Want be a big fish in a small pond? You can purchase an E36 M3 Lightweight. Known as the most motorsport iteration of the motorsport 3 Series of its day, a 1995 BMW M3 Lightweight is a surefire way to have the coolest E36 on the block, for whatever that’s worth. While somewhat underrated even today, there’s something undeniably cool about any car that comes with an adjustable splitter, huge wing, and flag graphics from the factory. A 21,000-mile example of the vaunted E36 M3 Lightweight has just popped up on Bring a Trailer.
Need a quick refresher? The E36 M3 Lightweight – often abbreviated to LTW – was released only as a 1995 model year vehicle for the US market. Total production is around 120 cars – but nobody knows for sure – and they were all finished in Alpine White with a Black cloth interior. M-colored flag graphics emblazon the front and rear. They all wear Style 24 wheels and a rear spoiler lifted from the Euro-market M3 GT. As they are US-market vehicles, they utilize the S50B30US engine making a 240 horsepower and 225 pound-feet of torque rather than the hotter S50 engine seen elsewhere in the world marketplace. Oh, and the car weighed about 200 pounds less than a regular E36 M3.
Provenance Worth Paying For?
The E36 M3 LTWs have quite a history, too. Michelin famously purchased one and threw a roll cage in it, racking up nearly 60,000 tire-testing miles over 20 years. Paul Walker owned a few of them, most of which were sold at auction for tremendous money. The one at auction today even features a collection of signatures in the trunk from famous drivers including Pete Halsmer and David Donohue.
The last Lightweight listed on the popular auction platform was over a year ago in May 2023. It was bid to $92,500 – just under $100,000 after fees. While the car did not meet the seller’s reserve, the seller stated that the car did in fact sell a couple days later. The highest E36 M3 transaction price on the platform actually belongs to an IMSA GT Race Car – which sold for $256,000 – followed by a pristine British Racing Green E36 M3 GT that sold for an eye-watering $170,000. This LTW’s auction ends Thursday the 15th just after 10:15 AM PDT.