’92 BMW M3

The M division of BMW is known for producing some of the world’s best sports cars. And of all the M cars, the 3-series is the bread and butter of BMW. Or it used to be. With so many M cars nowadays, the M3 is sometimes overshadowed by its other stablemates. But the E30 is where it all began, and this is what Hot Wheels decided to put on their Modern Classics Car Culture set. Not a bad choice then.

92 BMW M3

Hot Wheels chose to be a bit conservative with this version of the E30 M3. It stands out with its blue hue and M color striping on the side. Okay. No, it doesn’t stand out at all. It is a simple colorway of the fantastic E30. However, it seems that Hot Wheels has forgotten to put in detailed head and tail lamps on this Car Culture release. These are premium die casts and they are expected to be better than the mainline cars. However, this small omission of detailed head and tail lamps really put it down. The Real Rider RRA wheels in black with chrome looks okay, but it doesn’t bring out the full potential of this casting.

92 BMW M3

It still stays in my collection though, but it isn’t going to be one of those models that I would be looking at over and over. It would be something that I would look at and say to myself, “that looks nice” and move over to the casting beside it.

BMW 3.0 CSL Race Car

The BMW 3.0 CSL was built as a homologation machine in order for BMW to compete with the car in the European Touring Car Championship back in 1972. The CSL was based on the CS and used the same engine, albeit with an increase in displacement to just over 3 litres. This was done in order for them to race in the “over three-litre” racing category. The “L” in CSL had stood for “light”, as in lightweight.

A final version of the CSL was homologated in 1973 which sports an aerodynamic package inclusive of larger front air dams, short fins running across the front fenders, a spoiler on the trailing edge of the roof, and a rear wing. Apparently, with the full aero package installed, the CSL has earned the nickname “the Batmobile”.

The Hot Wheels version is a very nice casting that is close enough to the original as far as model cars go. The aero kit is complete on this car including the small fins on the front fender, vents on the front fender, a centre-mounted wiper on the windshield, and the side-exit exhaust pipes. The paint is your typical Hot Wheels quality which is not too shabby, really. However, it is the Castrol Racing livery that elevates this to the next level of cool. The white base is loyal to the BMW racing colors and the car really feels like it’s a proper race car. The black base is not too bad with the same livery, but it isn’t as striking as the white base car.

Overall, I really like this car. I don’t mind seeing this every day in my small display cabinet.