There’s A RHD Manual G80 BMW M3, But Good Luck Getting Hold Of One

Since the G80 BMW M3 was introduced in 2021, a manual version has alluded us in the UK. We’ve only ever had the saloon in Competiton or CS form, meaning auto only, while over in the US and Continental Europe, the lower-powered manual has been available all along. That isn’t changing, the manual is still forbidden fruit on our shores, but there’s now a way to get your hands on a right-hand drive version.

That said, you’ll need a lot of money and some very good connections in Japan. BMW Japan is offering the M3 MT Final Edition which will be the first (and only) time the saloon will be offered with both a manual gearbox and right-hand drive.

Just 150 will be made, and in the incredibly likely event that more than 150 orders are placed, potential owners will be put into a lottery for an allocation. For anyone successful, it’ll cost 14,200,000 yen (approx £75,000)

That’d put it about £7,000 cheaper than an M3 Competition in the UK but don’t get too excited about importing one. Not only will you first need to have someone in Japan willing to sell you it, but that’d probably come at quite some premium considering the probable clamour. And then you’ll need to factor in import taxes.

Provided you’ve managed to get to that point, we wouldn’t advise on having a colour preference. Just three colours are being offered - Alpine White, Black Sapphire and Brooklyn Grey - and each will be limited to 50 units.

It’s also unclear if the MT Final Edition is based on Competition spec, or in the base form which you’ll find the manual on in the US. If it’s the latter, that’ll mean 473bhp rather than 503bhp. Either way, we’re assuming this is a rear-driven car.

With all that in mind, seeking an MT Final Edition in the UK seems a very not-sensible thing to do. We’ll commend anyone who tries.