BMW M3 GTS

With a price tag more than double that of a regular E92 M3, the M3 GTS was a tough sell back in 2010. But get behind the wheel today and there's no doubt that it ranks among the very best M cars ever made

-  RICHARD MEADEN

BMW COULDN'T HAVE PICKED A TOUGHER TIME to launch its most hardcore E92 M3, the GTS. Arriving mere months after the Gen 2 997 GT3 RS and a year before the revered RS 4.0, you could say it drove straight into the perfect storm. Worse, building so few of them ensured the vast majority disappeared into collections, rarely to be seen or indeed sold.

When it was revealed, BMW suggested a total of 150 GTSS would be made, but in fact just 138 were built by the M division; a criminally small number for such a special car. Looking back it seems like an anomaly in BMW's model lineup, but cast your mind back to 2010 and you'll recall the E92 M3 was a real force in GT2 and DTM. In the absence of having to build a true homologation special to go racing, the GTS was a pure celebration of the M3's motorsport success.

It's fair to say the ultra-short production run made it seem something of a collector's trinket when we should have embraced it as a fresh alternative to the default GT3. Instead, BMW drew criticism for asking too much money-specifically when compared to Porsche's 997 GT3 and RS models - but in truth £118k was small beer for such exclusivity. Especially when the transformation to GTS included a special long-stroke 4.4-litre V8, which was subsequently fitted to the near-mythical M3 CRT saloon.

Fast-forward to 2023 and that 2010 list price is something of a moot point as values have risen considerably. And that's assuming you can find one for sale. Then again, if you're fortunate enough to have one of these in your possession you'd have to be mad to part with it.