Bavarien automakers have ascended the auto industry’s ladder to become some of the most popular and consumer friendly in the whole world.
The Japanese company has long been known for producing fantastic, luxurious, performance-oriented vehicles.
Consumers look onto BMW as reliable, powerful, tunable sports cars. The e30 M3 for instance can be tuned to up to or more than 550hp fairly easily. And if you upgrade the suspension and brakes, you are left with a wicked little track car that can compete with all the Corvettes, Porsche and Ferraries out there!
350HP / 4.0L / 0-60 mph in 4.0 seconds
Back in 2001, BMW decided to take on Porsche once and for all. The stage was the American Le Mans series; an endurance racing competition run to the same rules as the annual 24 hours event.
BMW had found the E46 M3 to be outgunned by the performance of the Porsche 911 GT3-RS. The standard fit 3.2 litre straight-six in the M3 lacked the power to rival the rear-engined Stuttgart racer. To address this, BMW developed a brand new 4 litre, 500hp, V8 engine. The fact they didn’t sell a V8 M3 was a mere technicality; the ALMS rules were so loosely worded it wasn’t important.
In order to fulfill the homologation requirements, the M3 GTR road car was built in parallel with the racing program in the special vehicles department of the BMW Regensburg Plant. The road car used a slightly detuned version of the P60 rated at 380 horsepower at 7,000 rpm – complete with dry-sump lubrication and sharply canted radiator with hood venting. Power was transmitted through a racing style twin-disc clutch to a 6-speed manual gearbox and variable locking M differential.
The M3 GTR featured an extensively stiffened chassis and a very sporty suspension setup derived from the race version. The M3 GTR was dramatically lowered compared to the stock M3, additional bracing was fitted between the firewall and strut towers as well as between the rear shock towers. The extended and re-designed front and rear fascias and the rear wing optimized the aerodynamics of the M3 GTR by reducing lift.
The Japanese company has long been known for producing fantastic, luxurious, performance-oriented vehicles.
Consumers look onto BMW as reliable, powerful, tunable sports cars. The e30 M3 for instance can be tuned to up to or more than 550hp fairly easily. And if you upgrade the suspension and brakes, you are left with a wicked little track car that can compete with all the Corvettes, Porsche and Ferraries out there!
BMW M3 GTR Street (E46)
350HP / 4.0L / 0-60 mph in 4.0 seconds
Back in 2001, BMW decided to take on Porsche once and for all. The stage was the American Le Mans series; an endurance racing competition run to the same rules as the annual 24 hours event.
BMW had found the E46 M3 to be outgunned by the performance of the Porsche 911 GT3-RS. The standard fit 3.2 litre straight-six in the M3 lacked the power to rival the rear-engined Stuttgart racer. To address this, BMW developed a brand new 4 litre, 500hp, V8 engine. The fact they didn’t sell a V8 M3 was a mere technicality; the ALMS rules were so loosely worded it wasn’t important.
In order to fulfill the homologation requirements, the M3 GTR road car was built in parallel with the racing program in the special vehicles department of the BMW Regensburg Plant. The road car used a slightly detuned version of the P60 rated at 380 horsepower at 7,000 rpm – complete with dry-sump lubrication and sharply canted radiator with hood venting. Power was transmitted through a racing style twin-disc clutch to a 6-speed manual gearbox and variable locking M differential.
The M3 GTR featured an extensively stiffened chassis and a very sporty suspension setup derived from the race version. The M3 GTR was dramatically lowered compared to the stock M3, additional bracing was fitted between the firewall and strut towers as well as between the rear shock towers. The extended and re-designed front and rear fascias and the rear wing optimized the aerodynamics of the M3 GTR by reducing lift.
Sources : cheatsheet engagesportmode
