What are some of the most iconic BMW Motorsport Racing Cars? To get the answer to that question, we went to Laguna Seca Raceway to see some of the best BMW racing cars to ever compete in the United States. The exclusive footage also includes behind the scenes footage of the BMW M4 GT3. In this video, Tom Plucinsky, Department Head, BMW Group Product and Technology Communications, talks about the new racing car and some of its specs.
BMW E46 M3 GTR
The racing car that stands out immediately is the legendary E46 BMW M3 GTR, a car with one of the greatest BMW engines no one’s ever heard of. Few people outside of die-hard BMW fans know of the P60B40 engine that powered the E46 M3 GTR but those that know, know. The P60B40 was a 4.0 liter flat-plane crank V8 that was shoehorned into the engine bay of an E46 M3 race car for American Le Mans Series racing and it is one of the brand’s more controversial engines.
BMW E92 M3 GT
BMW Motorsport announced in February 2008 that Rahal Letterman Racing will campaign two factory-backed E92 M3s in the American Le Mans Series in 2009, following a two-year absence by the brand. The cars were homologated for the GT2 category.
According to the rules for the class, the M3 had to share some components with its street brother. The steel body shell is the same as the roadcar’s but with a roll cage welded inside. The engine retained the same displacement – a 4.0-liter V8. Of course, there were some changes to the internal parts. Output was increased by 56 horsepower to 470.
In 2011, the BMW achieved a 1-2 finish in the 12 Hours of Sebring. In the 2011 American Le Mans Series GT class, BMW Team RLL swept all categories, winning the GT manufacturer, team and driver championships. They contest another year in the ALMS GT class, coming off of another fantastic win at the 2012 60th running of the 12 Hours of Sebring. The M3 GT2 was succeeded by the BMW Z4 GTE, an LMGTE specification racing car alongside the Group GT3 spec BMW Z4 GT3.
BMW M4 DTM
Furthermore, at the Rolex Reunion, we were also able to have a close look at one of BMW Motorsports’ 2020 M4 DTM cars. This Number 25, ZF-sponsored M4 DTM Class 1, chassis number 1502, was raced in the 2019 and 2020 seasons by BMW Motorsport driver Philipp Eng.
With a weight of 2163 lbs and powered by a BMW P48 2-liter TwinPower Turbo 4-Cylinder engine, The BMW M4 DTM can accelerate from 0-62 mph in 2.5 seconds, has a top speed greater than 185 mph and can achieve corner loads up to 3g’s. In a rare opportunity, this factory M4 DTM is being offered for sale by BMW Motorsport for 800,000 Euros plus shipping, duty, and taxes.
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