2016 BMW M3 30 Year limited edition marks 30th anniversary for the M3

BMW marks three decades of M3 with a limited run of special-edition sedans.

If you want to mark the 30th anniversary of the release of one of the most iconic road cars ever made, you'd better be quick. BMW Australia has secured 30 M3 30 Years editions, out of just 500 made for worldwide release.

To put that into perspective, one of the biggest markets for M in the world, the United Kingdom, also only received 30 cars from the one-off allotment.

Based on the just-released four-door F80 M3 Competition – incidentally, this latest version is only the second four-door M3 sedan ever made – the 30 Years scored a few special touches to set it apart from the pack.

2016 BMW M3 30 Year limited edition

The paint job, for example, is a colour called Macao Blue, and it pays homage to the four-cylinder E30 M3, which debuted in 1985 at the Frankfurt Motor Show before going on sale in 1986. The metallic blue hue first appeared on the Evolution II version of the E30 in 1998.

The interior is lined with a unique BMW Individual Silverstone/black Merino leather with '30 Jahre' (30 Year) embroidery, while a laser-etched 30 Jahre logo on the carbon dash panel will be inscribed with the car's build number.

If BMW history is your thing, then the M3 30 Years looks like a good buy.

The specs for the 30 Year otherwise remain unchanged, with its twin-turbo straight-six making 331kW and 550Nm in Competition form. It also wears the new-design 20-inch rims that are modelled off those on the forthcoming M4 GTS.

The M3 30 Years commands a $10,000 premium over the its donor car, making it the same price as the two-door M4 Competition.

If BMW history is your thing, then the M3 30 Years looks like a good buy – especially considering Australia is not in line to receive the recently-announced M5 30 Years model, of which only 200 are planned worldwide.

BMW M3 timeline

1986 – E30 M3 (147kW); originally designed as a homologation special for German touring car racing, the four-cylinder M3 spawned three evolutions and multiple special editions.

1992 – E36 M3 (210kW); widely regarded as the best ever M3, the 3.0-litre straight-six engine was backed by a six-speed manual and, later, an early version of a clutchless automatic.

2000 – E46 M3 (252kW); the now 3.2-litre straight six came in two-door and two-door convertible bodystyles. It also spawned one of the most iconic BMWs ever, the M3 GTR, as well as the first carbon-roofed BMW, the M3 CSL.

2007 – E92 M3 (309kW); the E92 was first M3 to debut with a naturally aspirated V8 engine, and also heralded the introduction of BMW's first double-clutch gearbox.

2014 – F80 M3 (317kW); the V8 was dropped in favour of a return to a straight six for the fifth-gen F80… only this time it featured twin turbos. Debuting at the Frankfurt Show in 2014, it went on sale in 2015 in Australia.