The E36 BMW M3 lightweight limited edition on the Michelin test field
In 1992, the second-generation BMW M3 with chassis number E36 came out, powered by a 3.0-liter S50B30 naturally aspirated engine. Gas straight six engine. In 1996, the facelifted E36 M3 replaced the 3.2-liter S52B32 naturally aspirated straight-six engine. The compression ratio of this engine was increased to 11.3:1, and DoubleVANOS technology was used. The maximum power was increased to 321 horsepower. It is worth mentioning that this is For the first time in history, a naturally aspirated mass-produced BMW model breaks through the 100 horsepower per liter barrier.
In 1999, the E36 M3 was officially discontinued. According to statistics, the two-door model sold 46,525 units, the four-door model sold 12,603 ??units, and the convertible model sold 12,114 units. Of course, it is the most popular one. The rare and rare one is the Lightweight version. This lightweight version is 130 kilograms lighter than the standard E36 M3. The original factory removed the radio, air conditioner, and most of the sound insulation materials, and replaced the aluminum doors and fabric seats. and plenty of carbon fiber parts. In terms of appearance, in addition to the handsome and unique body embroidery, it also uses wheels from the M3 GT and a new rear spoiler.
The E36 BMW M3 lightweight version is still equipped with the S50B30 engine, but the compression ratio is changed from 10.8:1 to 10.5:1. The maximum power is 240 horsepower and the peak torque is 305N·m. It is matched with a five-speed manual gearbox. , the driving mode is rear wheel drive. In fact, there are two E36 M3s that are even rarer. They are M3GTR and M3-R. It can be said that they are completely racing cars. The production volume of the former is 2 units and the latter is 15 units. However, these cars are not officially sold to the outside world. It can be said that You can't buy it with money.
The E36 BMW M3 Lightweight Edition was initially only sold in a limited edition of 126 units in the US market. It is a rare item among E36s. The E36 BMW M3 Lightweight Edition can be driven completely legally on the streets, so it has become a popular choice for many. A BMW fan’s dream driving machine!
The late American Hollywood star Paul Walker, who played Brian O’Conner in "The Fast and the Furious", once owned five lightweight versions of the E36 BMW M3. At a previous charity auction, one of the lightweight limited editions was sold for a high price of US$385,000 (approximately RMB 2.7 million). As you can imagine, this car plays an important role in the hearts of collectors.
Although this car has repeatedly hit new highs in the auction market and continues to increase significantly in value, the E36 BMW M3 lightweight version I am going to talk about today is not the treasure of an overseas car dealer, nor is it a treasure of a wealthy family. It is a big toy in someone’s garage, but a member of the Michelin Laurens test track in the United States. From the scarred body, we can see that this car may be the worst-suffering of all the E36 BMW M3 lightweight versions. Bit!
Unlike those investment products with very low mileage, this car has a total mileage of hundreds of thousands! And this car spent most of its life running lap after lap on the test track.
At first, some car enthusiasts accidentally saw this car in the P room of the Michelin test track in the United States. It was in very bad condition and looked a little sad, with scars in the corners. Its appearance is often overlooked, but you must know that in the classic car market, the price of this car can completely crush any new BMW M Power model on sale!
It was revealed that Michelin Tire America purchased this 1995 M3 in 2000, with a total mileage of 10,000 miles. The main task of this car is to test a variety of Michelin tires and feedback the test results to the tire engineers. I have to say that this car’s mission is quite honorable.
The driver who usually drives this car said that this car has tested various 17-inch tires on the track. Although the car looks quite "shabby", it has never had any major problems while driving. In fact, it seems that the reason for the poor condition is mainly because of the paint. During daily track testing, the gravel on the track will cause bumps and damage to the paint.
The E36 is an ideal work vehicle. Unlike other rear-wheel drive vehicles, this vehicle has a unique tire position design. It can be equipped with a variety of tires, even off-road tires. This car isn't going to be retired anytime soon.
The usual task of this car is to replace different tires for track testing. Each set of tires needs to complete 88 laps of the track within two days. 88 laps at the Michelin test track is equivalent to the F1 Grand Prix. race distance. The E36 has had no issues on the track, no warning lights popping on, no engine overheating, no issues whatsoever. The driver said: "Among the many cars officially purchased by Michelin, none of the new cars can do this. In addition, although this car does not feel fast to drive, the feedback from the chassis to the driver is very good. It feels like the latest BMW M3 can’t be compared.”
We just said that BMW only built 126 of these cars. The result is that these cars are becoming more and more valuable now.
As you can see from the sales data, several cars auctioned this year have prices hovering around $80,000. The most famous one is a car with only 100 miles on the road and comes with almost all of the original documents. That car sold for $154,000. Sold at price. The starting price of the new BMW 7 Series in the US market is US$86,400.