In my search for an E46 M3, one thing became quite clear – finding uncommon colors in good shape was very difficult. When you start to look at the color breakdown of the 2001-2006 M3s imported, it soon becomes clear why. According to the M3 Portal, some 5,853 coupes were ordered in Titan Silver Metallic – basically, one out of every 5 coupes in the U.S. is this color. A further 4,700 are Carbon Black, about 3,400 are Black and and nearly 3,000 are Silver Gray. See where we’re going? A full 60% of E46s were either silver-gray or black, and a further 10% were eaten up by Alpine White or Steel Gray. So only 30% – about 7,500 in total, broken up between the eight stock colors, with a minority – only 321, or just over 1% – being special ordered through BMW Individual. Some of the Individual colors are just about that, with about 30 different shades being selected. For example, there is one Malachite Green Metallic E46 M3 kicking around the U.S. somewhere. But today’s color was a much more popular selection, though it bookends E46 production. Available on the E36 and back by popular demand on the new 3-series, Estoril Blue Metallic certainly looks great on the lines of the E46, and this is one of a reported 58 imported in this color:
