What's this all about?
The BMW M3 is leaving its wild 20s behind and 500 fans can help BMW M mark the occasion by going out and ordering one of these limited edition beauties. It's called the BMW M3 '30 Jahre' (jahre is German for years) and it features the fabulous Competition Package as standard, along with a few other bespoke bits and pieces to set it apart from the standard M3.
Certainly looks the part...
That's thanks to the BMW Individual Frozen Silver metallic paint, which is the most obvious difference between the 'M3 30 Jahre' and a normal version fitted with the Competition Package. Look closely and you'll see that the gills behind the front wheels are unique to this model too. Those wheels, incidentally, are 20-inch items made of forged alloy. Yum. M3 fanboys may also notice that the 30 Jahre gets BMW Individual High Gloss Shadow Line trim detailing, carbon fibre front splitter and trims, mirror caps, rear diffuser and a carbon fibre rear spoiler, along with a black chrome finish for the quad exhaust outlets. That exhaust promises to sound better too.
Ah, now you're talking; tell us more.
Well, the 'M3 30 Jahre' comes with the louder M sports exhaust system as standard. It's not the only mechanical upgrade, either, as the twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six has been boosted 19hp to 450hp. That helps drop the 0-62mph time by a further 0.1 seconds, to as low as four seconds dead if you opt for the dual-clutch M DCT gearbox.
And can the chassis cope?
Again, the Competition Package is the key thing here, as it brings with it Adaptive M suspension, plus a raft of other component changes and tweaks to the software controlling the Active M differential and the Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) system. BMW has even altered the settings for the Comfort, Sport and Sport+ driving modes.
Ace, anything new inside?
There's a smattering of 'M3 30 Jahre' logos of course, found on the doorsills and front headrests, plus a build number depicted in a carbon fibre trim strip on the dashboard. As in the Competition Package, M sports seats are fitted, but here there's Merino leather as standard, in Black/Fjord Blue with contrast seams.
Ok, I want one...
Then you better hurry up and register your interest, as just 30 examples will be sold in the UK. At £82,675 it's considerably more than the BMW M3 Competition Package, which starts at £59,605 on-the-road.
Shane O' Donoghue - 27 May 2016