What: 1993 BMW 316i Touring Color: BMW Individual Daytona Violet(daytonaviolett; metallic uni; 283; BMW) VIN: N/A Mileage: 142,915 miles Price: $14,000 OBO CarFax: N/A Window Sticker: N/A Location: Woodstock, GA Link: Facebook Marketplace
Given the E30 BMW 3-Series was never sold as a station wagon (a.k.a. Touring in BMW speak) in the United States, nor did it sell the 1.6-liter 316 version, this car would likely qualify for one of our European Market Watch finds… except it’s already present in the U.S.A. according to Facebook Marketplace for Woodstock, Georgia.
As specifications go, it’s compelling. BMW Individual Daytona Violet paint over handsome sport cloth, a 5-speed manual and a wagon make it very compelling. Worth noting though, further shots and video of the car over on Facebook Marketplace also show some wear and tear that is to be expected on a 142,915 mile chassis. The U.S. got the 325i (2.5-liter inline 6) and 318i (1.8-liter four cylinder), meaning this car is less potent than any of the U.S. offerings. Even still, you won’t find wagons in America and you’d be hard pressed to find fun BMW Individual colors like Daytona Violet in this era of American offerings either.
Porsche 993 remaster firm Gunther Werks has been teasing its idea of a reimagined E30 BMW M3 for a few years now, though recent activity on their stories has us believing they’re finally ready to pull the wraps off of their box-flared beauty.
Just last week we got a story with a potential name “Incignia”, and now we’ve got another story with a new rear quarter rendering revealing taillight design, and a link to a new Instagram account @incigniadesignthat appears to be the official account of their M3 business line.
We’ve taken the image, flipped it horizontally and used an AI tool to fill in the gap for a better look at the whole car. We’ll keep watching Gunther Werks for more information, but for now enjoy what we’ve got here and give them a follow on Instagram HERE.
What: 1990 BMW M3 Johnny Cecotto Limited Edition Color: Macao Blue Metallic (macaoblau; metallic uni; 250; BMW) Chassis #: 06HRN5 | 1941915 Mileage: 71,804 km, 44,616 miles Price: €149,950 CarFax: N/A Window Sticker: N/A Location: DTM Collectibles, Hilversum, Netherlands Auction Link:Link
Why We Love It:
The E30 generation M3 is already one of the most sought-after classic BMWs on the planet, now throw in one of the rare limited editions and that compounds the value to enthusiasts – particularly enthusiasts of the 80s “rad-era” variety. In this case, the E30 M3 in question is a 1990, one the Johnny Cecotto Limited Edition models, and one of just 50 to be sold to in Swiss specification.
For the uninitiated, Johnny Cecotto was a multi-talented professional driver of Italian and Venezuelan decent who won the motorcycle racing world championship at just 19 years old, and would later compete in F1 and the DTM where he raced for BMW in the E30 M3. Due to his success there and apparent participation int he development of the E30 M3 road car, BMW introduced this special edition as a tribute to him and unveiled it in 1989.
BMW M created a video featuring Johnny Cecotto talking about the car and his career with BMW. Watch it here.
The Johnny Cecotto Edition boasted several notable changes, including an upgraded 215 horsepower version of the BMW’s S14 2.3-liter engine, plus larger front splitter and revised rear wing that would later also be used by the M3 Sport Evolution. Thinner side and rear glass helped reduce weight, while components like valve covers and intake manifold were color-matched to the car and the centers of the car’s 16-inch BBS 2-piece wheels were painted black. Body colors available were limited to Misano Red, Nogaro Silver and Macao Blue like this car. A plaque showing his name could be found on the center console.
Over its production run, BMW built 5,000 E30 M3s, which qualify as a homologation special having been produced explicitly to meet production requirements in order to compete in the German DTM touring series. Over the course of production, 480 Johnny Cecotto Edition M3s were built, with another 25 similar cars built as tribute to fellow M3 DTM driver Roberto Ravaglia. Interestingly, it would be Ravaglia who netted BMW a championship in 1989, while Cecotto’s best BMW DTM season result was as runner-up in 1990 when this car was manufactured.
Back to this car, it is a great specification from the factory, with Macao Blue Metallic paint and grey interior including rare grey M Tech fabric seat centers, a design that was unique to the special edition M3s including the Cecotto and the Evolution. M Tech is more commonly found in black, with reproductions available in the market.
Making this car a little more unique is the fact that it was built to Swiss specification. Only 50 cars were imported into Switzerland, and this Macao Blue example was one of those cars. It was delivered first to a dentist in Zürich, who later sold it to the final previous owner more than 20 years ago. The paint is said to be original.
It’s not like the folks at 993-era Porsche 911 remasterers Guntherwerks dont’ have enough on their plate. Their restored and upgraded take on the 993 has definitely established a large following in the world of commissioned and upgraded 911 builds, though they’ve been playing with the idea of expanding on that for a while.
A quick check on our part shows the earliest we find them talking about it is a social media teaser on Facebook back in July of 2019. Maybe they were bored and killing time during the pandemic.
Fast forward to August of 2023 and a full car image was reportedly shared by Guntherwerks on Instagram and circulated amongst the press. It included some styling changes from the 2019 rendering, but it looked like a full car and suggested they hadn’t forgotten about the project.
That was 2023, then… just today, something caught our eye in our stories. It seems Gutherwerks has shared another image, this time a drawing showing a further evolved design and a name “INCIGNIA” with the tag-line “BMW E30 M3 Remastered and Reborn by Gunther Werks”.
We look forward to sharing more information when it becomes available.
