BMW M3 E46 GTR STRASSENVERSION Action Montage
6BMW M3 E46 GTR STRASSENVERSION Action Montage
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Hot air shimmers over the asphalt. After the Bavarian fireball has passed the last bend before the start-finish line, we hear the unmistakeable roar of the V8 engine. Tension in the pit lane. Then, finally, certainty: at the 12 Hours of Sebring in March 2001, the BMW M3 GTR, helmed by JJ Lehto and Jörg Müller, finishes on the podium in its first race. The team embrace. They all know: This is the start of a new era in American motorsport. From now on, this vehicle owns the racetracks of the American Le Mans Series. Victories in this series were the highest accolade for the US market. But the way there was hard and the effort required enormous. The extraordinary story of the BMW M3 GTR.
With the launch of the BMW M3 E46 in 2000, BMW M had already sent a strong signal to the sportscar market. Besides the deployment in European race series, the vehicle was also supposed to make an impression on US motorsport. An anything but easy task, as the competition in the GT class was strong and experienced. The engine development engineers at BMW motorsport soon agreed that a more potent power unit than the straight six of the series version would have to be used. The solution was the development of a compact, especially light V8 engine.
THE NATIVITY OF THE BMW M3 GTR STRASSENVERSION.
The time window according to the regulations was just 12 months. A tight schedule to get at least ten homologation vehicles finished after the presentation of the racing car. But the plan worked: BMW furnished proof of production just in time. Ten road-legal cars were produced. The debut of the M3 GTR Street followed at the Petit Le Mans event in Braselton, Georgia, in 2001.
01 Max. output: 258 kW (350 hp)
02 Max. torque: 365 Nm at 5,000 rpm
03 Displacement: 3,997 cm3
04 Curb weight: 1,350 kg
05 Vmax: 295 km/h
The most important benchmark for the configuration of the BMW M3 GTR Strassenversion was the use of the same V8 engine as in the racing version – the P60B40. The car thus also adopted its competition-proved dry sump lubrication. Reliable and in compliance with the rules, the power unit from the race car could be watered down a little for use in the series version. The result was still a more than potent drive unit, which did its work with 258 kW (350 hp) under the characteristic bonnet.
A WINNER’S PURISTIC INTERIOR.
The M3 GTR Strassenversion, which was only available in Titan silver metallic, had a sleek and slim, all-black interior: By excluding comfort features, the two-seater sports car stayed on the heels of the BMW M3 GTR. The message in the sales leaflet sounds plausible: “Those who want to win, have to be able to do without – the puristic interior of a winner”. That also meant: no air conditioning, no radio and most definitely no rear seats.
In 2001, the BMW Motorsport M3 GTR achieved 1st and 3rd places in seven out of ten races in the ALMS GT series. Much to the annoyance of the competition. The reaction manifested itself in a demand to tighten the regulations. And they got their way: The definition of “series model” was changed from ten to a minimum of 100 homologation models which had to be produced. Thus, the withdrawal of the BMW M3 GTR was sealed – after just one very successful season in US motorsport.
In Europe, the GT car still had a future: a few M3 GTRs were deployed with great success between 2003 and 2005, including at the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring.
At its presentation in 2001, the BMW M3 GTR Strassenversion sent a signal, in particular as regards price – and it wasn’t exactly a bargain: you had to shell out 250,000 Euro if you wanted to own this uncompromising driving machine. A lot of money for a BMW M3 – from today’s standpoint no bad investment. The sports coupé is as legendary as a unicorn and highly sought after by collectors. It’s more or less impossible to get hold of one. Which makes putting a realistic market price for a M3 GTR Street pretty well impossible. Moreover, it’s not entirely clear where the ten vehicles produced back then actually are and whether they were ever licensed for road use by their owners. What’s certain is that BMW Group Classic preserves collector’s items like the shown one for future fans.
LASTING FAME IN THE DIGITAL AGE.
Although extremely rare and now a youngtimer, the M3 GTR Strassenversion is well-known to younger fans worldwide. This rare M automobile can be seen and driven in racing games like Need for Speed and simulation games like Gran Turismo. And so the extraordinary M3 is still actively being driven today – if only on screen.
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