige, or have a car that I've already done extensive work to to make it track worthy like the E36 M3, I would take an F80 M3 as my M3 in the garage. Because you need something to balance out the rough riding, tires every 5,000 miles, shock rebuild every year, and 2 extra strength Tylenol before you start driving it because it's so effin' stiff that your back is going to hurt like a b*tch for weeks if you drive it for more than an hour track car, and god forbid should you ever want to go drive 5 hours to Laguna Seca or 8 hours to Thunderhill, you're NOT going to take the race car/track car. You take the F80 M3.

If I'm looking to "invest" in an M3 right now, buy it and park it for the foreseeable future, only to fire it up on the weekend and take it to the local track twice a year to feed it some speed? E9x M3. LAST of the naturally aspirated M3. The ONLY M3 to come with a V-8. Last of the semi-analog cars, last of the BMWs where you KNOW you're driving the car, not the "in Soviet Russia, the car drives YOU" BMWs. Those that own an E9x M3 in pristine condition and somewhat low mileage? In 10 years they're probably going to command 2-3X what they're worth NOW as more and more of us old timers reminisce about the days where you have to actually have some decent skills to drive an M3 FAST on track, rather than having the M3 make you look like an F1 driver out of the gate. Or have it drive you around the track for you.