Back in May, the world was surprised to learn that BMW was already starting to roll out ‘special edition’ models of its current M3. Apart from the Competition Package models, the Germans also took the veils off the BMW M3 30 Jahre model, a limited-run model meant to celebrate the three decades that have passed since the original M3 was launched.
Since only 500 of them will be made, questions about allocation figures started popping up on the internet. Last week, it was Australia’s turn to find out just how many lucky Aussies can sign their name up for one and the news aren’t all that great. Only 30 units are reserved for the land down under, a fitting number if you will, considering the anniversary in question here.
It’s the same figure that UK residents got, even though the Aussies are about 40 million less in total, which makes them a bit luckier, I guess. As for the price tag, well, it’s not cheap by any standards. The BMW 30 Jahre M3 will sell in Australia for AUD154,615 which translates into a bit over $115,000 at today’s exchange rates. That’s quite a lot but the limited-edition M3 might turn into a collector’s item over the years, due to its limited production numbers and performance.
Speaking of which, all cars are based on Competition Package M3s and come with the special suspension setup we’ve all been hearing about. The power figures are identical as well, with the 3-liter twin-turbo engine being taken up to 450 HP. Setting the 30 Jahre editions apart is the Macao Blue paint as well as the two-tone Merino Black/Fjord Blue leather in the cabin and ’30 Jahre M3′ embroidery on the front headrests.
Forged 20-inch M light-alloy wheels with 666 M star spoke design and mixed tires also help set these cars apart in the crowd while the edition model also features exclusively designed M gills in the front wings bearing the logo “M3 30 Jahre”. The same logo can be found on the front door sills while the wording “30 Jahre M3 1/30” on the carbon fibre interior trim of the instrument panel will remind you this is, after all, a rare bird.
