Background: BMW’s E46 generation M3, produced between September 2000 and August 2006, quickly cemented its reputation as one of the brand’s most celebrated performance cars.

Under the hood sat the now iconic 3.2-litre S54 straight-six, a high-revving engine that delivered the coupé from 0-62mph in just 5.2 seconds - regardless of whether buyers opted for the traditional 6-speed manual or the SMG-II automated manual gearbox.

Over its six year production run, BMW built 56,133 M3 coupés, all assembled at the company’s Regensburg plant in Germany.

In total, 85,766 examples of the E46 M3 rolled off the line - each carrying the weight of one of BMW M Division’s most enduring legacies.

In 2005, BMW introduced a special edition of the M3 that borrowed several elements from the celebrated CSL, aimed at delivering a sharper, more focused driving experience.

In the US and mainland Europe, it was marketed as the M3 Competition Package, or ZCP, while in the UK it carried the M3 CS badge.

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