BMW

BMW M3 40th Anniversary Limited Edition

The BMW M3 E30 is 41 years old, having debuted at the 1985 Frankfurt Motor Show. However, production didn't begin until the following year. That's why BMW has been busy this year celebrating four decades since the M3 hit the streets, according to BMWblog.

China is another market that has received a limited edition M3 to mark the anniversary. Available as a sedan and wagon, the car gets a predictable name: the BMW M3 40th Anniversary Limited Edition. Production is limited to 20 units for each body style, but the vehicles wear different colors. The G80 sedan comes in a retro Laguna Seca Blue. The more practical G81 gets a striking Wildberry exterior.

As you can imagine, there’s plenty of “40 Jahre M3” badging inside and out. You’ll notice it on the center console, front headrests, side sills, and even the roof. The latter comes in carbon fiber on the sedan but not on the wagon, as BMW still doesn’t sell the Touring with a carbon roof. It’s not going to happen as reworking the assembly line for a niche model would be too costly. The G81 has already entered the last part of its life cycle anyway, so it’s not worth the hassle.

While most of the BMWs sold in China are built locally and are therefore considerably cheaper than their global counterparts, it’s the other way around for the M3. The G80 and G81 come from Munich and cost the proverbial arm and a leg in this new 40th Anniversary Limited Edition. The xDrive-equipped sedan is a Competition model that goes for RMB 1,038,000. The wagon, which BMW only builds in the all-wheel-drive Competition configuration, retails for RMB 1,068,000.

At current exchange rates, that works out to approximately $154,000 and $159,000, respectively. Yikes. To sweeten the pot, BMW throws in the M Driver’s Package as standard equipment. It unlocks an 180 mph (290 km/h) top speed for the sedan and a slightly lower 174 mph (280 km/h) for the wagon. Buyers will only be able to test it out on a track since China doesn’t have the equivalent of an Autobahn.

The M3 Touring looks bolder than the sedan, replacing the black-look 826M wheels with a bronze finish. These 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels come with blue calipers on the G80 and red on the G81 to complement the body color.

In addition, BMW is giving the Chinese special edition a completely blacked-out grille for an even more serious look.

There’s also plenty of “40 Jahre M3” badging inside and out. They’re found on the center console, front headrests, side sills, and even the roof. The latter comes with carbon fiber on the sedan, but not on the wagon, as BMW doesn’t yet sell the Touring with a carbon fiber roof.

While most BMWs sold in China are built locally, the M3 is the other way around. The G80 and G81 come from Munich and cost a fortune in this new limited edition 40th anniversary edition. The sedan equipped with xDrive is the Competition model, which retails for 1,038,000 yuan. The station wagon, which BMW only produces in Competition configuration with all-wheel drive, sells for 1,068,000 yuan. At current exchange rates, that’s roughly $154,000 and $159,000, respectively.

BMW is also adding the M Driver’s Package as standard equipment. It unlocks a top speed of 290 km/h for the sedan and a slightly lower 280 km/h for the station wagon.

Autonews