- RM Sotheby’s is offering the Best of M Collection for auction next month.
- 22 highly desirable and exceptionally rare Bimmers make up the collection.
- Every car is offered without reserve, but estimates are high.
You may have seen our recent coverage of a phenomenal collection of Ferraris and other hypercars that form part of the Tailored for Speed Collection, being offered for auction by RM Sotheby’s later this month. But perhaps Prancing Horses are a little too rich for your taste. If so, RM Sotheby’s has something a little more accessible for the enthusiast to ponder: The Best of M Collection. This is not an auction of all the M cars BMW has ever made, but it is an auction of some of the rarest and arguably best to drive machines that Munich’s magicians have ever made. Comprising 22 cars mostly from the 1990s-2010s (with a couple of notable exceptions either side of that date range), there are plenty of Bimmers that are modern enough to drive today in comfort and at speed, yet raw enough to stand apart from the masses of over-assisted cars that flood today’s roadways.
A Mixed Bag Of Color And Character
The first lot in the collection belongs to a 2002 BMW Z3 M Coupe painted in Phoenix Yellow, and the very next is its immediate successor, the 2007 BMW Z4 M Coupe. Want the same experience but with the wind in your hair? A 2000 BMW Z3 M Roadster (with the rare hardtop included) is also on offer, as is a 2007 Z4 M Roadster. Speaking of drop-tops, a particularly unusual inclusion here is a 1990 BMW Z1, which could lower not only its roof but also its doors. While not revered for its performance in the same way as other cars in this collection, it’s certainly an interesting part of Bavarian automotive history, and with only 8,000 examples made, this is expected to fetch in the region of €90,000-€120,000 ($106,000-$141,000).
2002 BMW Z3 M Coupe: $94,000-$117,000
2007 BMW Z4 M Coupe: $70,500-$94,000
2003 BMW M3 CSL: $141,000-$188,000
1990 BMW Z1: $105,500-$141,000
2023 BMW M4 Edition 50 Jahre: $106,000-$141,000
1992 BMW M3 Cabriolet: $106,000-$141,000
1995 BMW M3 Cabriolet: $59,000-$82,000
2016 BMW M2 Coupe: $59,000-$82,000
1975 BMW 2002 Turbo: $118,000-$165,000
1990 BMW M3 Sport Evolution: $235,000-$284,000
1980 BMW M1: $588,000-$705,000
2012 BMW 1 Series M Coupe: $82,000-$106,000
2007 BMW Z4 M Roadster: $59,000-$82,000
2000 BMW Z3 M Roadster: $70,500-$94,000
2011 BMW M3 CRT: $200,000-$259,000
2016 BMW M4 GTS: $141,000-$188,000
2002 BMW M3 Cabriolet: $59,000-$82,000
2003 BMW Alpina Roadster V8: $352,500-$446,500
2017 BMW M3 30 Jahre Edition: $82,000-$106,000
2023 BMW M4 CSL: $176,000-$235,000
1995 BMW M3 GT: $117,500-$164,500
2010 BMW M3 GTS: $270,000-$329,000
Other cabriolets include a Diamond Black 1992 E30 BMW M3 Cabriolet, a Dakar Yellow 1995 E36 M3 Cabriolet, a Titan Silver 2002 E46 M3 Cabriolet, and in the same color, a 2003 BMW Alpina Roadster V8, a hotted-up version of the E39 M5-powered BMW Z8. This is likely to be one of the most expensive offerings in the collection, with estimates at roughly $350,000-$446,000.
The True Icons Of The Collection
The oldest cars in the collection are a 1975 BMW 2002 Turbo, the first-ever turbocharged production Bimmer ($118,000-$165,000), and a 1980 BMW M1, which is expected to sell for between $588,000-$705,000. No collection of the finest M cars would be complete without what comes next, though. A 1990 E30 M3 Sport Evolution, a 1995 E36 M3 GT, a 2003 E46 M3 CSL, a 2010 E92 M3 GTS (plus its four-door equivalent, a 2011 E90 M3 CRT), and a 2016 F82 M4 GTS with its unusual water injection system. The collection doesn’t stop with the established icons, though, as a 2017 F80 M3 30 Jahre Edition also appears, as do a 2023 G82 M4 Edition 50 Jahre and a 2023 G82 M4 CSL. There’s also a 2012 E82 BMW 1 Series M Coupe in Valencia Orange and its successor, the N55-powered 2016 M2 Coupe. Honestly, this collection (crossing the auction block on Saturday, 18 October, in Munich, Germany) ticks every box for the modern-day M enthusiast, and choosing just one to live with would be seriously tough. Which would you have?
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