The engine would be removed and shipped to Hartge’s headquarters in Beckingen, Germany where Herbert Hartge’s engineers would increase the capacity from 3.2 to 3.5 litres of displacement, producing 350bhp and 398 N·m of torque.

Many have heard of Alpina and Schnitzer, but the small German tuning haus of Hartge has always been slightly under the radar, earning a reputation for shoehorning large naturally aspirated engines into small lightweight BMW’s.

Some readers may even remember the R53 MINI Cooper S of the early 2000’s. Hartge’s modifications ensured their Mini claimed the title of fastest production Mini – this would also be one of Hartge’s first forays into Supercharged engines, a taste of things to come for the boutique tuning haus.

In Uxbridge, the M3 was being stripped of its stock suspension and exhaust system. Uprated springs and shocks would be fitted along with the now incredibly sought after 17″ Hartge alloy wheels. An under-bonnet strut brace would round out the chassis upgrades and see that the blue coupe handled as expected.

The restrictive stock exhaust was swapped out for a stainless steel de-cat system from the Hartge inventory list that delivers a burbly snort like no other.

No build is complete without a few cosmetic changes, afterall form follows function. Finely curated carbon fibre dashboard trim, anodised aluminium handbrake, white instrument dials and Hartge’s trademark silver side stripes leave spectators in no doubt that they are looking at something rather special.

£14,121.51 British pounds later, what emerged from Birds workshop was a whole different monster. Rumoured to be only 6 Hartge E36 M3’s in the UK, the 3.5 litre powerplant now produces 350bhp and 398 N·m of torque, with an unrestricted top speed of 181mph in a car weighing around 1500kg, it’s not for the faint of heart.

This Hartge has benefited from tens of thousands of pounds spent on it with Hero Motor Company, having undergone a thorough and extensive 3 month long programme of restoration and preventative maintenance.

The underbody has been taken back to bare metal; any corrosion has been repaired and treated, stone chip protection product re-applied as it would have been from factory.

All suspension components were removed and media blasted before being powder-coated, 2K painted or cadmium plated respectively and reassembled with all new bushes, gaiters, seals, couplings and hoses, Aluminium components were vapor blasted to achieve an as new factory finish.

The Hartge brake calipers have been cadmium plated and rebuilt with new seals, new pads and discs and fresh brake fluid.

The car will pass through our workshop for pre delivery inspection and a fresh 1 years MOT and will be handed over to the new owner with all original service wallet, handbooks, fully stamped service book, original BMW sales brochures, keys, tools, comprehensive history file, and tracker service documents.