BMW teams up with LEGO to celebrate the E30 M3

BMW is celebrating 40 years of the legendary M3 in 2026, and it’s combining forces with none other than LEGO to honour that milestone.

Celebrating the car it all started with, the E30 M3 that launched in 1986, LEGO is set to launch a Speed Champions set that honours the iconic sports saloon.

Measuring 17cm in length and 7cm wide, the small-scale set contains 358 pieces, all of which show an intentional level of attention to detail in honouring the E30’s design.

As a nod to its motorsport-bred pedigree, the Speed Champions E30 M3 kit features a unique livery jointly designed by the BMW Group and LEGO Group design teams.

Once assembled, the LEGO model also features functional wheels and comes with a realistic driver mini-figure wearing a BMW M T-shirt.

LEGO Speed Champions BMW M3 E30
Alongside the launch of this LEGO Speed Champions kit on August 1, BMW fans will also be able to grab an organic cotton T-shirt that matches the one worn by the LEGO mini-figure that accompanies the DIY model (Image: BMW)

As part of the collaboration, an organic cotton T-shirt for actual humans that sports the same design will be made available via BMW dealers and online.

The LEGO Speed Champions BMW E30 M3 is currently available for pre-order via the LEGO website priced at $39.99 and suitable for ages nine and above.

The LEGO kit and T-shirt are both set to launch on August 1, 2026, with a public presentation in Berlin coinciding on the same day where an E30 show car wearing the same livery will be on display.

Although the E30 M3 was never officially sold in Australia – the E36 was the first M3 to make it to our shores – it became a legend on track in this country after it was driven to victory by Jim Richards in the 1987 Australian Touring Car Championship.

To this day, the M3 remains the best-selling M car in the country, accounting for two in every five M cars sold here since 1994.

Deputy Editor

Patrick is an automotive journalist with a decade’s experience across a range of online, print, and broadcast media titles, having road tested over 600 new and classic cars in that time.

After starting out with The Adelaide Hills Weekender Herald newspaper while still studying, he has since contributed to the likes of DriveTribe, Finder, Supercar Blondie, Exhaust Notes Australia, and WhichCar before joining the Retro Rides team. He also launched the car review website Drive Section in 2019 and automotive adventure site Essential Drives in 2024, and has experience in journalism education and academia.

At Retro Rides, Patrick oversees website publishing and content creation. If you have a story you think would be of interest to our audience, he’s your best point of contact at [email protected].

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