For Sale at Auction: 1988 BMW M3 in Amelia Island, Florida

Chassis No. WBSAK010602191899

When production began in March 1986, BMW had a simple goal for the M3: to satisfy the FIA Group A homologation rules of 5,000 standard production cars in order to contest the German Touring Car Championship, better known as DTM. Once satisfied, manufacturers then created an enhanced version of the base production car, with only 500 homologation examples needing to be built. In the case of the BMW M3, these 500 homologation cars came in the form of the Evolution I and later Evolution II.

The Evolution II features a more powerful 2.3-liter "S14" inline-four-cylinder engine by way of an increased compression ratio, revised cylinder head, camshaft, and exhaust manifold, raising horsepower to nearly 220. With Motorsport top of mind, all Evo IIs were equipped with the Getrag "G265" dogleg five-speed manual transmission. The cars were further enhanced for racing with 16x7.5 inch BBS wheels, thinner side and rear window glass, a lighter trunk lid, a deeper front splitter, and a secondary rear lip spoiler, along the trailing edge of the trunk. These performance enhancements allowed for an improved top speed of 240 km/h.

Finished in gorgeous Macao Blue Metallic over well-preserved Silver Uberkaro Cloth upholstery, this "slicktop" M3 Evo II was initially sold in France and remained in the country for many years prior to it being imported to the United States in 2014. Upon arrival in the US, the car received nearly $37,000 worth of service work by Global Motorsports Group in Santa Ana, California. This work included installing new springs and an Ireland Engineering front sway bar, overhauling the rear subframe, suspension, and braking systems, upgrading the rear differential, resealing the transmission, and servicing the engine with new seals, timing chain, and oil pump. A DTM Group A style mono-wiper was also installed, adding to the car's sporting presence. The M3 received paint protection film to the front, roof, and rocker panels, and ceramic tint was applied to the windows in 2020. A front strut tower brace from Mason Engineering and Bilstein dampers were also installed in 2020, while a considerable amount of additional maintenance and restoration work was undertaken over the past several years to ensure that this DTM icon's performance matches its crisp looks.

Affixed to the center console is a plaque denoting this car as the 463rd example of just 500 ever produced, confirming the rarity and provenance of this most sporting of BMWs. Presented today in excellent condition, this 1988 BMW M3 Evolution II is accompanied by a M-Tech I steering wheel, an owner's manual, a toolkit, and a large dossier of service records, invoices, and history dating back to 1995.