BMW M3 E46

The E46 M3 needs very little introduction. For many, it remains the high-water mark of BMW M cars – compact, beautifully balanced, naturally aspirated and powered by one of the great engines to ever wear an M badge. This particular example is an original Irish-supplied car and, mechanically, we genuinely believe it to be one of the best E46 M3s currently available.

Showing approximately 122,000 miles, this isn’t a car whose story is simply about mileage. It is about maintenance, provenance and, most importantly, the enormous amount of work carried out to make it right. In recent years over €15,000 has been spent, principally with respected BMW specialist Tom Fahy in Oranmore and Division 88. The instruction from its owner was refreshingly simple – go through the car properly and do whatever was required, with no corners cut.

The result is an E46 that feels exceptionally fresh. Tom Fahy carried out an extensive mechanical and underside refresh, documented by several hundred photographs showing the work in detail. Suspension components, arms, bushes and associated components were attended to as required, while the underside itself was comprehensively refreshed. The front wings have also been replaced using genuine BMW panels, rather than aftermarket alternatives. The all-important rod bearings have previously been replaced by Philip Wright, while the VANOS system has been inspected and checked.

Again, this is an M3 where the expensive jobs haven’t simply been talked about – there is documentation to support the work. Further expenditure with Division 88 included a full suspension set-up and a superb brake upgrade using OEM F80 M3 discs and calipers with Pagid race pads. It also benefits from an Eventuri carbon-fibre intake, which allows that magnificent S54 straight-six to sound exactly as it should. Inside, it remains wonderfully original and presents extremely well, with black leather, electric memory seats, Harman Kardon audio and an Alcantara M steering wheel.

The 3.2-litre S54 straight-six remains one of BMW M’s greatest achievements – 343bhp, individual throttle bodies and an 8,000rpm redline. More than twenty years later, an E46 M3 still feels genuinely special in a way very few modern performance cars can replicate. There is also an excellent service history accompanying the car, with particularly comprehensive documentation covering its recent expenditure.

Plenty of E46 M3s come to market. Far fewer have had this level of recent investment lavished upon them. Original Irish, exceptionally well documented, extensively refreshed and mechanically superb – this is an E46 M3 that has been properly sorted rather than simply prepared for sale.

Quite simply, one of the freshest and best mechanically prepared E46 M3s we have driven in a long time.