Rarest E90 M3 Variant Ever Came To America
BMW M3
The 67-unit production run of BMW’s most hardcore M3 variant barely reached America—making one appearance at Bimmer Invasion unmissable.
Article Summary
- Only 3 of 67 E90 M3 CRTs were imported to the US under show-and-display provisions, making EAG’s example extraordinarily rare.
- The 450 hp V8-powered CRT weighs 1,580 kg with a 3.5 kg/hp ratio, hitting 0-100 km/h in 4.4 seconds and 290 km/h top speed.
- Prices have climbed past the original $80K MSRP—a recent Munich auction sale fetched €260,000, proof these cars found their collector audience.
EAG Enthusiasts Auto Group’s Carbon Race Technology M3 was hands-down the most sought-after car at 2026’s Bimmer Invasion, and for good reason. You won’t see an E90 M3 CRT every day. You likely won’t see one every decade. The Carbon Race Technology variant—built during a single brief production window as a harder, lighter, track-focused take on the already intense M3—totaled just 67 units worldwide. Of those, only three made their way into US hands, which means spotting one at a car meet is closer to stumbling across a short-roof 911 Carrera 2.7 RS than finding another E92 M3 in the parking lot.
What The E90 M3 CRT Actually Is
The M3 CRT arrived in 2011 as a direct response to criticism that the then-current E92 M3 had gotten soft. The standard car packed a naturally aspirated S65 V8 making 450 hp—enough to embarrass almost anything on the street—but by 2011, some fans still felt the M3 had become more of a grand touring car than a proper race tool.
BMW M decided to fix this by making a lighter M3. Out came nearly 100 pounds of sound deadening. Lighter-weight carbon fiber seats. Thinner glass. A race-prepped suspension tuned specifically for the track. The CRT ditched the rear seat entirely, removed the infotainment system’s screen and most creature comforts, and stripped the interior down to what you absolutely needed to lap a circuit.
The S65 V8 stayed, so you kept the 450 hp and 440 Nm (324 lb-ft) of torque, but the weight savings (the car dropped to 1,580 kg or about 3,480 pounds) gave the engine a completely different character. Power delivery felt more urgent. The chassis felt sharper. On track, lap times improved measurably. It was, simply put, the most hardcore M3 that generation.
Why Only 67 Exist (And Why So Few Reached America)
The CRT was expensive. A new E92 M3 in 2010 started around $48,000. The CRT, with all its carbon fiber and purposeful deletion of comfort items, cost nearly $80,000—a premium that made sense to track enthusiasts but not to buyers browsing BMW dealership lots.
Of the 67 units produced, only three made their way to the United States. That allocation filled quickly, mostly with people who already owned M cars or serious track day pilots. Europe got the bulk of them, making the car a more familiar sight at European events and auctions. By the time interest really peaked among US collectors—which didn’t happen until years after production ended in 2012—the cars were scattered across the globe, mostly in the hands of people who had no intention of selling.
The Strange Afterlife Of The E90 M3 CRT
The M3 CRT never got the cultural moment that, say, the E46 M3 or the F87 M2 eventually claimed. It arrived and disappeared almost immediately. We’re not sure if any owners raced them, but for sure some stored them carefully and very few sold them. The used market was thin then and stayed thin, meaning the cars that did trade hands usually went for significantly less than the original purchase price—a brutal reckoning for someone who paid CRT-level money during the 2008-2010 window.
Time corrected that math. The collector market eventually caught up and prices recovered. Then they moved past the original MSRP. Today, a well-kept E90 M3 CRT isn’t just a car; it’s a snapshot of what BMW M was willing to build during a moment when straight-six engines were on their way out and V8s were about to become nostalgia.
[Photos: @alekosmedia]
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