YouTubers Are Already Restoring ‘Barn-Find’ BMW E36 M3s, In Case You Wanted To Feel Ancient Today

For those of us in our 30s, it is time to face facts. Restoring an E36-generation BMW M3 in 2025 is in regards to the same time gap as restoring a 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle would have been when the E36 was still available latest. For a certain subset of enthusiasts, the E36 continues to be considered a contemporary automobile that will be reliably pushed into every day driver duty and not using a second’s hesitation, while the Chevelle is a relic from yesteryear. Built between 1992 and 1999, even the latest E36 M3 is 26 years old now, so it isn’t all that surprising to see one in dire need of rehabbing, despite reminding me of my very own aging bones and eventual mortality. The oldsters at StanceWorks dragged this $8,000 decrepit M3 out of its hiding place and set about putting it right again, and the finished result is really stunning. 

While Mike at StanceWorks may best be known as of late for his ridiculous Ferrari project cars, he’s got an extended history within the BMW community, and knows these E36s just like the back of his hand. The cars are latest enough to have modern amenities like fuel injection and anti-lock braking, but sufficiently old that they are still somewhat easy to work on yourself, making them great throwback rad-era machines. Fortunately, being a southern California automobile, this particular automobile is not facing any rust, and the trim and seals all appear intact, so this was largely a cosmetic restoration. The video glosses over a few of the other work the automobile needed, as an evident engine grenading necessitated a substitute, nevertheless it’s still a fun look ahead to a fast rehab in only 20 minutes of YouTube time. 

While this M3 didn’t look great when the project began, it just goes to indicate that a automobile is totally revitalized with a very good set of wheels, the best ride height, and a very good paint job. On this case the automobile was wrapped, but they went with an excellent high end wrap that makes the automobile seem like it was painted. And purple is an amazing color for a BMW, for any automobile really, so the result was truly stunning. Going with a pleasant three-piece set of period-correct five-spoke AC Schnitzer wheels really set the project off for me. That is an incredible construct that almost all Euro enthusiasts could be ecstatic to drive, and it didn’t take all that much work or effort to make it look totally sick.