Article Summary
- BMW is building just 40 cars, with production split evenly between the two body styles.
- The M3 Sedan is finished in Laguna Seca Blue, while the wagon gets the eye-catching Wildberry paintwork.
- Special badging inside and out makes it clear this is no ordinary M3.
As someone who’s about to turn 40 in a couple of weeks, it’s a happy coincidence that the M3 is just as old as I am. Technically, the M-flavored E30 is actually 41, having debuted at the 1985 Frankfurt Motor Show. However, production didn’t start until the following year. That’s why BMW has been keeping busy celebrating four decades since the homologation special hit the streets.
China is the latest market to get a limited-run M3 to mark the milestone. Available as a sedan and wagon, the car gets a predictably long name: BMW M3 Touring 40th Anniversary Limited Edition. Production is capped at 20 units for each body style, but the vehicles wear different colors. Stick to the G80, and it’ll come in the retro-flavored Laguna Seca Blue. The more practical G81 gets an eye-catching Wildberry paint finish.
The long-roof M3 looks bolder than its sedan counterpart, swapping the black appearance of the 826M wheels for a bronze finish. These 19-inch front and 20-inch rear alloys come with blue calipers on the G80 and red on the G81 to complement the body color. Additionally, BMW gives China’s special edition a fully blacked-out kidney grille flanked by smoked headlights for a meaner look.
Special Badging Galore
As you can imagine, there’s plenty of “40 Jahre M3” badging inside and out. You’ll notice it on the center console, front headrests, side sills, and even the roof. The latter comes in carbon fiber on the sedan but not on the wagon, as BMW still doesn’t sell the Touring with a carbon roof. It’s not going to happen as reworking the assembly line for a niche model would be too costly. The G81 has already entered the last part of its life cycle anyway, so it’s not worth the hassle.
While most of the BMWs sold in China are built locally and are therefore considerably cheaper than their global counterparts, it’s the other way around for the M3. The G80 and G81 come from Munich and cost the proverbial arm and a leg in this new 40th Anniversary Limited Edition. The xDrive-equipped sedan is a Competition model that goes for RMB 1,038,000. The wagon, which BMW only builds in the all-wheel-drive Competition configuration, retails for RMB 1,068,000.
At current exchange rates, that works out to approximately $154,000 and $159,000, respectively. Yikes. To sweeten the pot, BMW throws in the M Driver’s Package as standard equipment. It unlocks an 180 mph (290 km/h) top speed for the sedan and a slightly lower 174 mph (280 km/h) for the wagon. Buyers will only be able to test it out on a track since China doesn’t have the equivalent of an Autobahn.
Despite the exorbitant price tags, we’re certain 40 people will quickly line up to get the cars after their debut today at the 2026 Chengdu International Auto Show.
