We often complain that we miss out on cool cars, but every now and then, the automotive deities smile down on us and us alone.
A super rare BMW M3 has appeared for sale on Bring a Trailer, and it's a US-only special edition that the late Paul Walker was totally enamored by. We're talking about the 1995 E36 M3 Lightweight, a car made possible because racing teams here in the US would not stop asking BMW for it.
In 1994, European markets were introduced to the M3 GT as a racing homologation special, and it was only available in British Racing Green. When Americans finally got their own special homologation vehicle the following year, it too was only available in a single color: Alpine White. More importantly, it was only available for a single model year, with production ending after around just 125 cars were completed.
The American E36 M3 was initially powered by the 3.0-liter S50B30US straight-six engine but without the VANOS system and individual throttle bodies that made the Euro versions more powerful. This meant 240 horsepower, even when the displacement was upped to 3.2 liters, although torque did swell slightly to 236 lb-ft. Europeans eventually got a six-speed manual, while we were stuck with the five-speed and, later, an automatic option.
For the Lightweight, we still didn't get an increase in output, but the top speed limiter was removed, and the differential got a shorter ratio. The Lightweight also boasted shorter springs and the dual-pickup oil pump from the Euro-spec M3. The latter change was carried out by Prototype Technology Group Racing in Virginia, where the final prep of each M3 Lightweight took place.
The shop also added the Motorsport flag decals at each end of the car and a so-called “trunk kit,” which saw extra parts thrown in for the end user. These included the abovementioned oil pump, a front strut bar, a lower cross-brace, spacer blocks to raise the rear wing, and a manually adjustable front splitter. According to Wikipedia, each owner was also given a one-page legal document that they had to sign, acknowledging that fitting any of these parts would void the new car warranty.
In the cabin, a unique interior presents itself with unique carbon fiber trims for the dashboard and center console and bespoke seat fabric. Although the car was shipped with speakers and pre-wiring for a radio, no head unit was included. You also lost air conditioning, leather upholstery, a tool kit, and a sunroof. It was a pure car and one of the best special-edition M3s ever, so it's no wonder Paul Walker never modified even one of the five he owned.
With aluminum door skins, a lack of under-hood insulation, and minimal trimming in the trunk, as well as thinner underbody insulation and lightweight carpeting, the US-only special edition dropped 200 pounds compared to a regular M3.
This particular example up for sale shows just 88,000 miles and had a single owner before the selling dealer acquired it earlier this year. It's not all-original, sadly, but the changes are worthwhile and will surely be appreciated by true enthusiasts. These include Schrick camshafts, a front strut brace (presumably, the included one was not up to scratch), an aftermarket exhaust system, spherical ball joints, and monoball rear trailing arm bushes.
With a clean title and full service history, this seems like a great collector car you can thrash. The bidding closes tomorrow and currently stands at a strangely satisfying $88,888, so act fast if you're interested.
Keyword: E36 BMW M3 Lightweight Is The Coolest M3 That Was Built For America Only