The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) was a big thing back in the day. A sports car racing series in the US and Canada with a series of sprint races based on the 24 Hours of Le Mans was bound to draw attention from the very beginning. It's no wonder why most automobile manufacturers fought to appear on the ALMS and take one of the first three places. Winning the series was a matter of prestige.
But as it often happens, one brand was more successful than others in scoring high on the ALMS. Porsche overloaded the GT class of the ALMS in the 2000s. The famous Porsche 911 models were everywhere, winning over and over again until BMW decided to turn the tables and make things more interesting for the spectators.
In 2001, the legend named the M3 GTR was born, following the introduction of the new 3 Series (codenamed E46). After quite a few updates and changes, the world could see the 2001 BMW M3 GTR take on the track (and Porsche) in a magnificent shape of aggressive styling and performance.
Twenty years after the launch, we still haven't forgotten the mighty 2001 BMW M3 GTR. Today, we take a brief look at its racing background and closely explore its specs. If you're a racing enthusiast, you don't want to miss this short walk down memory lane.
The 2001 BMW M3 GTR: An Overview Of The Legendary Race Car
It's hard not to fall for the BMW M3 GTR when the race car has such an aggressive styling. Even those (of us) who never competed on the famous racing series would just love to take it for a ride and show off on the streets. But there's much more to this vehicle than it meets the eye. Every winner of the ALMS had to have an impressive powertrain to take the throne, and things were no different with the 2001 BMW M3 GTR.
Let's Briefly Explore Its Racing History
As we mentioned, the 2001 BMW M3 GTR appeared as a big Porsche 911 competitor. What BMW did to match the other German automobile manufacturer in terms of power and performance was to introduce a 4-liter V8 engine. The other E46 versions had V6s under the hood and produced around 338-hp. In comparison, the brand-new V8 got an increase of 444-hp in total, which was pretty impressive.
Allegedly, Porsche complained about the 2001 BMW M3 GTR as it wasn't a production car but a racing prototype. To comply with the ALMS rules, BMW offered ten examples of this car. The street-legal version came out quickly and ensured the M3 GTR appearance on the track. We'll talk a little more about it later on.
For now, it's essential to mention that the 2001 BMW M3 GTR won seven out of ten races once it met all the ALMS regulations. It was an impressive performance we assume didn't quite please Porsche.
Unfortunately, the racing rules changed once more in 2002. A brand had to have at least 100 production cars (and 1,000 engines of the same model) to race on the ALMS. We don't have to mention that BMW couldn't quite pull it off on such short notice. Plus, such a feat would cost a lot of money, so the prominent German automobile brand left the series.
More Details On The Appealing Design
Although all the buzz surrounding the 2001 BMW M3 GTR Race Car came from the V8 engine, we shouldn't overlook the styling. Thanks to the wide but sleek body (with bulky bumpers, of course), the M3 GTR always looked impressive on the track. Its street-legal version was just the same, with excellent aerodynamics and elegant design. It even had a completely stripped interior to resemble the puristic styling of the race car. So, the unbelievable price tag of the street-legal version came at no surprise.
What About The Street-Legal Version Of The Mighty BMW M3 GTR?
The street-legal BMW M3 GTR we mentioned came out with tweaked specs to suit the public and street regulations. Although it retained the powerful V8 engine as the racing version, the new model was limited to 350-hp. It also had a six-gear manual gearbox with a two-disc motorsport clutch and a variable limited-slip differential.
Of course, this didn't make the M3 GTR any less potent. Having such a powerful vehicle on the streets was exciting, to say the least. However, BMW didn't really want to sell those ten versions it put out for the sake of complying with the ALMS regulations. The hefty price was proof. The street-legal M3 GTR was sold somewhere at €250,000 or $400,000 at the time.