The car we are looking at was bought in 2018 at the Essen trade fair. With 69000 km mileage and in original condition, Belgian collector and classic dealer Theo Waltop sold it. The car comes from an Irish classic collection. I do not think you could want for more.

– You may grimace because it is a sedan, not a coupe. However, the four-door E36 M Series is much more of a rarity than a coupe. Plus, it has a beautiful white interior with wooden inserts. Estoril Blau-metallic is the most sought-after colour version next to British Racing Green.

The third iteration of the 3 Series was officially exposed in October 1990. Compared to its predecessor, it was a car with a longer wheelbase. This translated into a more spacious interior that one can feel, especially when travelling in the front. From the outset, the E36 was available with a full range of engines – from the 316i, through the 320i to the 325i. The 325td followed a brief time later in 1991, and in January 1992 the coupe (E39‑2) arrived on the market and was a real hit. Half a million units sold speaks for itself. Those who wanted to feel the wind in their hair had to wait until November, when a convertible version made its debut. The longest wait, until 1995, was for a roomy estate car. Patience paid off – the popular opinion was that the Touring ‘Three’ was the prettiest variant of the entire series.

1992 also saw the debut of the E36 with the M package. In November, the M3 Coupe with a 6-cylinder engine appeared in showrooms. Its distinctive feature was its noisiness, which was not only unobtrusive in a car of this class but also fit for its place. The 4-door sedan bearing the letter ‘M’ was available from October 1994. Originally, the M3 had a 286-hp 3.0 litre engine. In the manufacturer’s opinion this did not suffice and so, in 1995, they gave it a new 321-hp 3.2 litre unit. This is the engine that powers the blue M3 in the collection. What is most striking is its extreme inconspicuousness.

BMW knew that power would stand up for itself, and that the most important thing – the heart – was hiding under the bonnet. In December 1997, the 50000th M3 E36 Series left the factory.

The third iteration of the BMW 3 Series came in every body style imaginable in the segment, and nothing was lacking in any of the variants. All of them stood out for their sporty, sharp lines, which we appreciate even now, years later. Admittedly, towards the end, people increasingly complained about its lack of freshness, but one could hardly expect freshness from a car developed a decade earlier. The sedan’s history ended in 1998 after more than 1.5 million were released from the factory line. The Touring and Coupe remained on offer until mid-1999. It took a while longer (until September) for the possibility of buying a factory-new convertible.

Today, you may only dream of getting a brand-new E36. But even though so much time has passed since its production ended, there are still places where beautifully preserved, superbly equipped cars are waiting. You just need to know where to look. And we know where to look.