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Caption:

1986-1992 E30 M3

Legends have to start somewhere, and the E30 M3 set the bar high for future performance oriented 3-Series cars. Power came from a heavily reworked 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine, cranking out just under 200 horsepower. Not only was this BMW's first serious everyday sports car, but tuning companies like Prodrive and AC Schnitzer even called upon the E30 M3 to compete in rally, touring car, and DTM racing competitions. Near the end of its life, the E30's engine was boosted to 2.5 liters and could make up to 340 horsepower in full race trim.

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We're right on the heels of getting the first drive impressions about BMW's latest Z4 hardtop roadster. Because of this, we began to think about the sporty, road-going BMWs of the past and how there have been a few really great cars that have come from the fine folks in Munich. Thus, we present our list of the top ten sporty BMW's from the last fifty years.

To note: We only stuck with mass-produced street cars (sorry, Batmobile CSL) which were sold in the United States. This list represents some of our favorite drivers cars from the past few decades, some of which have helped shape the overall sports car scene of the automotive marketplace.

Scroll through our gallery above to see all ten of these great cars, and if you think we missed one, be sure to debate it out in the comments section.