This is an (almost) perfect M3 and it was for sale

Unfortunately, BMW never offered a Touring version of the E46 M3. There was even a prototype that looked absolutely gorgeous, but the decision-makers never gave it the green light. Of course, that hasn't stopped fans around the world from building their own version of the M3 station wagon. This example - at least in the pictures - looks very precisely made. It was now for sale.

The car comes from Laguna Hills, California and is being auctioned on the American platform Bring a trailer. It was originally a 325 Xi Touring that was completely rebuilt into an M3 Touring by people who clearly knew what they were doing. Including, of course, the S54 straight-six engine from the original. However, it was rebuilt with new parts and additionally equipped with a carbon airbox like in the legendary M3 CSL. The six-speed manual transmission and axles come from the donor M3. Even on the outside, the conversion is nothing special. The bonnet, sills, side skirts, mirrors and fenders have all been replaced with genuine M3 parts, so this 3 Series looks like it really drove off the factory as an M3 Touring. The rear diffuser is also CSL style. The car was painted in BMW's silver gray metallic color.

The rear wheel arches in particular stand out in this conversion, which look perfectly crafted. Anyone who has spent any time with BMW's E46 M3 Touring one-off or the new M3 Touring has read or heard how hard the conversion is. Unfortunately, the offered car was not 100% original. This is evidenced by the two-piece 19-inch Forged Club wheels and the brakes from the Porsche 911 (996) with gold brake calipers. Most of the other optimizations were made to the suspension. These include Bilstein PSS10 suspension, H&R bars, polyurethane bushings, track plates and a carbon lever support. Inside, we see carbon trim, seat belts with M stripes, Recaro Sportster CS seats and a slightly oddly repositioned steering wheel.

The auction has already ended. The last highest price offered was just over 35.000 dollars or about 32.000 euros. For comparison: in Germany, a good E46 M3 Coupé now sells for more than 50.000 euros.

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