Exceedingly rare Hartge BMW M3 (E36) for sale
Only six are believed to be in the UK. A no-expense-spared restoration ensures this is one of the sweetest
There really was a performance BMW for everyone back in the '80s and '90s. Those wanting the ultimate driver’s car could count on the company’s M division, while Alpina catered to buyers eyeing M3 performance minus the racy bodykit and firmer suspension. For readers of Max Power there was AC Schnizter and Hamann. But for the really barmy stuff, you needed to pay Hartge a visit.
Not that you’d necessarily know that just by looking at their offerings, because while Hartge would always adorn its projects with glitzier wheels, puffier body kits and taller spoilers, they weren’t nearly as extravagant as, say, the aforementioned AC Schnitzer cars. Instead, Hartge’s loopyness stems from squeezing big engines into smaller BMWs. Think shoehorning the E39 M5’s S62 V8 in to the E46 M3 (sounds sacrilegious, but also intriguing), or slotting the S85 V10 from the E60 M5 into the E90 M3, and so on. Even when it left the standard engine in place, Hartge would never send a tuned car out the door with the same capacity it came in with.
That’s exactly what happened when it first got its hands on this E36 M3. Registration in 1998 puts this E36 among the late twin Vanos variable valve timing Evo models, the most desirable of this generation M3 short of the special editions, meaning the bigger 3.2-litre S50 motor with 321hp and 258lb ft of torque on tap. However, one month into ownership, the original custodian of this M3 sent it off to Birds (then the UK’s distributor for Hartge) for a stroke and bore increase to 3.5 litres, bringing a decent hike in performance to 350hp and 298lb ft. That's right, there's more power and torque on offer here than in the newer E46 M3.
Not only that, but the underpinnings were given a major shake-up too. The standard springs and dampers were ditched for ‘uprated’ alternatives, while the stock exhaust was replaced with Hartge’s own stainless steel system, which the ad claims delivers ‘a burbly snort like no other.’ As you might expect given the cat has been thrown out with the old system. Topping it all off was the fitment of a strut brace to further stiffen the chassis, which should mean this E36 feels as fresh as it would have done 26 years ago.
Especially as it’s been put through an exhaustive, three-month restoration more recently that, according to the ad, has set the previous owner back ‘tens of thousands of pounds.’ And it’s not hard to see why, with the underbody being stripped back to the bare metal to remove any corrosion, the suspension components blasted and powered coated with new seals and bushes, and the Hartge-branded brakes were reassembled with fresh pads, discs and fluids. There’s no mention of whether the paintwork or interior receiving the same treatment, but the pictures suggest it’s immaculate inside and out - including a fully stocked tool kit inside the boot lid.
Word on the internet is that it’s one of only six Hartge E36 M3s in the UK, with the steering wheel on the correct side, and it’s unlikely the other five have received the same care and attention as this one. And because of that, it costs the proverbial arm and leg at £49,000. Now, E36s have been slowly creeping up in recent years, but not by that much. This '97 car with similar mileage is half the price, and then there’s this M3 saloon previously owned by Jay Kay for £35,900. But the Hartge really is very special, particularly as the German tuner closed its doors five years ago. So what’ll it be then? The blue base car, the famous four-door or the Hartge hellraiser?
I’ll take a standard M3 thanks. The Hartge bits don’t add anything for me.
I think what they meant was it was a bit low-rent and mass-productiony and lost that high-quality aesthetic of the E30.
The ergonomics were perfectly acceptable.
I’ll take a standard M3 thanks. The Hartge bits don’t add anything for me.
I think what they meant was it was a bit low-rent and mass-productiony and lost that high-quality aesthetic of the E30.
The ergonomics were perfectly acceptable.
I still say you've got to really want the E36 to get one in this day, because for the money an equivalent E46 is going to be better. I had a friend spend a good few K on making a 328i into a track toy, and I kept telling him he should've just started with an E46 330i. By the time you've done some breathing mods, had it mapped and fitted a tonne of E46 suspension components to an E36 328i, you've maybe got a car as capable as a stripped out, stock 330i round a track.
It boggles the mind.
And that’s before they started stressing about the E36 NCAP rating
I still say you've got to really want the E36 to get one in this day, because for the money an equivalent E46 is going to be better. I had a friend spend a good few K on making a 328i into a track toy, and I kept telling him he should've just started with an E46 330i. By the time you've done some breathing mods, had it mapped and fitted a tonne of E46 suspension components to an E36 328i, you've maybe got a car as capable as a stripped out, stock 330i round a track.
It boggles the mind.
The e46 was built with the target to be a more refined/quiet version of the e36. It’s a fat e36. My e36 was refined enough for me. It was also reliable, even though it lived a very hard life.
I would pick an e90 over an e46, they actually improved the driving dynamics massively.
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