Bimmer Guy Milestone: A Ride In The Best Sounding M3

A few weeks ago, I arrived in my native city, Thessaloniki, which is located in Greece. We're all aware that this is a car blog, not a travel agency, but Greece is easily one of the best, if not the best country for vacation in the whole wide world. Would you like a trip to the beach, to swim in turquoise waters and eat freshly caught  fish everyday? How about a roadtrip to the mountains, where you can simply enjoy the peace and quiet, go hiking to pick oregano and drink water straight from the mountain? Greece has it all.

Anyways, on the first day of my arrival, I started to walk to the bus stop for a nice afternoon walk in the center of town. In the first 100 meters of my journey, I looked towards our neighbour's house to see if his 6,7 lt Dodge Ram Cummins was in the driveway. However, instead of the truck was an BMW E46 M3, lowered, with Hartge looking three piece rims, a midnight blue paint job and a fat-ass exhaust! I said "Hi" to the owner, Makis, expressed my admiration for that beauty and took a few pics. In return, Makis offered me a ride in his Bimmer, the M3. I couldn't believe it!

One grueling week of waiting later, on a late Monday afternoon, Makis stopped by to pick me up for a spin. Right from the get-go, the '46 was loud. In low speeds, like most BMs with loud exhausts, it was a bit drony, but that wasn't a problem. In the first '90 degree turn, Makis just eased into the gas, and the car was already sideways.  Greek roads are so old and shitty, that almost any car has a hard time gripping the road. Keep that in mind as you read this short story; it'll facilitate your understanding.

The first thing I asked Makis was how much he paid for his exhaust. We're talking about a fast 3-series here, not a Lambo. Any price you guess will not scratch the surface of the number I'm about to splurt out. For a "Loud as fuck, boyyyy!" exhaust system like the one on this M3, you need 11,000 Euros. Yes, with three zeros. What, you may ask, makes this exhaust setup so expensive? Titatium, the rare, super light but fragile metal from the headers all the way to the back, topped off with a Supersprint muffler. Makis wanted to put the headers on display in his living room. They're that beautiful... and they make the car sound as if one million bees are buzzing behind it. Makis bought this car new, when he was living in the US, because of his love for BMWs. Like any right minded Bimmer-guy, Makis bought, in 2002, a Carbonschwarz Metallic E46 M3, with a black cloth-leather interior, old carbon as aftermarket trim and an SMG gearbox. Before the SMG loathers start to moan, Makis bought it for an understandable reason: he liked the kick that you get after every gear change. After we exited the small town that is between our houses and the twisties, we lowered the windows and got ready for the action.

Right on the start of the road, a dumb-ass Toyota Corolla was blocking our path. So Makis did what any guy with a 360 hp M3 and cold tires would do: floored it and passed the Corolla while sideways.  Then came the real fun. The uphill was empty, and I left Makis concentrate on his driving while I subdued myself to the M3's screaming. Makis drifted around every single corner, spinning the tires down the straights. This baby will leave you stupefied when you'll hear it nearing its stratospherical, for any car, redline.  I thought to myself that an E46 M3 is the answer to all my problems. I would never, ever be sad when I'd drive it. You simply giggle your ass of. The M3, with its HR coilovers, Brembo 4 piston brakes front and rear, and drilled discs, cornered as flat as a pancake. Combine that
with wide Japanese, three-piece Radenergie rims and you have a perfectly balanced sports car.


As we cruised back home, we stopped to take a few pictures in front of the house, check out the S54 and rev it up enough times to start a new dawn of the dead. Finally, Makis left with a nicely executed burnout for the 100 meters he had  to drive to his house. I was so happy, I hopped and giggled like Pipi Longstocking on my way to my house. The first person I called was, of course, my buddy, Vadim, who, hearing my uncontrollable laughter, asked: "You went for a drive in the M3, didn't you?".


 The E46 M3 is worth all the hype it has received over the years. Even though I adore the E30 M3, it's design is unmistakably 80's. Yet, the E46's curves are timeless and they define it, in my eyes, as the most beautiful M3 ever built. BMW didn't stop there and slammed a 3,2lt 6-cylinder that revs to 8,200 rpm... in a 3-series, lets not forget.  Even after 15 years of ownership, Makis wants to keep the M3 indefinitely. When he has an unpleasant day, he hops in the M3, fires it up and goes redlining around the mountains to calm himself. "Refreshment is 100% guaranteed" is a slogan BMW should've used in one its ads back in the early noughties. Whatever revs to the sky, sounds like a racecar and makes you happy, is worth keeping forever.

Thank you Makis, for taking me for drive in one of my favorite cars of all time, the E46 M3, which happened to be my first ever ride in an M3. So, like most first-times, it will stay an unforgettable experience.

Does she really need explaining?