This V10-Powered E46 M3 Blends The Best Of The Best M Cars

Three Iconic BMW M Cars In One Expensive Package

While browsing Instagram last night, I came across a post advertising a highly unusual E46 BMW M3 that was dividing opinions. The car in question is a 2004 model with 185,000 miles on the clock, yet it’s got a six-figure asking price. Why? Because, among other things, it has the V10 engine from an M5 and the dual-clutch transmission from a newer M3. As you can imagine, that sort of price tag and those sorts of upgrades attract the kind of attention that has only one purpose: to find fault. But for every 10 uninformed naysayers, there’s one commenter who built something similar and can attest to the much higher cost of replicating what’s being offered from scratch. So who’s right? Take a look at the spec list and decide for yourself.

E46, E60, And E92 M Cars Combine

Let’s start with the obvious. The V10 in question is the S85 from the E60 M5 of the mid-2000s, and because it’s a high-performance BMW engine, it’s been given new rod bearings to keep it from self-destruction (along with new seals, belts, spark plugs, and fuel injectors). To make it all work, a Syvecs-based Howell Race Engineering ECU is employed. The single-clutch SMG automated manual transmission usually attached to this engine (though America did get the stick) has thankfully been ditched, but instead of a relatively straightforward manual conversion, this car has the dual-clutch automatic that Getrag developed for the E9X M3. Remarkably, it’s running the original TCU with just an M3 GTS software flash to increase the clamping force of the clutches. The same car has donated its rear wing, and inside, the Recaro Pole Position bucket seats are very similar to those found in the F82 M4 GTS.

Other elements borrowed from existing Bimmers include an E60 M5 radiator, a carbon fiber drive shaft from an F82 M4, an E92 M3 catback exhaust, and from the E46 M3 CSL, the rear anti-roll bar and the steering knuckles, the latter of which widen the front track by 10 mm and provide a degree of negative camber.

The car has been built to handle the demands of the track, with an OS Giken 3.15 limited-slip differential, Powerflex subframe bushings, a dry sump kit from VAC Motorsport, and a Radium fuel system with a surge tank in the trunk. AST 5300 suspension and Apex VS5 RS lightweight wheels wrapped in Nankang AR1 rubber have also been fitted, and the cabin boasts a rear-seat delete, lightweight door panels, and knobs and buttons for traction and launch controls.

A Ready-Built Racecar, But Is It Worth The Price?

The car looks relatively unassuming from the outside and has clearly been built to a high standard, with several more mechanical upgrades than we have space to list here. Priced at €97,950, or just over $112,500 at current exchange rates, it’s not a terribly bad deal; one commenter on the sale post, who has only performed the V10 swap to his E46, claims a build like this selling for anything less than $180k is a steal. We’re inclined to agree, especially when you factor in the time and effort to build something like this without prior experience. And although the car may have 185,000 miles on it, the engine is said to have clocked only 80,000 of them. Hey, it could be worse. Just bear in mind that the price excludes shipping from the Netherlands.

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