Turner Motorsport takes delivery of the Turner Lime Rock Edition M3 and share with us some background information as well as first impressions. Let’s have a look.

Turner Motorsport yellow and blue BMW race cars are synonymous with Lime Rock Park. Will Turner began tracking his first BMW, a 1985 E30 323 at Lime Rock park back in the late 1980s and has since competed in dozens of professional races at the BMW’s home track. Turner Motorsport has competed in professional races at Lime Rock since 1999 and has captured a hand full of wins along the way with drivers such as Bill Auberlen and Joey Hand. After hearing about the Lime Rock Edition M3 through our friend and driver, Bill Auberlen we were intrigued to say the least.

Apart from its “Limited Edition” quantity or its special edition paint and options, we wanted a “Lime Rock Edition M3” for the sole reason that so much of our history and humble beginnings as a BMW race team and parts company root from that 1.5 mile road course in Northwestern Connecticut. For us, the fact that the car was associated with Lime Rock was enough for us to necessitate having one of our own. The Lime Rock Edition M3 was the first ever production car named after Lime Rock Park and hopefully the last.

The limited quantity of 200 and the bright orange paint is cool, but what really makes it special for us is our love for M3s and Lime Rock Park all bundled into one M powered package. Skip Barber described it as a “classic car for a classic track.” We describe it as the perfect end to an era of naturally aspirated engines and 6 speed manual gearboxes. The Lime Rock M3 could very possibly be the last V8 powered 6 speed manual M car ever produced by BMW and we think that makes it even cooler. We decided to get our Lime Rock M3 “stripped” with just the basic options keeping it as light and simple as possible. The only options we decided to go with were the heated seats for those cool drives to the track in the early morning of a New England spring or fall and satellite radio so we could have some tunes for those drives as well.

We understand that many BMW enthusiasts are upset with the fact that this M3 is not different than any other E92 M3 but has a more expensive price tag. We understand your argument but this may surprise you. The Lime Rock M3 is really no more expensive than your standard E92 M3 with some simple bolt on modifications from BMW M-Performance. Let’s break down the pricing for a moment.

A standard 2013 BMW M3 Coupe starts at a suggested retail value of $60,100.00. The Lime Rock Edition adds $10,000 to this price making it 70,100.00. Yes $10,000 is a ton of money for the “Lime Rock Package” but let’s go over what exactly it includes.

Lime Rock Edition M3 Coupe:

  • Competition Package ($2,500)
  • M Performance Inconel Exhaust ($3,999)
  • M Performance Alcantera Steering Wheel ($800)
  • M Performance Carbon Rear Spoiler ($565)
  • M Performance Front Carbon Splitters ($790)

Total: $8654.00

This total $8654 does not include the BMW individual paint which typically start at $3000.00 and it also does not take into consideration the labor required to install these modifications. That being said, this makes the Lime Rock Edition M3 a good value for someone who wants a unique M3 with some BMW M Performance parts and accessories installed right from the dealer. Yes these modifications do not ultimately make the M3 perform any better or go around a track any faster that any other competition M3s but instead makes this M3 a bit more performance oriented from the showroom floor while still allowing it to be driven on the street as a daily driver with a full factory warranty.

We do not believe the Lime Rock Edition is a waste of money, You can see exactly why the package has a $10,000 price tag, not just because its a bright color, but because it has parts that would cost anyone with an E92 M3 over 8k. We are happy we opted to order one and we are happy to have such a great looking M3 with the V8 power plant and 6 speed manual gearbox like any BMW track day car should have.

First Impressions:

Fantastic, just like any other brand new M3 would be. We absolutely love the color and think it really brings out the aggressive yet subtle styling of the E92 M3. Getting behind the wheel of this brightly colored M3 instantly brings an ear to ear smile to your face. The sound of that 4 liter V8 just does not ever get old especially when enhanced with the BMW Performance Inconel Exhaust system (weights 40% less than stock). The M Performance Alcantara covered steering wheel gives you the “track car” feel which enhances the driving experience and sound of that M powered V8. The overall attitude of the car forces the urge to turn the radio off and put the windows down to get as much of the sound and feel as possible. Drop the 6 speed transmission down a gear and your off.

“Getting so use to driving the DCT in the Frozen Gray M3 has distanced me from the experience of pushing the clutch and shifting gears, something that I have missed. There is nothing that can quite replace the sensual feel of a classic 6 speed transmission. ” Said Will Turner. ” “I am excited to have another 6 speed M3 and can’t wait to play with it on the track.”

Please stay tuned for updates on this new Turner Project Car. Thanks for reading.