Remember Porsche's Project Gold? Last year, Porsche built the last factory-new 993 generation 911 Turbo they're likely to make, using a new-old-stock body shell that had been hanging around their factory premises. Now, it's your chance to do a similar revival of a classic BMW M3, as a rare unused NOS body shell has surfaced in Dallas.

The seller says the $30,000 body shell is possibly the last unused and unregistered factory E30 M3 shell left in existence. Even if another one was still holed up somewhere in a BMW storage facility, or in a weird shrine dedicated to BMW's Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters achievements, there's a very good chance this is the only one of its kind in North America — if you have one in your garage, we'd be delighted to amend our article. In any case, the primer-grey shell still wears all its factory tags, with its part number 41 00 1 979 078 visible in several places.

There are no front wings, doors, hood, trunklid or anything else than the base, sound deadened-body shell, but it's still clearly an M3 item, as the rear quarters have characteristic widebody wheel arches and the C-pillar is M3-specific — one of the things that make the E30 M3 a coupe compared to the regular two-door E30, according to some. The body has also never been assigned a VIN tag, and it's likely never to have held a 200-hp S14 four-cylinder engine between its front frame rails. According to the seller, the M3 body was stored in a bubble for ages, and it's been with him for 15 years. The level of care is notable, as the seller says the body shell has been swapped over from its original factory dolly to a new one to meet U.S. import requirements.

So, to an E30 M3 buff, this is as close to a perfect blank canvas as possible. Bring your own doors and your own crate engine, and make this the best example you can think of. Bringing a regular, used donor body to this condition would go a long way towards $30,000.

With BMW introducing the warm 2020 M340i in both rear- and all-wheel-drive M Performance flavors, we are now slowly but surely turning our attention towards the cream of the crop – the M3. A new report published by U.K.’s Car Magazine tries to shed some light about the sports sedan scheduled to arrive as early as next year.

To please both worlds, BMW will allegedly offer the M3 in RWD and xDrive versions, with the former tentatively called “Pure.” The tail-happy variant is labeled as being the entry-level version of the M3 family and will come exclusively in RWD form with a six-speed manual gearbox and an electronically controlled differential lock. As far as power is concerned, the twin-turbo 3.0-liter straight-six engine is expected to get an M4 GTS-derived water injection system and push out 454 horsepower, which would be exactly the same as what you get in the limited-run M3 CS.

For those with more money to spend, there will reportedly be a high-end M3 with an xDrive system featuring a RWD mode in the same vein as the latest M5. It will eschew the manual gearbox for an eight-speed automatic transmission responsible with the task of sending 474 hp to both axles, so an additional 20 ponies than the so-called Pure version.

Interestingly, the report goes on to mention BMW will further separate the two versions by adopting different styling. The Pure variant will boast unique front and rear aprons, a bespoke alloy wheel design, and its own paint job. Inside, a special type of fabric + Alcantara upholstery will be reserved for this variant, along with the graphics of the instrument cluster dials and a different look for the cabin trim.

The M4 in coupe and soft-top cabrio iterations will also spawn these two versions, plus a hotter Competition coupe derivative due in 2021 with as much as 503 hp. Eventually, BMW is expected to come out with M3 CS and even an M3 CSL featuring more of everything, including extra power as the former will be taken to 530 hp and the latter to an impressive 550 hp.

There is some bad news to share as the latest intel via an undisclosed “source from the BMW M department” says there won’t be an M3 Touring after all. The silver lining is that an M4 Gran Coupe is in the works as a more practical take on the M3 also scheduled to come out in 2020.

The M5 has the beef and the M8 has the drama, but it’s the smaller BMW M3 that has always got to the heart of the M experience most strongly. For immersive handling at a relatively accessible price, Three is the magic number.

This year the M3 and its brasher two-door M4 sibling will regenerate at September’s Frankfurt motor show. They’ll both go up in price a tad, but so does power (to 474bhp) and torque (to at least 480lb ft). That’s 30bhp more than the Audi RS4/5 can muster, and eclipses the Mercedes-AMG C63 saloon (though it’s shy of the uprated 503bhp C63 S).

The picture looks even rosier when you throw in a 65kg weight loss versus its predecessor, improved aerodynamics (including more targeted distribution of downforce), stiffer bodywork and reworked suspension.

New 2020 BMW M3: two- or four-wheel drive

The extra power was a given. What was less clear was how many wheels the new M3 would put it through. The answer: either two or four. Base versions of the new M3 will be purely rear-wheel drive, while pricier M xDrive all-wheel-drive variants will include the same 2wd toggle mode as the M5.

More enticingly, BMW is planning entry-level M3 and M4 variants, sold as reduced-to-the-max drivers’ cars. The internal nickname is M3 and M4 Pure, which sums up their role as no-frills, back-to-the-roots extensions of the range. They’ll have a little less power than the plusher models, 454bhp rather than 474bhp, but they’ll be the only M3/M4 variants without the otherwise standard eight-speed automatic transmission, and M xDrive system will be off limits too.

Instead the Pure versions (production name still tbc) will use a six-speed manual transmission, and their rear-wheel-drive layout will be complemented by a quicker-acting electronically controlled diff lock.

To underline their position as totally immersive hardcore slide-masters, the Pure editions are set to get restyled aprons front and rear, their own wheel design, an optional standalone signature paintjob (unconfirmed for the UK), special fabric and alcantara upholstery, colour-coded cabin trim and bespoke instrument graphics. Slightly cheaper and focused, the Pure versions could have what it takes to become the M division’s real McCoys.

BMW M3 and M4 Pure: a pure-bred driver's focus

The Pure is the only M3/M4 offered with a manual gearbox because BMW has no stickshift that can handle more than 480lb ft – which higher-grade versions will exceed. Said torque comes from a twin-turbo 3.0-litre straight-six dubbed S58, the most sophisticated in-line six-cylinder unit ever conceived by the M division. It’s fitted with water-injection to cool the high combustion temperatures, and with a new petrol particulate filter to placate emissions watchdogs.

As for the M3’s two-door M4 sibling, the M4 cabriolet switches from metal to soft top when it launches late next year. Over time, M division intends to launch three additional go-faster M4s. The M4 Competition (expected 2021) benefits from more aggressive boost pressure, higher compression ratio, a more voluminous intake manifold and a less restrictive exhaust to pump out 503bhp, thus matching the C63 S AMG.

Further down the line, the M4 coupe is tipped for CS and CSL packs. While the CS will allegedly come in a relatively understated wrapper, the limited-edition (and pricey) CSL will get the full-monty bodykit, including an almighty rear wing and front air dam, notably higher composite content including carbon-ceramic brakes, racing seats (the rear bench is a delete option, while a rollcage is an optional extra), and a bespoke instrument display.

The Michelin Cup tyres go up one size, the suspension and the aero pack can be adjusted for track use, and the entire drivetrain will be tuned for the fastest possible response. The power figures are still provisional but we’re talking around 530bhp for the CS and an even meaner 550bhp for the CSL.

Meanwhile, bad news for those hankering for an M3 estate: there are currently no plans for an M3 Touring. According to a source from the BMW M department, in 2020 the M range will include a four-door M4 Gran Coupe, which easily eclipsed a proposal for an M3 Touring in an internal shootout.