When talking about the BMW M3, the automaker's legendary straight-six engine will always be part of the conversation, just the same as the Porsche 911's flat-six and the Corvette's V8.

But Bimmer fans would know that that wasn't always the case. At some point in time, specifically from the mid-2000s to 2013, BMW introduced the first M3 powered by a naturally-aspirated 4.0-litre V8 engine. It was a bold move, making the M3 E92 worthy of being called a European muscle car.

As it turned out, this would be the only generation of the M3 that carried the BMW S65 mill. Following its footsteps is the S55, marking BMW's return to straight-six engines.

Gallery: BMW E92 M3 Brochure Pictures

But just how good was the BMW NA V8 then? Truth be told, it actually posted good performance numbers before. It can sprint from standstill to 62 miles per hour (100 kilometres per hour) in 4.8 seconds, while its top speed was electronically limited to 155 mph (249 km/h). However, without the limiter, the E92 M3 is said to be capable of reaching speeds of up to 190 mph (306 km/h), albeit unconfirmed.

That said, there's one way to find out and that's through an actual top speed run. Fortunately, AutoTopNL staged an Autobahn top speed run for one living example.

As you would have watched by now, this old BMW M3 still got the legs to reach its maximum potential. The speedometer read near 310 km/h or around 193 mph, which confirms the top speed without the limiter. It also has a nice engine sound to go with that speed, and we can only imagine the excitement felt by the tester while doing the exciting run.