If there was one movie franchise that started an automotive passion for the younger generation, it's impossible to look past the iconic Fast and Furious set of movies.
Starring as Brian O'Connor in that franchise was the late Paul Walker, who's questionably modified Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R created a cult following for the RB-powered Nissans.
While Paul Walker may have been associated with Japanese cars on the silver screen, his personal collection of cars featured a number of extremely rare BMW E36 M3 Lightweight models.
No less than five of Walker's M3 LTWs crossed the auction block in America over the weekend, where the most expensive and lowest mileage (7,000km) example sold for a staggering $530,000 before auction fees were added.
The remainder of these LTW models ranged from $355,000 to $300,000 when they crossed the auction block. Interestingly, the highest mileage M3 to sell at this auction still only had 55,000km on the clock.
If you're wondering why Walker was such a fan of these cars, and why they sold for so much, you aren't alone. It turns out that BMW only built around 120 M3 LTW models through the course of E36 production.
It is thought that Walker was holding onto these cars to act as a retirement fund for when he finished acting, but unfortunately, he wasn't able to live out this dream.
Other notable cars from the late star's collection included two E30 M3s are included in the auction, and a Nissan R32 GT-R. The only other Nissan sitting in the bunch is a silver 370Z that fans might recognise from its brief appearance in Fast Five.
Walker's love of muscle cars was also evident, as four tough, American-built examples are going under the hammer. These include a '63 Nova Wagon, '64 Chevelle Wagon, '67 Nova coupe, and a 2013 Mustang Boss 302S that has never seen a race track.
Multiple cars were retained by Paul's daughter Meadow Rain Walker, who won a $10 million dollar payment from the estate of Roger Rodas, the man who was driving the Porsche during the fatal crash.
In total, the sale of Walker's car collection raised $3.5 million, here's the full list:
1963 Chevrolet Nova Wagon
1964 Chevrolet Chevelle Wagon
1967 Chevrolet II Nova
1988 BMW M3 E30
1989 Nissan R32 Skyline Race Car
1991 BMW M3 E30 Coupe
1995 BMW M3 E36 Lightweight
1995 BMW M3 E36 Lightweight
1995 BMW M3 E36 Lightweight
1995 BMW M3 E36 Lightweight
1995 BMW M3 E36 Lightweight – Factory LTW wing and race-livery delete
1995 Ford Bronco SUV
2000 Audi S4
2003 Ford F250 Pickup
2004 GMC Sierra 1500 Pickup
2005 Harley-Davidson RS Motorcycle
2006 Toyota Tundra Pickup
2008 Suzuki Motorcycle
2009 Nissan 370Z
2011 BMW Motorcycle
2013 Ford Mustang Boss 302S Race Car