BMW is pretty good about giving the US cool cars when it can. Sure, we missed out on gems like the V10-powered E61 M5 Touring and our E36 M3 is a lot less exotic, but hey, at least we can order the G80 M3 with a manual. One car we really missed out on was the E92 M3 GTS. Thanks to an aggressive weight loss regiment and a bored-out 4.4-liter S65 (up from 4.0) V8 under the hood, the car was significantly more potent than any regular old E92. It was also limited to just 150 units and never sold in the US. But the next best thing — arguably, better — just came up for sale on online auction site Bring a Trailer.
What Makes the BMW M3 GTS So Special?
The E92 M3 up for auction painstakingly recreates the real GTS. Painted Fire Orange — an Individual color and the only color offered on the real GTS — it sports a paint-matched roll cage, aggressive rear wing and front splitter, and even checkered flag door sills. Recaro bucket seats, an in-cabin fire extinguisher, and carbon fiber trim complete the faithful recreation. Notably, this GTS recreation retains its sound system — something missing from true-blue GTS models.
How This M3 GTS Tribute One-Ups the Original
Arguably the most important part of the E92 M3 GTS is its bored S65 engine. Expensive to replicate and impossible to imitate, this faithful recreation instead one-ups the GTS with a 4.6-liter sourced from CarBahn, legendary BMW tuner Steve Dinan’s current company. There are plenty of other changes that mirror or pay homage to the real GTS, too. A set of KW coilovers and Brembo brakes mirror the unique adjustable suspension and brake components the GTS sported. Similarly, Recaro buckets replace the sport seats. There are additional “to taste” modifications, too, like a carbon fiber intake and wheel spacers.
Previous owners claim the 4.6-liter is good for a wicked 516 horsepower and 399 pound-feet. They also state that the car weighs 3,579 pounds, roughly 40 pounds more than real GTS. The engine was installed by Pfaff Tuning in 2021, in the car’s original home country of Canada.
Where to Find This E92 M3 GTS Replica for Sale
This extensively modified E92 M3 recreation is up for grabs until Thursday, August 14. However, we’d be remiss if we didn’t recommend you bring your wallet to Bring a Trailer if you’re really interested in this ride. The car last sold on the same auction site for the princely sum of $133,000 before buyer’s fees in May 2022. With only a handful of miles added and E9X prices on the rise, this car could easily set a record for E92 M3 auctions. After all, last time at auction, it did exactly that. Good luck — you can check out the auction here.