For many performance car manufacturers, there is one style of engine that they are most closely tied to; for Porsche, it is a Flat-6, with Ferrari a V12, and for BMW, since the 1930s, that motor has been the Inline-6. As technology advanced, the engine was improved and refined with every subsequent generation, and at numerous points, an inline-6 powered nearly every car in the brand's lineup. When people talk about the peak of BMW's inline-6 development, the S54, which was developed for the E46 M3 comes up frequently. A supremely flexible engine, the S54 offers fantastic in-town usability, but when you get on it, it will rev to the stratosphere and both sound and feel like a race car while you're doing it.

This 2004 BMW M3 Coupe is a beautiful example finished in Jet Black (Schwarz 2) over a black leather interior and shows just 77,181 miles from new. The E46 M3 is truly a classic shape and is one of the very few vehicles that look as modern and fresh today as it did when it was first shown to the public in 2001. This example benefits from the addition of BMW's optional 19” polished twin-spoke wheels, which give the car a more upscale look and a more modern design. Although this car remains largely stock, a few minor modifications have been carried out in the way of black kidney grilles up front and clear corner markers in place of the stock orange units.

The car's interior is finished in black leather with a brushed stainless steel dash, door, and center console trim. The seats in an E46 M3 straddle the line between well-bolstered and supportive while still offering tremendous comfort for long journeys- all of this done to make the M3 the ultimate multi-use vehicle. As BMW is a luxury brand, this car still comes with numerous convenience features, such as rear parking sensors, automatic climate control, and a Harman Kardon stereo system.

Under the hood, this car is powered by BMW's legendary S54 inline-6, which produces 333 horsepower and 269 lb-ft of torque. In this example, the engine is paired to a 6-speed SMG II gearbox with paddle shifters on the rear of the steering wheel. Based on the same Getrag 420G transmission found in the manual, the SMG utilizes a hydraulically actuated clutch, allowing for lightning-fast shifting shifts up and down every time.

With BMW Motorsports building its name on the inline-6 engine, the E46 M3 stands as the pinnacle of naturally aspirated Inline-6 development from the brand. The powerful, smooth engine, paired with a timeless shape and sublime driving characteristics, has already shown its potential as a collector car with rapidly rising values. This example is presented in a stunning exterior color that highlights the classic design of the E46 M3 and has been kept to a very high standard from new.