BMW M3 Parts: Engines and Parts by Generation

Finding parts for a BMW M3 starts with knowing which M3 you have. In its first four generations the M3 used a four-cylinder, two different straight-sixes and then a V8, and each generation is built on the 3 Series of its day. Some body and cabin parts may cross over from an ordinary 3 Series of the same generation; the engine and its ancillaries never do.

South Africa has its own M3 story, too. BMW's records show that 700 second-generation M3s were assembled from kits at BMW's Rosslyn plant in South Africa, alongside the cars built in Germany.

M3 generations and engines

The figures below are from BMW's media information "Twenty Years of the BMW M3" (July 2007) unless another source is named.

Generation	Launched	Engine	Output (European spec)
First (E30)	1985	S14 four-cylinder, 2.3 litres (2.5 in the Sport Evolution)	144 to 175 kW depending on version
Second (E36)	1992	Straight-six, 3.0 litres, later 3.2	210 kW, later 236 kW
Third (E46)	end of 2000	S54 straight-six, 3,246 cc	252 kW
Fourth	2007	V8, 3,999 cc	309 kW

First generation (E30): the S14 four-cylinder

The first M3 used a four-cylinder engine, the S14, developed from a production block with a four-valve head that BMW's engineers made by "cutting off" two combustion chambers from the six-cylinder head.

BMW chose four cylinders over six partly to save weight and partly because the longer six-cylinder crankshaft vibrated earlier at high revs. CAR magazine notes that South Africa did not get this first M3; the locally built 325iS, the "Gusheshe", filled that gap (CAR magazine, May 2018). Parts for the E30 range are on our E30 parts page.

Second generation (E36): built at Rosslyn too

The 1992 M3 was the first with a six-cylinder engine: 3.0 litres, 210 kW/286 hp and 320 Nm. Later versions grew to 236 kW/321 hp.

BMW says almost 72,000 of this generation left its Regensburg plant over seven years of production, "joined by another 700 units built as completely knocked down (CKD) kits at BMW's Rosslyn Plant in South Africa". For body and cabin parts, our E36 parts page covers the 3 Series it is based on.

Third generation (E46): the S54

The E46 M3 used the S54, a 3.2-litre straight-six which BMW of North America says shares only its basic format with other BMW sixes, with "virtually all of its engineering details" unique (BMW of North America press kit). In European form it made 252 kW/343 hp. That is why an ordinary E46 engine part is no use on an M3 engine, even though many body parts look identical. Our E46 3 Series parts page covers the regular cars.

Fourth generation (2007): the first V8 M3

The 2007 M3 was the first with eight cylinders: a 3,999 cc V8 with 309 kW/420 hp and 400 Nm, revving to 8,400 rpm (BMW media information, "The new BMW M3", July 2007). For the 3 Series of that era, see our E90 parts page.

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What crosses over from a normal 3 Series, and what does not

• Never crosses over: the engine and its ancillaries. Every M3 generation above had an engine that the ordinary 3 Series did not.
• Check with the VIN: body panels, lights, glass and interior parts. Some are shared with the ordinary 3 Series and some are M3-specific, and two parts can look alike while fitting differently.

What to send us for M3 parts

Send the year, the generation, the VIN from your licence disc and a photo of the part you need, plus any number printed on it.

You can also browse all our used BMW parts, or read our M5 guide for BMW's larger M saloon.