BMW M3 Celebrates 30th Birthday With Special Edition Model

Jason Siu
by Jason Siu

The BMW M3 is celebrating its 30th birthday with a special model limited to just 500 units worldwide.

Called the BMW 30 Years M3, the special sedan is painted in the exclusive color Macao Blue metallic, which once celebrated its debut on the first generation of the BMW M3. The exclusive special edition model builds on the Competition Package and increases performance to 450 horsepower (19-hp increase). Also bundled on the BMW 30 Years M3 are Adaptive M suspension, new springs, dampers and stabilizers, as well as the forged 20-inch wheels with 666 M star-spoke design. According to the German automaker, the BMW 30 Years M3 is capable of accelerating to 62 mph from a standstill in four seconds, which is 0.1 seconds faster than the production model. That time is with the optional seven-speed M double clutch transmission, although the six-speed manual is also 0.1 seconds compared to the standard BMW M3.

Finer details on the sports sedan include BMW Individual High Gloss Shadow Line with enhanced features, such as black chrome tailpipe trim for the M sports exhaust system. There are also exclusively-designed M gills in the front wings bearing the logo “30 Years M3.”

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The cabin gets a major overhaul with specific M sports seats further accented by woven-in BMW M strips on the seatbelts. The logo “30 Years M3” can be found on the front doorsills while the wording “30 Years M3 1/500” can be found on the carbon fiber interior trim strip. The logo can also be found embroidered into the front headrests. The interior focuses on an exclusive full leather Merino trim finished in Black and Fjord Blue, while Black and Silverstone is available as an option.

It’s unclear how much the BMW 30 Years M3 will cost in the U.S., but in Germany it demands a €10,000 ($11,115) premium over the BMW M3 with Competition Package.

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Jason Siu
Jason Siu

Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.

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  • Smartacus Smartacus on May 27, 2016

    wow! $11,000 premium over a regular M3? That's almost as expensive as an E30 M3 today.

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