BMW M88

The BMW M88 is a straight-6 DOHC petrol engine which was produced from 1978 to 1989. It is based on the DOHC version of the BMW M49 engine, which was used in the BMW 3.0CSi racing cars.

The M88 was produced alongside the BMW M30 engine, as the higher performance engine. In North America up until 1989, the BMW S38 engine was used instead of the M88. In 1989, an updated version of the S38 became the worldwide replacement for the M88. The M30B35LE is a SOHC engine which is based on the M88/1; this is sometimes referred to as the M90.

BMW engineers used a DOHC valvetrain on a production engine for the first time on the M88, with the camshafts driven by a single-row timing chain. Kugelfischer fuel injection was used with individual throttle valves and the distinctive six individual throttle bodies.

The construction is an aluminium cylinder head and a cast iron block. The bore is 93.4 mm (3.68 in) and the stroke is 84.0 mm (3.31 in), resulting in a displacement of 3,453 cc (210.7 cu in).

The M88 was the original iteration of the engine and was fitted to the BMW M1. It produces 277 PS (204 kW; 273 hp) at 6,500 rpm and 330 N⋅m (240 lb⋅ft) at 5,500 rpm. A dry sump is used.

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For the BMW M1 Procar single-make series, the M88 engine was bored out marginally to reach 3,498 cc (3.5 L). This racing version, called the M88/1, met the Group 4 regulations. This race engine produced 350 kW (480 PS; 470 hp) in Procar specifications. This version had forged pistons, sharper camshafts, bigger valves, as well as oil cooling for the transmission and rear differential.

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