Want be a big fish in a small pond? You can purchase an E36 M3 Lightweight. Known as the most motorsport iteration of the motorsport 3 Series of its day, a 1995 BMW M3 Lightweight is a surefire way to have the coolest E36 on the block, for whatever that s worth. While somewhat underrated even today, there s something undeniably cool about any car that comes with an adjustable splitter, huge wing, and flag graphics from the factory. A 21,000-mile example of the vaunted E36 M3 Lightweight has just popped up on Bring a Trailer.
Need a quick refresher? The E36 M3 Lightweight “ often abbreviated to LTW “ was released only as a 1995 model year vehicle for the US market. Total production is around 120 cars “ but nobody knows for sure “ and they were all finished in Alpine White with a Black cloth interior. M-colored flag graphics emblazon the front and rear. They all wear Style 24 wheels and a rear spoiler lifted from the Euro-market M3 GT. As they are US-market vehicles, they utilize the S50B30US engine making a 240 horsepower and 225 pound-feet of torque rather than the hotter S50 engine seen elsewhere in the world marketplace. Oh, and the car weighed about 200 pounds less than a regular E36 M3.
Provenance Worth Paying For?
The E36 M3 LTWs have quite a history, too. Michelin famously purchased one and threw a roll cage in it, racking up nearly 60,000 tire-testing miles over 20 years. Paul Walker owned a few of them, most of which were sold at auction for tremendous money. The one at auction today even features a collection of signatures in the trunk from famous drivers including Pete Halsmer and David Donohue.
The last Lightweight listed on the popular auction platform was over a year ago in May 2023. It was bid to $92,500 “ just under $100,000 after fees. While the car did not meet the seller s reserve, the seller stated that the car did in fact sell a couple days later. The highest E36 M3 transaction price on the platform actually belongs to an IMSA GT Race Car “ which sold for $256,000 “ followed by a pristine British Racing Green E36 M3 GT that sold for an eye-watering $170,000. This LTW s auction ends Thursday the 15th just after 10:15 AM PDT.
First published by https://www.bmwblog.com
