Bring a Trailer
- BMW never built an M3 wagon for the North American market. Here’s one anyway.
- Virtually OEM inside and out, it’s the hot Munich longroof we all wished for.
- This car is CARB certified and fully approved by California’s Bureau of Automotive Repair.
BMW’s decision to bring the wagon version of the current M5 to this side of the Atlantic probably doesn’t make a lot of sense to the company’s accountants, but it’s great for the fans. Uber-fast sedans are great, but there’s something cooler about a wagon variant. It’s a shame Bimmer didn’t do the same with the M3. Bring a Trailer But wait, Bavarian sports wagon fans! Here’s a 2015 BMW 328i xDrive wagon, fully converted to F80-series M3 specification, and it’s up for sale on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos). It’s got the twin-turbo inline-six, the wider track with fenders and bumper covers, and best of all, a six-speed manual transmission so you can row your own gears while you laminate a labradoodle to the back window.Bring a Trailer Conversions can be hit or miss sometimes, but this one looks like it was factory-built in Munich. The exterior and mechanical upgrades are all OEM, and the interior of the M3 has been largely swapped over as well. It’s got CARB approval, certification by the sometimes fussy California Bureau of Automotive Repair, and a modest 63K miles on the odometer.Bring a Trailer The M3 donor car was a Competition package model, which means the S55 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six makes a hearty 444 horsepower. Formerly equipped with BMW’s xDrive all-wheel drive, it’s now rear-wheel drive with a limited-slip differential, and fitted with M3 subframes and chassis bracing.Bring a Trailer The car rides on M3 Competition-spec 20-inch wheels, fitted with Michelin tires, and the suspension and brakes are also M3 grade. The only aftermarket addition appears to be a set of KW height-adjustable springs.A 328i wagon of this generation is a pretty likable car all by itself, and as BMW no longer sends the touring version of the 3-series to North America, they’re holding their value well. This car gets you something unique, all the firepower of a proper M3, but with extra carrying capacity and cool factor.For the winning bidder on this auction, the fact that BMW never built an M3 wagon for the U.S. market isn’t a drawback but a bonus. Bimmer fans are going to go nuts when you roll up in it at your local German car show. The auction ends on July 30.Brendan McAleerContributing EditorBrendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels.
Source: caranddriver.com
