Exempt: ’89 BMW M3
Some say this early M3 is probably among the most fun BMWs of all time. There are 2 sides to every story – and why BMW built this Bimmer bomber has two schools of thought. One version says BMW built it in response to the Mercedes-Benz 2.3 16V and another says it was a response to the newly published FIA Touring Car Championship rule book. We favor the later as the truth.
BMW engineers actually took a different path than you might have expected. They didn’t take a street car and tweak it they took a race car and made it street legal. So you get sort of a frankenbimmer with parts from some pretty exotic BMW products lurking under the hood.It is said to have a Formula 1 engine block and an M1 head. Now that’s rarefied stuff. These early M3s are alive. They twitch, rattle and snort but that keeps the driver totally engaged. Today’s featured M3 hails originally from Japan! It was imported legally and exempt from DOT & EPA regs because of its age. It is a rare, low mileage example covering only 56,000 miles since it was delivered. This is basically a Euro spec car with a few small idiosyncrasies for the Japanese market like the placement of the VIN tags. It looks great in Zinnoberrot with black interior and everything looks in order for a car with this much mileage. The original wheels were refinished recently and look great. It has been treated to some suspension upgrades like Bilstein shocks at all four corners, Swift springs and coil-overs. That should tighten everything up a bit more than a standard M3. The seller has set a Buy It Now at $33,800. This is all the money for an M3 but considering the mods and low mileage, you might not find another like it very soon. Click here for the eBay listing.