BMW M3 GTS: Spotted

Why this GTS isn't the rarest or most exciting V8 M3 currently in the PH classifieds

The last time the M3 GTS was being discussed on PH, it was back in 2013 and the car looked jolly expensive at £95,000. Oh sure, it's a very rare special edition but the general consensus was that it looked rather too much money for what was being offered. There was some mention of a 911 quite a bit too...

Yes, you could have one of these...

Anyway, here we are two years later with another M3 GTS, this time one of the seven UK cars. How much is it now? Well, at £125,000 it's more than the £121,770 the new M4 GTS will cost you.

Now we could spend this story weighing up M3 versus M4 GTS, the merits of V8 versus straight-six and why BMW persists with orange. Or we could draw your attention to another V8 M3, one with the same 4.4-litre engine as the GTS that's even rarer, slightly cheaper and definitely cooler. There's also not a speck of orange anywhere.

This is an M3 CRT. A what? That's an M3 Carbon Racing Technology, an M3 saloon with less weight than a regular four-door thanks to a titanium exhaust and front seats and a bonnet made from carbon honeycomb. It's the same material used for the i3 and i8 in fact. BMW claimed a 70kg weight saving over a regular M3 saloon with the same standard equipment, though 1,580kg is hardly lithe.

But it did have the 450hp, 4.4-litre V8, uprated brakes and suspension and, as Dale found when he drove it, the same finely honed dynamics as the GTS. By which we mean it will cut huge angles at any opportunity. All this in - to many onlookers at least - a fairly ordinary looking 3 Series saloon. Some may clock it as an M3 but only the real enthusiasts will recognise it as a CRT. They will probably melt in feverish excitement too, given how special this car is.

Or the same engine in a saloon. Yes!

There were 135 M3 GTSs made but just 67 CRTs. Two were allocated as press cars and the remaining 65 were all left-hand drive. The price was around £115,000, with all the cars painted Frozen Polar Silver with Melbourne Red. It's a stunning car. And four-door, four-seat practical too!

While the CRT is cheaper than the aforementioned GTS - by £30K in fact - it is still £96,500. Given there are very nice V8 M3 saloons at £25K that looks a lot. But as the last naturally aspirated M car (correct us if we're wrong!), one that's incredibly rare to boot, it must be worth a look. As you might expect given how expensive it was new, this car has been meticulously well cared for with just 5,000km recorded and a flawless service record.

So from here the GTS versus CRT argument is a no brainer, the saloon one of the most exciting M cars nobody seems to have heard of. Question now is: can we have a CRT version of the new M3?

BMW M3 GTS
Engine: 4,361cc V8
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 450@8,300rpm
Torque (lb ft): 325@3,750rpm
MPG: 22.2mpg (NEDC combined)
CO2: 295g/km
First registered: 2011
Recorded mileage: 6,350
Price new: 115,000 euros (exc VAT)
Yours for: £125,000