While most OEM mischief for April 1st is cringeworthy at best, some jokes are certainly much more entertaining than others. So it was last year when BMW showed the world both a Dakar-prepped M2 and a M3 Touring built to GT3 specifications. Sure, they were both a bit daft, but they were both very cool as well: off-road sports cars remain a fascinating little niche, and racing cars built from wagons – be they Volvo 850s, Subaru Levorgs or Honda Civics – always get the people going.
So it proved for the M3, with more than 1.6 million views across BMW’s socials and engagement ‘many times higher than the usual figures for BMW M Motorsport’s social media channels.’ It’s easy to imagine what that engagement was like because the concept was so convincing. So BMW has given the people exactly what they wanted, and the spectacular thing you’re looking at here is the M3 Touring 24H, a car that looks like the production estate, yet has the underpinnings of an M4 GT3 Evo, and will race at the Nurburgring 24 Hours later in the spring. In case any more excuse was needed to attend.
BMW says the 24H ‘shares the same technical base as the M4 GT3 Evo’ – the 2025 update to the GT3 that improved downforce, added bigger brakes and new anti-roll bars – while being ‘derived from the basic body of the M3 Touring.’ A proper racer, then, in case there was ever any doubt, just with the stunning new look: apparently the 24H is 200mm longer than the M4 (already five metres long) and 32mm taller.
With ‘identical’ technical data, expect this GT3-spec M3 to be basically as fast as the M4. Otherwise known as obscenely rapid: the race record at N24 for SP9 GT3 machines is 8:08.006 – remember that’s a 15.7-mile combination of both North Loop and GP track. While it will compete in the SPX class for cars that can’t really be categorised elsewhere, expect the Touring’s pace to rival that of the SP9 cars battling it out for victory.
So this 24H is going to be some sight to behold when May comes around, and it’ll actually be on the Nordschleife before the headline event. This weekend the M3 will compete in the second round of the 2026 Nurburgring Langstrecken Serie, or NLS, the endurance racing championship on the Nordschleife that celebrates half a century this year. For this and all N24 prep races, the Touring is going to feature a livery that includes ‘selected comments posted under the April Fools’ joke on the social media platforms.’ Which could be fun. For the main event, the 24H – to be driven by works BMW drivers Jens Klingmann, Ugo de Wilde, Conner De Phillippi and Neil Verhagen – is going to get another livery. To be honest, just as the April Fools’ car appeared would be spot on…
“This is truly a unique project, and I am absolutely delighted to be a part of it. The fact that we took our fans’ reactions to an April Fools’ joke as an opportunity to actually make the BMW M3 Touring 24H a reality speaks to our closeness to our community and our enthusiasm for motorsport,” Klingmann said. “Our goal is to put on a great show for the spectators at the Nürburgring and to finish the race as far up front as possible. I am convinced that we can achieve a top result.” Only a couple of months to go…