BMW will build and race its M3 Touring GT3 April Fools’ concept

On 1 April 2025, BMW announced an ‘M2 Dakar’ and an ‘M3 Touring GT3 Evo’, the latter described as ‘garage born, track approved and ready to race’. It was, of course, an April Fools’ joke. A BMW estate with a massive wing built to go racing? Madness!

Only, the joke’s on us. Because on 16 March 2026 – today – BMW has confirmed what was once a joke is now ‘reality’: the bewinged M3 Touring GT3 will race in this year’s Nürburgring 24hrs. Who’s laughing now?

Probably not the M3 Touring 24H’s drivers – Schubert Motorsport’s quartet of Jens Klingmann, Ugo de Wilde, Connor De Phillippi and Neil Verhagen – because the N24 is quite scary. And the M3 Touring 24H will take the M4 GT3 Evo’s technical base and sling it all inside that frankly excellent bodyshape.

That means up to 582bhp from BMW’s P58 3.0-litre turbo straight six sent to the rear wheels, plus various (obvious) chassis and suspension upgrades like new anti-roll bars, fatter brakes, and a tweaked diff. Among lots of other things, of course.

BMW has quantified how much bigger the M3 Touring is compared to its M4 GT3 sibling – 200mm longer, 32mm taller – but what it hasn’t quantified is how much cooler this thing is. Answer: much.

It won’t compete for top honours at the N24 because it’ll run in the ‘SPX’ class, so won’t eat up the efforts of BMW’s three M4 GT3 Evos that’ll aim for outright victory. It will instead compete for every BMW M enthusiast’s heart.

“A project like the BMW M3 Touring 24H has never existed at BMW M Motorsport before,” said M Motorsport boss Andreas Roos. “I am thrilled, and at the same time, I am certain that our fans, who are never closer to us than at our second home on the Nürburgring, will be just as excited.

“I promise all fans a great show and look forward to an event of superlatives.”

Klingmann added: “It has to be said clearly that the car may have started as an April Fools’ joke, but it has become an absolutely top-class and competitive race car. 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.”

‘As far up front as possible.’ It'll make its competitive debut at next weekend's NLS, before the actual N24 in May. Ha ha ha.