Yahoo News 2006 BMW M3 Coupe with 12K Miles on Bring a Trailer Is E46 Perfection
For many BMW enthusiasts, the E46-generation M3 stands as a high-water mark.
Here's a a third-generation M3 with desirable options and low mileage.
Equipped with the Competition package, this is as quick as E46 M3s got in North America.
Picking out your favorite generation of BMW M3 can be tricky, as each has the same basic recipe but its own character. The original was a buzzy little touring-car homologation special, box-flared and manic. The current M3 and M4 are turbocharged monster sport sedans with available all-wheel drive, and there's a new battery-electric version on the way that's going to really upset the apple cart. But arguably, there is one M3 that stands above the rest for purity of driving experience.
It's the E46-generation cars, like this 2006 M3 up for sale on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos). Classic inline-six engine? Check. Manual transmission? Check. Even better, this example is equipped with the desirable Competition package and has very low mileage at just 12,000. Throw in the subtle Indigo paint and fresh servicing, and this M3 stands out.
Originally registered in Ontario as a Canada-market example, this M3 has had its metric instrument cluster replaced with a U.S. one. Whereas the previous, E36-gen M3 with a less powerful engine than the Euro version, for the E46 there was no holding back. It landed in North America with 333 horsepower and an 8000-rpm redline for its 3.2-liter six.
The E46 M3 was a pure driver's car. Even by today's standards, its quarter-mile time of just over 13 seconds is still respectable, but the driving experience is far more about poise than power. Later M3s would be quicker but increasingly heavier and more about blunt force.
Option code ZCP gave this particular M3 the must-have Competition package, with parts carried over from the Europe-only (and very expensive) CSL. Nineteen-inch BBS wheels were fitted, the spring rates are higher, and the steering ratio is slightly quicker at 14.5:1. The Competition also added the CSL's steering wheel, covered in Alcantara, larger front brakes, and a track mode for stability control.
This example is stock specification will all those factory goodies, and some luxuries such as navigation and a Harman Kardon stereo. Not sure why you'd need the latter when you can just listen to the S54 inline-six scream its lungs out instead. The engine had its VANOS variable valvetrain rebuilt in 2017, which is one less headache to deal with.
Instead, you can just drive and enjoy what's arguably the best of the M3 breed, before everything goes electrified. The battery-powered future of the M3 will of course have greater speed and power, but this E46 is full of character that we'll miss.
The auction ends on December 17.
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