The Modern, Lightweight, No-Nonsense M3 You Never Knew Existed

You know what was cool? The Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth. It was a stylish but deadly road warrior from the ’80s that was praised for its handling and powered by a mighty turbocharged four-banger, coaxed by a massive turbocharger. Like all the greats of automotive pop culture, the RS500 Cosworth was a homologation special. Other homologated sports cars from the past include the likes of the BMW E30 M3 or the Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution. Sadly, and unlike the BMW E30 M3, which brings in a hefty sum at auction today, the RS500 Cosworth was never sold in the US.

A similar case, more recently, but still as impactful. In 2018, we also missed out on one of the most exclusive and hardcore versions of BMW’s F80 M3 sedan. Called the BMW F80 M3 Pure, this was a no-nonsense offshoot of BMW’s athletic sedan, and today it’s a gem on the used market, if you can find one.

As Pure As It Gets

While a follow-up to the only V8-powered BMW M3 would have been a treat, when the BMW F80 generation debuted, it went back to the M3’s roots, that being a high-performance car powered by an inline six-cylinder engine, which, for the first time in the nameplate’s history, utilized turbocharger technology. It was a significant step-up in performance, and by 2016, we’d see the arrival of the BMW F80 M3 Competition. Distinguished by its high performance, which was the result of some tweaking of the S55’s tune and a handful of hardware improvements to its handling characteristics, and improving its performance capabilities.

And while we saw the arrival of the hallowed CS badge at the end of the model’s lifetime, there was another exclusive and high-performance offshoot of the F80 M3 that was more obsessed with performance than the Competition and even the CS. Debuting in 2017, this was a Spartan M3 sedan; gone were creature comforts like the 16-speaker Harman Kardon audio system, although a lighter nine-speaker system replaced that. However, keyless entry, the carbon fiber trim, satellite navigation, and the HUD remained.

A shame, really, because that allows the rasp of the twin-turbocharged Bavarian power plant, whose efforts were reported through the Competition Package’s stainless-steel exhaust system punctuated by black exhaust tips. The weight-saving efforts in this exclusive version of the F80 M3 Competition resulted in a considerable weight reduction. Although it lacked some essential interior components, such as the full Merino leather trim, the cloth seats with leather inserts were included. It was a German stealth bomber in disguise – a lighter Competition-spec athlete wrapped in standard M-garb.

How It Compares To The F80 M3 In The US

Corny one-liners aside, the BMW F80 M3 Pure is the more athletic version of the Competition trim level. However, while both have the same amount of power, the Pure offshoot’s lower weight is its advantage, and it manages a slightly quicker sprint time than the BMW F80 M3 Competition. Not only does it rely on the same engine tune as the Competition trim, it also employs the same suspension tune and, more importantly, the M limited-slip differential.

It wasn’t entirely a lighter carbon copy of the Competition. At all four corners were 19-inch M double-spoke light alloy wheels, shrouding the BMW M Compound ceramic brakes. The most appealing aspect of the Pure offshoot wasn’t its lower curb weight. It was also more affordable than the BMW F80 M3 Competition and more exclusive. Among the BMW F80 M3 variants, the Pure stood as the middle ground in terms of pricing and performance, positioned below the more powerful BMW F80 M3 CS.

A Down Under Exclusive

This was not the first time that we saw the “Pure” moniker attached to the end of an exclusive BMW M car. Before the lightweight M3 sedan, the Pure nameplate was associated with the only M3 to employ a V8 engine: the BMW E92 M3. Unfortunately, unlike the Pure edition that came after, the E92’s version was purely cosmetic. Punctuating the E92’s muscular frame were design elements like gloss black kidney grille highlights, side sills, and gloss black 19-inch alloy wheels.

Beyond that, this version of Australia’s first Pure model features the same powertrain options but without the advantage of a lighter curb weight in comparison to the full-fat M model. However, this exclusive V8-powered brute was slightly more affordable than the standard E92 M3. Although the Pure nameplate transitioned from the E9X generation, characterized by its V8 engine, to the F8X generation with its turbocharged six-cylinder engines, we have yet to see the return of the stripped-out, no-nonsense version of the current G80 M3 generation. Still, a BMW M model with a lower weight, fewer creature comforts, all that the Competition trim level has and offers at a lower price would be a welcome sight.

“The BMW M3 Pure builds further on Australia’s successful Pure Edition models. This model offers the full capability of our M3 Competition at a price point that is sure to attract a new core of enthusiast customers.” – Former BMW Australia CEO, Marc Werner.

A Gem, If You Can Find One

Every example of the BMW F80 M3 Pure that you’ll find on the used market will be listed by a seller in Australia. However, thankfully, these stripped-down, athletic M3s are worth nearly as much as the BMW F80 M3 Competition. According to Classic.com, there has only been a single example sold on that platform, which fetched $75,000, and that translates to roughly $48,720 based on current exchange rates. That example of the 2018 BMW M3 Pure had 52,000 miles and was equipped with an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission instead of the optional six-speed transmission that could be optioned at no additional cost.

Another example of the 2018 BMW F80 M3 Pure was listed for sale on the Collecting Cars Platform, but unfortunately, it wasn’t sold. As one might expect, because only a handful of these models were produced. Still, these remain one of the most athletic versions of BMW’s 2010s performance sedan.

Sources: BMW M, BMW Australia, Collecting Cars, Classic.com