In honor of the 30th anniversary of the Need for Speed game series, BMW has released the M3 GTR in the iconic design and blue and silver color from NFS Most Wanted 2005. This was reported by Speedhunters.
The M3 GTR is so associated with the Need for Speed game that almost 75% of all Google searches for "M3 GTR" lead to NFS-related content, but what makes this car so iconic?
The story begins in 2000 with the release of the BMW E46 M3. The car took an active part in various European races. This immediately brought the model success.
At the same time, M3 made its debut in the United States, as this market was one of the largest. The plan was to start participating in local races. However, the American GT and Le Mans series were highly competitive, and the S54 six-cylinder engine that powered the M3 was considered less powerful than those of Porsche, Chevrolet, and other rivals.
The company abandoned the S54 engine in favor of a supercompact and lightweight V8. But a new problem arose. This would have classified the car as a prototype, as the P60B40 V8 engine was not available for any E46 M3 models at the time. Therefore, a small series of street-legal M3 GTRs were produced, albeit with a slightly modified version of the P60B40.
This allowed the car to participate in racing and achieve significant success there. In 2001, out of 10 races, it finished in the top 3 seven times. However, due to the dissatisfaction of rivals, the rules of homologation changed in the 2002 season: instead of 10 copies, 100 were to be produced. As a result, the M3 GTR was again withdrawn from racing in the United States.
So, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the series, of which BMW has become one of the symbols, the company presented the restored E46 M3 GTR E42 Team BMW Motorsport, number 42. It was this car that Jörg Müller and J.J. Lehto raced in 2001 and won the ALMS GT series. In that season, Müller became the champion, and BMW Motorsport took first place in the team standings.
The car will be on display at the BMW Welt exhibition in Munich, Germany, until January 2025.