► Limited model celebrates 30 years of M3
► Called the BMW M3 30 Jahre Edition
► Only 30 cars in the UK, on sale for £82,675
Time flies when you’re having fun. It’s now been 30 years since the BMW M3 was launched, and to celebrate BMW is launching a special limited edition: the BMW M3 30 Jahre Edition. You probably don’t need to be fluent in German to work out what the name means.
Has it really been 30 years since the original M3?
Yep – the M3 first arrived in 1986 in boxy E30 form, after its unveil at the 1985 Frankfurt motor show.
The new M3 30th edition follows in the tracks of 2014’s BMW M5 30 Jahre, the most powerful version of the M5 yet. The M3 30 Jahre also gets a moderate power hike and an array of styling tweaks. Appropriately enough, its production run will be limited to 30 cars in the UK.
Read CAR magazine’s group test of the greatest BMW M cars ever on CAR+ here.
What makes the BMW M3 30 Jahre Edition different from a regular M3?
It gets the M3’s optional Competition Package as standard, with a 19bhp power hike to 444bhp and electronically controlled ‘Adaptive M’ suspension with rejigged springs, dampers and a subtle remap for the driver-selectable Comfort, Sport and Sport + modes.
The electronics for the active differential have been tweaked too, as has the stability control system. BMW claims 0-62mph in 4sec flat, a 0.1sec improvement over the standard M3. Carbon ceramic brakes are standard, as is a dual-clutch auto gearbox.
As for the bits you can see, there are flashy forged 20in wheels with an anarchic-looking star spoke design and enormous 285/30 boots on the back, plus a special ‘Frozen Silver’ paintjob and bits of carbonfibre everywhere; front splitter, mirror caps, diffuser, spoiler – all are made of the stuff.
Go on then – how much will an M3 30 Jahre set me back?
That’ll be £82,675, which seems more than a little steep considering a regular Competition Pack-equipped M3 retails at around £59,595. A little rarity value goes a long way, eh?
