A new special “Manufactur Edition” BMW M3 from the Belgium-based BMW dealer Jean-Michel Martin has popped up and despite the searing Fire Orange II paint job, the main draw is the more subtle but equally mesmerizing wheel design.
The wheels on the this BMW M3 might look familiar — that’s because of the wheel design made our 20 Best Wheels to Ever hit the Road and originally came bolted to the 2016 BMW M4 GTS. The difference here is these wheels lack the metallic orange highlights of the originals, but if we’re honest, the rest of the car sort of makes up for that, no? And if the Fire Orange II paint is conjuring up more M memories, that’s because the E92 M3 GTS wore the same shade.
Don’t think for a minute this M3 is cherry-picking the best visuals of more performance-driven M models without bringing anything to the table itself. This ‘one of 10’ F80 M3 boasts the factory Competition Package which gives it a boost to 450 horsepower, drops the 0-60 MPH time to four-seconds even, updates the driving modes and throws in lightweight sport seats. Most importantly, it borrows the same design rim from the M4 GTS.
So while it might not be an all-out featherweight track weapon like the real GTS, think of this special edition as a healthy middle ground. It’s an M3 tuned from the factory, so you know it can still hold its own on the track — it just happens to wear the guise of the upper echelon of Bimmers. In that respect, this M3 is more of a ‘Greatest Hits’ than a copycat. Just make sure you’re quick to reserve one if you can because those wheels are worth it.
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