BMW M3 Gets Rad Colors for M's 50th Anniversary
What's happening
BMW is launching a limited run of M3 sedans painted in some of the company's historic colors.
Why it matters
These colors all come from previous M3 generations and are being resurrected to celebrate the 50th anniversary of BMW M.
What's next
Production of the special M3s starts in July with prices starting at $96,695 including $995 for destination.
This year, BMW celebrates the 50th anniversary of its M performance division, and in doing so, the company decided to resurrect some super-cool colors for the M3 sedan. Debuting Monday, the clunkily named M3 Edition 50 Jahre BMW M (translation: M3 Edition 50 Years of BMW M) is a limited-production take on the company's iconic sport sedan that combines rad historic hues with some standard performance parts.
The blue-and-purple colors seen in these pictures are Techno Violet from the E36 M3 and Interlagos Blue from the E46 M3. BMW says these paints were revived specifically for this special-edition M3 and will not be available on any other model. Other cool color choices are nonmetallic Cinnabar Red from the E30 M3, Fire Orange III from the E92 M3 Lime Rock Park Edition and Limerock Grey from the F80 M3 CS. All hot, rest assured.
As for allotment, BMW says there's no actual limitations on the number of cars per paint color, but they're all distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. BMW will offer a similar treatment on the M4 coupe in other countries, but a company spokesperson confirmed we are only getting the M3 in North America.
These are extremely good colors.
All of the Edition 50 models are based on the 2023 M3 Competition xDrive, meaning they have a 503-horsepower twin-turbo I6 engine and all-wheel drive. These cars come standard with matte Orbit Grey wheels, a carbon fiber front splitter, titanium exhaust pipes and a carbon fiber spoiler, in addition to the requisite badges throughout the cabin. The only optional add-ons are carbon ceramic brakes with gold calipers and carbon bucket seats. Oh, and as a special gift for these die-hard M3 fans, all of the Edition 50 cars will come with a polycarbonate rollaboard suitcase with a 50 Jahre BMW M logo.
Because it's based on the 2023 M3, the Edition 50 cars will get updates found on other 3 Series models. Most notably, this includes the addition of BMW's curved infotainment display, incorporating a 14.9-inch digital gauge cluster and 12.3-inch multimedia screen, running the company's latest iDrive 8 software.
The M3 Edition 50 costs $96,695 including $995 for destination, making it $18,600 more expensive than the standard M3 Competition xDrive. BMW says it's still finalizing option pricing for the carbon-ceramic brakes and bucket seats, but for the 2022 model year M3, these options cost $8,150 and $3,800, respectively, so the 2023 figures should be roughly the same. Only 500 units will be made for North America, and production starts in July, so expect to see them on the road before the end of the year.
