Hardcore tuned BMW 3-Series Touring fails to sell for $60k

A unique BMW 325Xi Sport Wagon swapped to an E46 M3 engine and otherwise redone from scratch hit an auction in the USA last weekend, but failed to meet reserve with the top bid at $59,250.

Work on the family hauler started around three years ago when its current owner bought it. The scope of the transformation was truly impressive. Aside from the 3.2-liter inline-six engine, the 325Xi borrowed a whole number of parts from the E46 M3, including the front and rear subframes and the six-speed manual transmission. The engineers additionally replaced the pistons, the bearings and the bolt heads, installed a carbon-fiber air box and reprogrammed the ECU on board. The output wasn’t mentioned in the listing, but it likely exceeded the stock 360 PS (355 hp / 265 kW).

On the outside, the wagon began to look just like its sedan-shaped donor. It received sportier bumpers, flared fenders and air vents in the front quarter panels that made it resemble something BMW would produce at the factory. 19-inch Forged Club wheels slotted into the arches, and coilovers dropped the suspension for a sportier stance.

A peek inside the cabin reveals a pair of Recaro Sportster buckets in the front row, AC Schnitzer pedals, a carbon-wrapped steering wheel and a gear lever borrowed from an F90 M5.

If we had to look for reasons why it failed to sell, the listing mentioned around 350,000 km (~220,000 miles) of use on the chassis and 108,000 km (67,000 miles) on the drivetrain. That’s a lot even if you consider that most of it happened before the rebuild.