1995 BMW M3 Lightweight Rewind Review: Sweet Deletes

The scent hits you first, an undeniably vintage odor of tired adhesives outgassing their last vapors through weathered vinyl. This M3 has none of the rich olfactory effect you get when entering a new BMW, no luxurious animal hides, just a sliver of shiny, slippery leather wrapping the wheel and another bit on the shift knob. You won't find gratuitous Alcantara inserts or garish seat belts, just simple black upholstery for a simpler BMW from a simpler time, a 1995 M3 Lightweight rolled out of BMW's secret warehouse just for us.

This M3 was something of a parts bin special in its day, but what a bin. Using the lightweight aluminum doors and adjustable front splitter plus the tiny wing mirrors from the European-spec M3 GT, this version earns its decidedly straightforward nomenclature by weighing 200 pounds less than the standard roadgoing E36. That might not sound like much today in an era when a new M3 weighs just shy of 4,000 pounds, but the 1995 E36 M3 weighed about 3,150 pounds. Losing 200 required some compromises.

Pop the trunk and you see a token piece of carpet thrown on the floor, but that's it. The engine compartment is similarly spartan, stripped of lining and, more significant, the air conditioning compressor and all its plumbing. In the cabin, button blanks outnumber actual buttons. A flat panel sits where the radio should be, while the console is trimmed in carbon fiber, one of the few signs in here that this is something special. There's another woven inset in the dash bearing a small plaque: BMW Motorsport International Limited Edition.

How limited? Even BMW isn't sure. The official release states "around 100," all sold to a public so flush with fun cars that few appreciated this gem. In coverage of the Lightweight in its day, and you'll find 10 people lamenting the lack of power for each one who's thankful it exists.

To be fair, it is a little down even by 1995 standards—240 hp from this M50 3.0-liter I-6 compared to 295 from the European M3 GT's S50, but either figure is quaint compared to the 503 hp you can get in a present-day M3/M4. Today's power comes at a bargain price compared to the M3 Lightweight, which cost $47,900 new. Adjust for inflation and you're looking at close to $100,000, about $25,000 more than the base price on a modern M4. For market value, though, the M3 Lightweight is on another planet. The last one that crossed the block, from the late actor Paul Walker's collection, came out the other side with a $385,000 price tag attached.

Every M3 Lightweight was Alpine White, bespeckled with a vinyl BMW Motorsport-colored checkered flag running across the left corner of the nose and right corner of the tail. More noticeable at the back is the wing, standing tall on its risers, while up front, the adjustable front splitter pops out about an inch if you give it a good tug. Everything sits on a stiffer suspension than the standard M3.

That aggro stance means the 235/40R17 tires at all four corners are properly tucked up in the fenders. Polished aluminum wheels are perhaps a bit flashy, but the design is timeless, featuring the deep offset that looks so good on period BMWs. On the outside, the Lightweight is an odd mix of simplicity and fanfare, just a white M3 with a big wing if you come at it from the wrong angle. You'd be forgiven for thinking someone slapped it together in their backyard and spiced it up with a little splash of color from their Cricut.

But start the Lightweight's engine and dive into some corners, and you quickly realize this was done with skill and purpose. The shifter has a long action by modern sporting standards but stellar feel, the length of throw setting up the proper cadence to not rush the five-speed gearbox. A shortened 3.23 final drive ratio makes the most of the 225 lb-ft of torque.

Body roll is substantial, surely accentuated by modern Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires that offer orders of magnitude more grip than any '90s rubber you care to name, but that didn't change the fact that hot lapping was such a simple pleasure that I didn't want to stop.

And on the road? It's just as sweet, that suspension giving plenty of compliance for daily driving, though you do suffer the lack of torque between lights, and road noise on the highway is substantial. Visibility, though, is the biggest challenge. The rear wing hides just about anything short of a Super Duty out back.

On our early spring drive, the missing air conditioning wasn't much of a bother, but passengers with modern sensibilities will probably question the absence of proper cupholders despite not one but two ashtrays, both made of carbon fiber. Perplexing '90s priorities aside, the BMW M3 Lightweight is a simple stunner, truly bare-bones in such a way as would never fly in a modern machine. But its look, its character, and, yes, its smell make it impossible to forget.