While you’re no doubt familiar with the great lament of the de-tuned E36 M3 and the inflated price of the very limited Lightweight model, Europe enjoyed a full spectrum of Motorsport performance. One of the potent additions to the lineup was that of the M3 GT. Intended to homologate racing bits and aerodynamic tweaks for the E36, 350 limited BF99 examples were produced in early 1995. The motor was turned up to 295 horsepower with hotter cams, special oil pumps and Motorsport oil pan and revised computer controls. They also had stiffened and lowered suspension, a strut brace and a 3.23 final drive. Outside new spoilers front and rear increased downforce, and like the Lightweight the GT wore the M forged double spoke staggered wheels. Harder to spot were the aluminum doors the car wore to help keep weight down. All were painted 312 British Racing Green and featured Mexico Green Nappa leather interior with Alcantara bolsters, special Motorsports badging and carbon fiber trim.
They’re a very special and rarely seen variant of the E36 M3, and increasingly in this collector market that means a higher asking price:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1995 BMW M3 GT on eBay
Year: 1995
Model: M3
Engine: 3.0 liter inline-6
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Mileage: 87,000 mi
Price: $65,000 Buy It Now
With only 356 examples built, the M3 GT E36 can rightly be called a rare car. This limited version, which was built for the European market only, had more power, was slightly lighter, partly through the application of aluminium doors, and was available in one colour only, British Racing Green.
Perfect condition.
This example has many of the add-in options for the GT; the sport steering wheel (255), alarm (302), green window stripe (354), rear vent windows (362), sunroof (401), velour floor mats (423), warning triangle (428), seat heaters (494), rear headrests (498), air conditioning (530), on-board computer (554), and Hifi and compact disc player (670,672 and 676). Airbags (243) and headlight adjustment (510) were necessary model options. There were a few options not selected but all in all this is a well equipped example. Condition is top; little is offered about the vehicle history or maintenance, but mileage is lower and the photos paint the picture of near-perfect condition.
In terms of value, the $65,000 asking price is in line with more rare variants of the M3 we’ve seen, and collectability of the FIA homolgation specials is nearly guaranteed. You’ll have to spend a few more thousand dollars getting it here and then convincing the government that it’s not that different from the U.S. spec car, at which point you can drive it to shows and explain to everyone just why it’s so much more special than a normal M3 to help to justify the price you paid.
-Carter
Wow, what a car! Must be fast. Uber desirable.
Do the door panels warp as badly as they have on my ’95 E36?
@Carter while it may not be a GT…the Turner Stage 3 Kit gets you to the performance numbers of the GT…
just sayin…LOL
@MDriver – sure, but following that argument, you buy a brand new Civic you get the performance of the E30 M3! The price on these doesn’t make any sense from a performance standpoint, but does from the current collector market. I wouldn’t pay the premium personally because you]re right – the performance delta isn’t great – but I bet there are a few individuals who would because of the rarity alone.
Carter, what would you rate as this car’s performance? I would have guessed that 295hp would make it pretty quick. No, it’s not 335 HP M3 (which I consider fast) but it’s close. (I also consider my last 2003 4S fast, with 320hp). Where would you rank this car’s speed compared to the Carrera? BTW, it’s resisted on EBay. What country is it in?
@David – I’ve driven a few E36 M3s with some of the upgrades that MDriver mentioned. I would not call them slow, but compared to the recent cars that have come to market they’re definitely not fast. Speed should be fairly comparable to a stock E46 M3 – having one, a car I’d rate as pretty quick like you suggest. Actually, to be honest, I drove the M3 last night and my take away is that the car is way too fast for the roads around us. I can’t even wind out 2nd gear without worrying about the long arm of the law. But get into a new M4 and the old cars seem like they’re standing still. I haven’t driven one of these GTs, obviously, but Petrolicious just did and it’s worth the read since the author has an E36 M3:
https://petrolicious.com/articles/driving-a-dream-car-the-limited-edition-bmw-e36-m3-gt
The E36 is located in Madrid, I believe.
@Carter…if you want to talk about exclusive production numbers…okay…but I’m surprised you would compare an E30 M3 w/an E36 M3 even a GT…because then you need to talk about the limited run E30’s
I was just looking at it from the high cost 65k….would I like it in my garage?…yeah but for less than half of that. I did the Turner kit when I tracked my E36 and it did indeed wake up the car…made for a more even power band through the gears with a bit more top-end….it won’t out run anything above its class for sure but made for a more enjoyable track driving experience IMHO.
as far as next gen M3s….without exception every new M3 (and now M4 ugh!) has been a much better performance car than the one it replaced…not going to go about driving experience as that is a kettle of fish I won’t touch….but sometimes as enthusiasts we don’t necessarily want the car that is the fastest 🙂
Thanks, Carter. Guess I’ll with the happy memory of my E34 M5. Spain is a long way.