BMW Reveals a Set of Throwback Colors for the 2026 M3 Sedan
You’ll be surprised which models have the best color choices this time—and you might also be surprised by the price and added wait time.
The current M3’s styling isn’t for everyone, but BMW does at least still offer an enthusiast-pleasing manual transmission and rear-wheel-drive pairing.
Now you can get your new 2026 M3 in colors formerly found on the E36 and E46 models.
There is a significant charge, but the best colors are available on the entry model.
BMW sells a lot of crossovers these days, but with the M3, it still caters to the brand’s hardcore fans. The least expensive version comes with a manual transmission and rear-wheel drive. The quicker Competition Spec is brutally fast, a four-door family sedan that can go door to door with a Porsche 911. Now, for the 2026 model year, BMW is making things even sweeter with some familiar paint options.
BMW has brought the configurator for the 2026 M3 online, and apologies in advance for any dips in your productivity levels when you log on. It’ll let you build out your perfect M3 with a couple of clicks, and the very first option to come up, after selecting trim level, is what color you want it to be.
2026 bmw m3 dakar yellow ii paint
BMW
2026 M3 in Laguna Seca Blue.
The standard color options are fairly basic, though there’s a broad spread of optional choices starting at a reasonable charge of $650. The really good stuff, however, costs $4500 and comes with a warning that it’ll potentially add 10 to 15 weeks to the delivery process, as it’s a special order.
For dedicated M3 fans, it might be worth the cost and the wait. On the base M3, it’s possible to get some color choices formerly found on the E36 and E46 M3s, the cars that took the M3 mainstream in the United States. From the E36 range, there’s a version of Dakar Yellow (pictured above) and the truly wonderful Technoviolet Metallic, a shimmering purple. From the E46 lineup comes Laguna Seca Blue and a take on Imola Red. A Laguna Seca Blue E46 M3 is just aces, and the color works well on the current car too.
2026 bmw m3 technoviolet metallic paint
BMW
2026 BMW M3 in Technoviolet Metallic.
Competition-spec cars get slightly different paint offerings but lose a couple of the heritage colors. Laguna Seca Blue is out, but you can get the Dakar Yellow II and the Technoviolet. There’s also a new shade for BMW called Goodwood Green that looks quite fetching.
With the base M3 getting more offerings than the Competition, BMW is again catering to the enthusiast. The idea of a collector-grade E46 M3 parked next to a modern, daily-driven M3, both of them with manual transmissions and painted Laguna Seca Blue, would sure make for a great garage lineup.
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First Drive of a Future Icon: The E46 BMW M3
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Lettermark
Brendan McAleer
Contributing Editor
Brendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels.
