BMW unveils special M3 E46 GTR edition from iconic video game

The German car maker has recreated a real-life version of the race car in its iconic blue and silver livery, equipped with the V8 racing engine that was featured in the 2005 Need For Speed: Most Wanted video game.

BMW has recently unveiled a special edition of its M3 E46 GTR sports car that was prominently featured in the 2005 video game Need For Speed: Most Wanted.

To celebrate the gaming franchise’s 30th anniversary, the luxury German car maker – in partnership with global automotive website Speedhunters – recreated a real-life version of the M3 GTR in its iconic blue and white livery.

“The [BMW] M3 GTR model is one of the most recognisable cars in the history of Need for Speed, so for the 30th anniversary we wanted to do something special,” John Stanley, the Senior Creative Director of Need For Speed: Unbound, said in a media statement.

The one-off concept has been on display at the BMW Welt Museum in Munich, Germany, since November 27, 2024.

The recreation of the iconic sports coupé goes beyond the cosmetic design, with BMW using an American Le Mans Series (ALMS) race-worn example for the project.

The BMW M3 E46 GTR is equipped with the P60B40 4.0-litre V8 engine that BMW Motorsport used to win the 2001 ALMS drivers and constructors’ championship.

According to Speedhunters,  the specific example used for the Need For Speed tribute car was the #42 version driven by BMW Motorsport drivers Jörg Müller and JJ Lehto in their championship-winning season, with the original race livery still visible under the blue and silver paint.

For context, the BMW M3 E46 GTR won seven out of the 10 races in the 2001 ALMS season, with the vehicle finishing first and third, respectively in the drivers’ championship.

As a reference, BMW claimed the M3 E46 racing version had an engine output of 400 brake horsepower (bhp) and 540Nm at 5500 RPM of torque.

The origins of the BMW M3 E46 GTR sports coupé started in 2000 when the German luxury’s ALMS team developed the P60B40 V8 engine with the intent “to compete in a series-based racing category”, as per BMW M.

However, the 2001 ALMS regulations stated that the engines used in any racing vehicle must be available in at least 10 road versions of the car to be deemed race-eligible.

To comply with racing laws, BMW produced a “street” variant of the sports car, dubbed the ‘M3 GTR Strassenversion’ equipped with a six-gear manual gearbox and a less powerful version of the V8 racing engine that had a maximum 350 bhp – instead of the 400 seen in the race variant – alongside a claimed top speed of 295km/h.

According to BMW, the M3 GTR Strassenversion was priced from €250,000 – or approximately $AU405,808 in 2024 – when it was unveiled at a 2001 presentation, with the German luxury carmaker stating the brand has no idea where these ten M3 GTR examples ended up following the launch.

“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.

“It’s not entirely clear where the 10 vehicles produced back then actually are and whether they were ever licenced for road use by their owners,” BMW said.

As reported by Drive in 2021, a BMW E3 GTR race car – identified as chassis #005 – was previously listed for sale in Melbourne, though prices weren’t officially announced and were only available ‘on application’.

The race-tested car previously competed in other iconic races such as the 24 Hours in Daytona and Bathurst 24 Hours before it was sold to a private owner in 2004 and remained in their private collection.

The post BMW unveils special M3 E46 GTR edition from iconic video game appeared first on Drive.

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