Equipment
3246/333hp, 6-speed, sunroof delete, Harman Kardon audio.
Condition
The underside shows some of the grit and grime of the 29,000 miles on the odometer. The car has a resprayed hood, a cracked and dented front fascia, and a front end peppered with tiny rock chips. But, there is a great blend of rare options. That color, for one. Laguna Seca Blue (LSB) is lovely in photos. It’s even better in person. The BMW Registry tells us that 26,202 E46 coupes were sold in North America. Just 1128 came in LSB, the bulk of them from 2001–03. After the M3’s mid-2003 “lifecycle impulse” (which, for some reason, is BMW-speak for “facelift”) just 154 LSB coupes appeared, and there were none in 2005–06. Also rare was this car’s Cinnamon Nappa leather interior. Nearly 90 percent of all LSB coupes had either gray or black leather interiors; just 1.7 percent of LSB coupes (19 total cars) featured this lovely orangey-brown inside. In a world of power everything, refreshingly, this car had lighter, manually adjustable (but heated!) seats. Similarly, sunroofs were almost de rigueur on these M3s, but this car was spec’d from new without, making it one of two cars in this color combo with a slick roof.
Market commentary
So, rare colors inside and out, a lightweight no-fuss roof, manual seats, and DIY gear changes. That was the recipe here, and bidders were all too happy to overlook the minor foibles that might otherwise knock a car down in value. And, to be fair, the miles, the dings, and the repainted hood (reportedly done before the car’s original/only owner took possession) probably did hold back the final price. But no one is complaining. This car has been driven. It will get driven more.