BMW M3 Limited Edition 500 UK (2012)

The 2012 BMW M3 Limited Edition 500 is a UK offering covering both the E92 coupé and E93 convertible. Its name refers to one combined 500-car group, not five hundred of each body style or five hundred in every color.

Record: BMW-079 · Limited UK market edition · Germany · 2012.

Specifications and rarity

Five hundred cars across two M3 body styles

The edition combines a defined paint palette, distinctive trim and a dashboard designation with the established M3 mechanical specification. That makes it a market edition with a clear identity, rather than a separate high-output engine programme.

Keeping the two body styles in one profile is essential to the count. Splitting them into independent 500-car records would double the original allocation and create overlapping edition entries. The body differences are described within the shared factory offering instead.

A UK-market finish and trim package

BMW offered Imola Red, Mineral White and Santorini Blue. The corresponding cabin treatments use extended Novillo leather and contrasting stitching selected to complement the exterior. This gives the edition a coordinated presentation rather than a single optional paint name.

Dark chrome exterior details, high-gloss Shadowline trim and black wheels reinforce the package. Their role is visual differentiation; the factory specifically states that the technical specification remains that of the M3.

The factory’s color pairing varies across the offering: red and blue cars use black leather with corresponding contrasting stitching, while the white car receives Fox Red leather. These coordinated combinations are more informative than treating the edition as a choice of exterior colors alone.

The supplied clean BMW UK photograph identifies the Santorini Blue coupé. It documents one body and color within the edition, rather than illustrating every configuration. The convertible’s inclusion is established by the source account, not inferred from a picture of the fixed-roof car.

The familiar V8, with two transmission choices

The UK release specifies a 3,999 cc V8, 420 hp and 400 Nm. These are the contemporary factory figures for the edition’s market context, and they should remain separate from differently expressed US output references.

A six-speed manual was standard, with seven-speed M DCT available as an option. The edition therefore cannot be described as exclusively manual or exclusively dual-clutch. Both configurations belong within the original offering.

That distinction also affects performance comparisons. A factory table can list different acceleration results for gearbox and body combinations. The correct approach is to preserve the configuration attached to each number, rather than select the quickest result and apply it to every edition car.

Coupé and convertible share the edition, not every characteristic

The E92 and E93 have different roof and body arrangements. The coupé and convertible can belong to one market edition while retaining those underlying distinctions. Shared trim does not erase differences in the base vehicles.

The factory release’s combined count is especially useful because it establishes the intended edition boundary directly. It allows readers to compare the body options without requiring an unsupported allocation split.

This profile does not invent the number built in each color, body style or transmission. Such detail would require an additional factory breakdown. The verified information is the combined limit and the specified options, with each described at the appropriate scope.

One of 500 is an edition designation

The dashboard carries the edition designation in Piano Black trim. The wording identifies membership of the group, but it should not automatically be described as an individually sequential serial number unless the source establishes that feature.

This is a useful distinction from the Lime Rock Park Edition, whose announcement explicitly describes a numbered console plaque. Similar limited-edition language can refer to different identification methods.

A complete factory record remains stronger than a single trim photograph. Parts can be replaced, and visual elements can be copied. The original market offering, body identity and coordinated specification explain what the edition represents without reducing authenticity to one removable component.

A separate record among contemporary M3 editions

The Limited Edition 500 has its own market, combined body scope and specification. It is distinct from the 30-car Frozen Gray US offering, the 200-car Lime Rock Park series and the 54-car DTM Champion Edition.

Those comparisons show why rare vehicles require precise edition boundaries. Several cars can share the same generation and basic V8 while belonging to separate factory groups. The shared engine does not make the records duplicates.

This edition’s significance is the carefully defined UK offering near the end of the generation. Its profile preserves both body types under one count, explains the trim-led brief and retains the original factory photograph with its source and credit visible to readers.

Frequently asked questions

Is the limit 500 for each body style?

No. BMW states 500 coupés and convertibles combined.

Which market received the edition?

The United Kingdom.

What colors were offered?

Imola Red, Mineral White and Santorini Blue.

Did it receive a higher-output engine?

The release states that its mechanical specification was unchanged from the M3.

Which transmissions were available?

A standard six-speed manual or optional seven-speed M DCT.

Is One of 500 necessarily an individual serial number?

The reviewed source describes an edition designation; this profile does not claim sequential numbering.

Explore related verified BMW profiles

• BMW M3 Frozen Gray US Edition (2011)
• BMW M3 Lime Rock Park Edition (2013)
• BMW M3 DTM Champion Edition (2013)

Sources and photo credits

• BMW UK: combined 500-car Coupé and Convertible edition

Photo: BMW AG / BMW Group PressClub · Press/editorial use only. BMW-supplied press photograph under BMW PressClub terms. Original supplied photograph retained without local cropping or content alteration.