It’s been 30 years since the original Need for Speed changed racing games forever. BMW is celebrating this important milestone in the NFS lineage by bringing to life an iconic car. Yes, the M3 GTR from Most Wanted (2005) is now real. Better yet, you can check it out at the BMW Welt in Munich from November 27 until January 6.
The track-only machine seen here boasts a nostalgia-infused wrap reminiscent of the hero car from Most Wanted. It’s worth noting that this exact car was the foundation for the game’s artwork nearly 20 years ago. Since it debuted in Most Wanted, the M3 GTR was subsequently featured in other NFS titles. Relevant examples include Carbon (2006), Heat (2019), and Unbound (2022), but there were others.
You can now enjoy the special M3 GTR in the Need for Speed Unbound Vol. 9: Prepare for Lockdown, launching today. The new release comes along with the first-ever bike included in a NFS title, the 2019 S 1000 RR. The No Limits mobile game also receives the GTR-spec E46’s special wrap. It’s also coming to the Need for Speed: Mobile title in China.
As you can easily tell from the side exhaust and giant rear wing, it’s the race car version. BMW also made the elusive Strassenversion for homologation purposes. BMW built only 10 examples of the street-legal model as the only M3 E46 with a V8 engine. The road-going model was the only BMW to ever get the 4.0-liter P60B40 unit. Compared to the race car’s sequential transmission, the Strassenversion had a six-speed manual gearbox instead. The GTR was faster than any other M3 E46, hitting 183 mph (295 km/h).
If you can’t make it to the BMW Welt to see the real thing, there might be a second opportunity to check out the car in the metal. A little bird has told us it could be publicly displayed elsewhere in 2025, possibly at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Photos: BMW
