Here’s A BMW M3 That Isn’t Exactly What It Seems

Photography by Eric

We get submissions from every corner of the world, and sometimes, an owner’s ingenuity for working within the confines of local laws is admirable. For some cities and countries, “freedom” and “driving” are two separate—and unrelated concepts.

Reader Eric sent in his “normal” Japanese-market E30 BMW M3. Well, it began life as a “normal” E30 M3. The Japanese Alpina importer added its own Alpina-spec paintwork and graphics, suspension, BBS wheels… “but without the 3.5L Alpina engine,” he says.

“So it is not 100% real, also not 100% fake. [It’s] half and half…”

The E30 M3 isn’t derided for a lack of performance, so we’re sure it scoots just fine on Hong Kong’s often billiard table-smooth highways. What surprised us most, however, was how Eric even manages to drive his beloved BMW in the country!

“Left-hand drive cars cannot be registered in Hong Kong,” he says. “We cannot really own it here…but we can apply a 24 hour driving permit to drive it once in a while.”

Would you register your car for a permit every time you wanted to go for a jaunt? Instead, it’s easier for him to keep the car—and a few others—in Japan. That way, he and friends can fly over and enjoy the roads and circuits there. Bravo, Eric.