Man Maths: BMW M3 (E90)

Something was lost when the M3 switched from naturally aspirated to turbocharged engines in 2014. It’s been that way ever since and the next petrol M3 will use turbos too. So if you want an M3 that is still powered by a high-revving atmospheric motor, you’ll need to choose one of the older ones. Opinions will vary, but for me the finest engine ever fitted to an M3 is the 4-litre S65 V8 found in the fourth-generation model. It spins to 8400rpm and makes 414bhp on the way there – it’s one of the all-time great engines full stop.

And the car itself? I wouldn’t claim it’s the best M3 overall, but there’s plenty to like about it, such as the way it looks. I’ve chosen to focus on the E90 saloon largely because I think it looks better than the coupé and convertible, and without wishing to sound too dull, I also like its four-door practicality.

But there’s also a romantic element here. I drove an E90 M3 to my first ever magazine end-of-year mega test, an occasion I’d been looking forward to for years. Still only 21, I’d been entrusted to deliver this brand new M3 from home in Kent to the shoot location on the North York Moors, which felt like a tremendous responsibility. That didn’t stop me from thrashing the life out of that thing at every opportunity – with an engine like that, there’s really no other way.

I remember the knuckly manual gearshift being a bit of a disappointment, but the rest of the car I liked a lot. It had so much front end grip your cornering speeds were limited by bravery not adhesion, and the high-revving, torque-lite nature of the V8 meant traction was strong too (its turbocharged, torque-rich successor was massively compromised in this respect).

Eighteen years later, they’ve become dangerously affordable. You can pick up leggy coupés for significantly less than £20,000 (they’ve been hovering around that price point for years). Sadly the saloons are more expensive – around £30,000 – because they’re so rare. Fewer than 2000 right-hand drive saloons were built, less than three per cent of total production, meaning you really do need a very strong reason to choose one over the more plentiful and cheaper alternatives.

You also need to proceed with extreme caution, because these cars have numerous weaknesses that can prove ruinous. Watch out for failing rod bearings, which can destroy the engine leaving you with a huge bill to pay, or a useless driveway ornament. These need to be changed preventatively every 60,000 miles or so at a cost of around £2000. There are things to be aware of at the top of the engine too – throttle actuators, for instance, are known to be troublesome. They’re not expensive parts, but if you can’t do the work yourself you’ll be faced with another four-figure bill.

VANOS variable valve timing, DCT gearboxes, differentials… The list goes on. In short, do your research, look for a car that’s had all this work done already, and protect yourself with some sort of warranty if you can.

But it’s worth the effort. This was perhaps the last M3 that valued the quality of the driving experience over the quantity of performance on offer, at least as far as powertrains are concerned. I suspect the forthcoming electric version will take that quantitative approach to the nth degree.