AC Schnitzer M3 Touring | PH Auction Block

A modern BMW M car hero with the power of a V10 Lamborghini? We'll have a bit of that...

By Matt Bird / Thursday, 17 September 2026 / Loading comments

You might recall the remarkable press release issued by AC Schnitzer earlier this year. In it, Managing Director Rainer Vogel, was pretty frank about why operations were winding down: “It is certainly also true that we - like other tuning companies - have not succeeded in inspiring young customers to enjoy sporty driving with our brand to the same extent as their fathers’ generation did.” And with cars and modifying more expensive than ever, Schnitzer was up for sale. If a seller wasn’t found by the end of 2026 (and there’s been no news yet), then that would be it for one of the preeminent BMW tuners.

This would be disappointing in any year, but BMW fans have had a really rough time of it lately. As well as Schnitzer, Alpina has been absorbed into the mothership (and nothing that results from its new strategy will cost less than £100,000), and Hartge went pre-Covid after more than 40 years in business. The fact you can still get an XM and M Performance Parts for cars nobody likes seems increasingly like a cruel twist of fate.

And while nobody likes to see any kind of car company struggling, uncertainty inevitably redirects attention to the back catalogue. The cars that already exist become more interesting when a replacement seems unlikely. Which brings us neatly to this AC Schnitzer M3 Touring. As things are, the Aachen-based company won’t even make it to the next petrol-powered M3, what with the battery-powered version set to launch first. And even if it does, imagine the song and dance BMW will make about its own M3 extras - nobody else will get a look in.

But there was a whole Schnitzer smorgasbord announced in 2023 for the M3 Touring: another 100hp, suspension work, wheels, aero bits, interior accessories and so on. As a three-year-old car, this G81 must have been one of the very first RHD cars converted, and it got the full works, with the forged wheels, additional exterior carbon and interior accessories. There are also height-adjustable coilovers fitted. Plus the small matter of more than 600hp…

While it’s true to suggest that a modern M3 never wants for any power, it would also be accurate to say that it could certainly handle it were it to turn up. So the extra will probably prove irresistible, another 20 per cent or so more horsepower turning the M3 from very fast into searingly rapid. Torque climbed substantially with Schnitzer’s recalibration, too, from 479lb ft to 553lb ft. Any time, any weather, any place, there’s not going to be much faster on the road.

On top of the very rare modifications, this M3 boasts a lovely standard spec. Before it was Schnitzered this Touring had been specced from the factory with the carbon seats, ceramic brakes and the very funky orange leather. It’s everything you’d look for when buying an M3 Touring, with the Schnitzer bonus bits on top. Plus modest mileage and what appears to be first-rate condition. The M3 Touring is sufficiently new and more than capable enough that they’re all still extremely desirable, but some are definitely more special than others - and thanks to the plight of its tuner, this one has all the makings of a cult classic.

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