BMW Turned an April Fool’s Joke Into a Real M3 Touring Race Car

Too Hard to Ignore

So, this is the so-called 'timeline-wrecking' car that BMW teased a few days ago. While we were partially correct in calling it an M3 or M4, we didn't expect it to be a Touring, and it's a wild one, indeed. It's going to be BMW's entry in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring this year, and it'll fend off the likes of the Porsche 911 GT3 RS and Mercedes-AMG GT.

The car started out as an April Fool's joke last year, but it's safe to say the public wanted it to be real. According to BMW, engagement on the M3 Touring 24H is much higher than the usual figures for BMW M Motorsport’s social media channels. If anyone needs proof that the world still loves wagons, this is it.

Talk About Fan Service

With reception like that, it's like BMW had no choice but to build the thing for real. Besides, you wouldn't want to upset legions of Touring fans worldwide, either. This could be said is one heck of a service to BMW fans everywhere, and admittedly, it can put a smile on anyone's face.

The car shares some bones with the M4 GT3. But before you think this is a NASCAR-style rebody, the M3 Touring 24H's chassis is, indeed, based on the road-going hot wagon. Otherwise, the car wouldn't be eligible for GT3 racing if it were merely a silhouette racer.

Ready to Rock

While its chassis is still based on a standard M3 Touring, everything else attached to it isn't something one will find in BMW's accessories department. For starters, its fenders have been flared out to a point that it makes an Audi RS 6 look narrow, and that's mainly to fit in a wide set of slicks.

There's no shortage of aero enhancements here, too. Diffusers are scattered all over the body, and you can bet that the underfloor is flatter than Florida. And yes, Florida is, indeed, flatter than Kansas, but we digress. If that's not enough, there's a giant wing over at the back for greater stability at the back, although the wagon's long roof already gives it a bit of an advantage in the downforce game.

BMW didn't mention what's under the hood of the M3 Touring 24H, but it's likely that it'll be the same turbocharged 3.0-liter straight-six from the M4 GT3. Mind you, this isn't a garden-variety S58 engine. It has its own engine code dubbed P58, and it has 'up to' 590 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. While derived from the road car, this one gets a dry-sump system, an engine-mounted oil tank, a charge cycle split intake/exhaust system with two throttle valves, and is mounted 45 degrees.

More Racing Outings Soon?

As mentioned, it will compete in the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours, hopefully gunning for the overall win or, at the very least, finishing the race. So far, BMW hasn't mentioned if it will enter the car in other series or endurance races. Of course, we'd love to see more of it and not just a one-off appearance.

For us, though, the only thing missing here is another wagon running the race. It would be great if Volvo returned to motorsports with something like a modern interpretation of its 850 wagon that competed in touring cars back in 1994. A V60 with an obscenely wide body and a coffee-table rear wing, with heaps of power, would be nice.

Still, at least it's sharing the same space as the HWA Evo R, albeit in a different category. The Evo R is a modern interpretation of the Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Evo II, and it will be nice seeing this and the M3 Touring 24H being driven in anger later this year.

View the full article