BMW recently caught a bit of viral internet fire with its M3 Touring 24H race car. Ahead of the 24 Hours of Spa, BMW drove its race car through the streets, with a lucky raffle-winning passenger on board and a roof box mounted on top. It was funny to see a race car, with its wide body, low suspension, and racing livery, fitted with something that most suburban families have on top of their, well, Chevy Suburban. Long before that viral stunt, though, the very idea of an M3 Touring race car was nothing more than an April Fool’s joke. And in this new video from BMW M, you can see how it went from a joke to a reality.
It started out as a render. For an April Fool’s social media gag (BMW loves its April Fool’s jokes), the team at BMW M rendered an M3 Touring race car. It never intended for people to like it, however. Head of BMW M Motorsport Andreas Roos said that he thought the wagon racer looked “gigantic” and didn’t initially think fans would be into the idea. But then he saw the internet lost its mind, and realized just how much people wanted the car. Fans were disapppinted when they learned it was just a rendering.
“The feedback was overwhelming,” said Benjamin Lutz, part of BMW M’s communications team. So the big heads in Garsching knew they had to turn this enthusiasm into something, and they got together and came up with a gameplan. They couldn’t just build what looked like a race car but fell apart after driving it. It needed to be the real deal. But how does BMW M come up with a realistic plan to finance such a build, and what do they do with it afterward?
M3 Touring 24H GT3
There were two big factors in BMW’s decision to make the M3 Touring 24H. For starters, it needed to involve the Nurburgring. That’s where BMW does all of its performance testing, it’s the brand’s second home, and it’s where the M3 Touring could go racing and be on display for the world to see. The second factor was car collector Rainer Bonnetsmüller, who owns many classic and special one-off Bimmers. A deal was struck between BMW and Bonnetsmüller, and then the car went into production.
BMW M admits that the car would have never existed without fans demanding it. They were BMW’s “enablers” and it’s awesome to see a brand give fans what they want. The rest of the video is like a documentary, as it’s over 40 minutes long. But if you’re a Bimmerphile, it’s worth it. Check it out.
