The Concept Touring Coupe might be the star at this year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este but BMW is showcasing several other interesting cars. Case in point, the M3 Touring is currently on the shores of Lake Como to flaunt an eye-catching Individual paint. Its bulging rear fenders are probably the most attractive angle of the G81, which in this case rides on the all-black wheels in the 826 M style.
BMW took its sweet time to rival the Audi RS4 Avant and AMG C63 Estate, but now that the M3 Touring is finally here, the Bavarian marque is proud to show off its speedy family car at every opportunity. The long-roof M3 only comes in Competition guise with xDrive but there are still plenty of ways to customize the 503-horsepower machine by opting for M Performance Parts.
This M3 Touring is in some great company at Villa d’Este considering it’s flanked by the i7 M70 and the M3 CS. We’re seeing more and more BMWs in Speed Yellow, and one would argue it suits just about every M car out there. We have honestly learned to live with the overly tall grille, although we’re sure some customers will order the car in black to take some of the attention away from the mighty kidneys. If only the 3.0 CSL’s grille would trickle down to regular production Ms.
Should you want a beefier M3 Touring, a CS version might just happen. Nothing is official at this point but BMW is considering a limited-run special edition. As a matter of fact, a prototype was recently caught testing at the Nürburgring. Before you get too excited, it has to be approved by the company’s higher-ups. Once that happens, the Munich plant needs to free up some production capacity to squeeze in the extra-spicy wagon.
For the vast majority of wagon buyers, the inline-six in its current form is plenty powerful. That being said, the twin-turbo 3.0-liter “S58” churns 543 hp in the M3 CS Sedan and even 553 hp in the 3.0 CSL, so there is plenty of potential for a stronger M3 Touring.
