With Christmas literally being a few days away, automakers have started rolling out their holiday greetings for the masses. BMW’s M Division is the latest to do so with a holiday-themed ad that features a vehicle that was never sold to the public. We’ve seen it a handful of times over the years, but this is probably the first time Bimmer is using the pickup version of the BMW M3 E30 for any of its promotional videos. Consider it a treat then that BMW is doing it for the holidays. Merry Christmas, indeed!

If you’re not familiar with the BMW M3 E30 pickup, it’s because the German automaker never put it up in the market. History points to this particular vehicle as a skunkworks project created by BMW M all the way back in 1986 to serve a variety of purposes, including transporting parts and other work equipment. Unbelievably, BMW M continue to use the M3 pickup until 2012 before retiring it for good.

Five years later, the performance brand dusted off the M3-based model to serve as the start of this Christmas-themed commercial. The ad itself is pretty straight-forward. It starts with a mother and a daughter making final preparations for their Christmas decorations. The father is noticeably absent because he’s bringing home the Christmas three, all wrapped up in the M3 pickup’s bed. It turns out; dear ‘ol daddy had far too much fun power sliding the M3 pickup that he forgot about the tree at the back. Once he gets home, beaming with pride over his road exploits, he turns to see what was left of the Christmas tree. It wasn’t a pretty sight, and his daughter’s face has “disappointed” written all over it.

For better or worse, the ad does a good job touting the performance abilities of the M3 pickup. The vehicle started its life using a 2.0-liter engine sourced from the 320iS before being replaced by the 2.3-liter unit powering the M3 E30. The latter was capable of producing 200 horsepower, so it’s understandable for the dad to go a little crazy with it in the snow. If only he remembered there was a Christmas tree in the back…

References

BMW M3

Read our full review on the 1986 BMW M3 E30.