BMW M3 GTS
didn't have the easiest infancy. It was launched in a kind of slapdash, Web 2.0 shambles that left us wondering if it was a proper factory project and then it appeared to have been priced to garner the largest laugh possible.
It was considerably slower than a GT3 RS, more expensive than the Porsche and Sport Auto revealed that it was around two seconds faster lapping the Nurburgring than the 2003E46 M3 CSL. It also sported a rear deck spoiler of a size that, transposed into the human world, would cause most men to wait for everyone else to have a shower first.
Already pricey, but the only way is up, says Harris
But - and here’s how quickly the marketplace can change its view - a car that BMW GB simply couldn’t flog (I think only seven were actually sold in the UK) might just be about to join the ranks of the appreciating asset club.
The reasons? Well, the GTS ticks most of the boxes. Save for that spoiler, it looks very good. It also sounds plain illegal due to the titanium pipes, and thanks to the dual-clutch 'box it’s very easy to drive slowly, something that those who spend lots of cash on rare cars rather like. For further evidence of this trend, check prices of the Porsche CarreraGT – pegged down by being near-impossible to drive slowly in Mayfair. And the GTS is very good on track – as you’d expect from something that has many modifications over a standard M3.
Ironically, the fact that it sold in miniscule numbers is probably its greatest attraction now, just three years after it was launched. Being one of so few genuine UK cars almost guarantees that this will become a sought-after car.
Question is, would you value the rarity over the amazing list of faster, more exotic machinery you could own for the same money?
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
Price new: 115,000 euros (exc VAT)
Yours for: £94,500
See the original advert here.