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Back in the year 2000, when the BMW E46 M3 didn’t make the cut in the 12 hours of Sebring in Florida, BMW knew it had to go bigger and better. The already powerful 6-cylinder engine featured on the M3 couldn’t hold up as it was built as a road-going model and it lacked the boost to succeed in Florida. This is when BMW entered the race-tweaked version of an already race-tweaked car. The updated M3 got some serious upgrades in the powertrain and deleted some features killing the daily driving conformities.
The car was too powerful and Porsche had to claim BMW was stretching things too far and make the competition unfair. This is when the Automobil Club de l’Ouest (A.C.O.), which also organizes the Le Mans 24 Hours decided to put BMW into reconstructing their M3 GTR by adding 100 lbs of weight and 20% larger air restrictors and build 1,000 road-going vehicles.
Only 10 M3 GTR were built as the new rules made it impossible to build the car in the 12-month production schedule, but the M3 GTR remains one of the rarest BMWs of all time.
What’s Hidden Under The Hood?
What makes this M3 GTR so special everyone goes crazy about? Well, the fact being that the M3 GTR was the first M3 to feature a killer V8 engine. BMW is known for its sheer driving performance and surely their M series is the pinnacle of German motorsport racing. The 10 M3 GTRs that were built soon became a highly collectible and precious inventory for BMW enthusiasts.
The newly developed engine that replaced the E46 M3 inline-six was a short-stroke V8. This engine name-coded P60B40 featured an aluminum block and aluminum head, dual overhead camshaft, and 4 valves per cylinder. This engine came naturally aspirated and featured extra details like a dry-sump oil pan, rear locking differential, and wide-body flairs. This engine was capable of 450 hp, although BMW modestly reported the engine to reach a peak of 350 hp. The engine was paired with a 6-speed Hewland transmission.
If we were to put that into acceleration telemetry, the M3 GTR reached 0 to 60mph in 3.4seconds, 0-100mph in 7 seconds, and finished the quarter-mile in 11.4 seconds at 127mph.
To make things clear, this engine was only featured on the M3 GTR and it was not made available to the public. Only 10 cars were built which makes the existence of the M3 GTR a myth, but it does exist. It is fair to assume that with an initial MSRP of $250,000 back in 2001, the ones who are looking out to buy one today should pay a high premium.
Racing Details You Need To Know About
The BMW M3 GTR differed from the original M3 in more than one way. First of all the M3 GTR lacked all the daily driving conformities, like radio and rear seats. Who needs a radio at 183mph anyway?
The M3 GTR got a massive rear wing to keep the car on the track and allow better airflow in aerodynamics: originally this was a carbon-fiber wing. Together with that, there are other carbon fiber parts on the car that make the M3 GTR so lightweight. A carbon fiber hood was fitted with fully functional air vents and a distinctive full-carbon fiber wide-body kit made the M3 GTR stand out from the crowd. The M3 GTR also features a custom side exhaust. This was custom-made by BMW without risking the structural rigidity of the cabin or the aerodynamics of the car.
Here Is What It Takes To Buy One Today
Sadly, 10 M3 GTRs were available originally, two of which are now owned by BMW Group Classic. The other 8 M3 GTR’s are thought to be missing. The last online listing for an M3 GTR was 7 years ago and the listing is not actual anymore.
There are many custom builds on the actual road running M3, which use the S62 engine with a wide body kit, bigger fender flairs, huge wing, and BBS wheels to make sort of an M3 GTR replica but nothing comes close to that. To get your hands on the M3 GTR P60B40 would only be available through BMW and the actual cost of building the car would far exceed the $250,000 original MSRP.
Is there any exact price tag for an M3 GTR? If you are lucky to come around one on sale then yes, any price would be a good price for an original M3 GTR, which would probably be over $1 million. So far, it looks like BMW Classic Group will hold this M3 GTR for quite a while in its secret garage and if you are looking to buy an M3 GTR all you need is luck and a bag of cash.