Henry Catchpole gets behind the wheel of two BMW M3 Tourings – one is the latest G81 M3 CS, the other is a naturally aspirated, manual, rear-wheel drive E46 that drives like new. Both are the same price, so the question is, which would you have?
The BMW E46 M3 Touring is not really a restomod, either. Rather this is an as-new restoration of a car that didn’t exist 25 years ago. Or at least a car that BMW only built one of (and didn’t really tell anyone about until ten years ago). Using the original concept car as a template, it has been built by Petroyle in the UK and it’s absolutely gorgeous. It uses carbon fibre for the new panels but looks and feels both inside and out as though it rolled off a production line in Munich.
One question is ‘why didn’t BMW build this in period?’. Well, as Henry explains, it was all to do with who was quizzed about the concept. Another question is ‘how do you go about making a new E46 in 2026?’ and the answer to that comes from Gregg Alvarez (whose favourite colour, as you might have guessed, is Laguna Seca Blue).
And in case you think that the G81 M3 CS Touring has just been included so that we can say ‘look, cars aren’t as good as they used to be’, think again. There might be a few modern annoyances, but there are also plenty of things that make the latest CS wagon an absolute joy to drive. Yes, it’s faster than the E46, but that’s not the reason it’s appealing – the steering, the balance of the xDrive, the seats, the ride… it all adds up to a very special car.
So, given that either one would set you back about £130,000 depending on spec (yes, you can have Apple CarPlay or SMG or a V10 or any other number of options that would make the E46 a restomod), the choice is an intriguing one. New or Old? 2000 or 2026?
Insure your classic with a specialist insurer
If you’re looking for cover for your pride and joy, why not consider Hagerty UK? Not only are we classic car insurance specialists, but we are enthusiasts at heart. Call us for a quote on 0333 323 1138.
