Car Style - The BMW E46 M3

Before Chris Bangle's takeover of BMW's design, this was one of the last beautiful BMWs. Today's design of BMW makes cars like the E46 M3 seem ancient. The kidney grills of BMW were much more modest compared to today's BMW cars. This is a simpler BMW before Chris Bangle went on a roll designing BMWs the way he sees fit. This blog entry is a description of how I think this car looks from a style perspective.

--- Car Style: The BMW E46 M3 ---

Have a look at the car I'll be chatting about in looks:


^ from: europeancarweb.com The best STOCK BMW E46 M3 I could find in pictures.

And because I can, here's a racing example of the BMW M3 I'll be discussing:


^ from: endurancesportscar.com - The Prototype Technology Group BMW M3 GTR, one of my personal all-time favorite GT race cars.


(ADDED: June 2, 2011) And this... is a video of the car I will be talking about:


The BMW E46 M3 is a truly beautiful car. The beauty is in its simplistic design. It's never overbearing or smashmouth in its design. Instead, it's more like, "I have style and sophistication, but I plenty capable of putting you to shame if you screw with me.

Exterior.

The signature kidney grills up front on the BMW E46 M3 are very simple and beautiful. They are two waterfall grills outlined in chrome. Matching the beauty are the lovely headlights. The headlight arrangementss pack two lovely headlights. At the far outside edges are the signal lights. Below the kidney grill is a front air scoop, and on either side of the front bumper, there are two extra openings which feature fog lights (one on each side). The hood is styled nicely without any kind of beastly front hood.

The classy appeal of this car extends to the sides of this car. Fender flares are muscular and gives this otherwise classy car a powerful punch. I hate seeing those tack-on side gills on cars, like everyone wants to have tacky side vents. The side vents on the E46 M3 are long and stylish. The side profile of the E46 M3 exudes class, grace, and beauty for this lovely coupe.

While the rear seems very basic, it's very stylish. The taillight arrangement is lovely and classic. The rear features the BMW badge along with the "M3" details on the right side at the rear. Dual pipe mufflers compliment the car's simple rear bumper. The look is smooth and elegant.

Interior.

The M3's style continues on the inside. Remember that this car came before the controversial iDrive system. A sporty set of gauges accentuate the instrument panel, The steering wheel is sporty and stylish. While the center console is minimalistic compared to today's cars, it's still a lovely one. The dashboard features four rectangular air conditioning vents. The seats look lovely and stylish. The car's sophistication continues inside. With this sophistication, however, is a car that's born and bred to race.





As a whole, the BMW E46 M3 is an elegant and beautiful car whose character is in its performance, not in its looks. There is not a single element of the E46 M3 that is in-your-face or full of character. Your opinions change when you experience driving it or seeing it on the road. It isn't boastful, nor should it be. This car is sporty sophistication to the highest degree. This is one of my all-time favorite BMWs. Today's BMWs are still exceptional cars, but I just miss the clean and simple styling of late 1990s BMWs. I love the newer M3 GTRs, but not as much as the E46 M3.

That concludes another Car Style blog entry of mine. You can use my Amazon Auto Parts Finder to find parts for your car through Amazon (even if you happen to own an BMW E46 M3). Thank you for reading!

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