BMW drew a huge response online last year on April 1 when it unveiled a race car version of the M3 Touring called the ‘M3 Touring GT3 Evo,’ describing it as ‘garage born, track approved, and ready to race.’ The idea of a wagon with a massive rear wing built for racing drew strong interest online. The post generated more than 1.6 million views, and the response from fans and media was overwhelming. However, the excitement died as it became clear the reveal was an April Fools’ Day prank.
BMW has now confirmed that what had been presented as an April Fools’ joke has now become a reality, as it recently unveiled a new race car based on the M3 Touring. Dubbed the M3 Touring 24H, this is not another render meant to visualize what a BMW wagon racer might look like; it’s a purpose-built one-off race car that combines M3 Touring bodywork with M4 GT3 EVO underpinnings, and it’s set to compete at this year’s Nürburgring 24 Hours in May.
Inside the Creation of the BMW M3 Touring 24H
While the April Fool’s Day joke from last year played a key role in bringing the M3 Touring 24H project to life, the idea dates back to 2022. BMW M Motorsport says it had already considered a racing M3 Touring shortly after the road car launched in 2022, but fan response to the April 2025 joke helped turn the idea into a concrete program.
The joke featured rendered images of a supposedly in-development racing version of the M3 Touring, and even though many could tell that it was a joke, the response from the media and BMW fans was so overwhelming that BMW was inspired to create the car. Within just eight months, the engineers at BMW M Motorsport built the M3 Touring 24H, and now it’s set to be a fan-focused highlight for spectators at the Nürburgring.
BMW M3 Touring 24H Technical Specifications
The BMW M3 Touring 24H is derived from the basic body of the BMW M3 Touring road car but shares the same technical base as the M4 GT3 EVO race car, effectively combining Touring design with full GT3 race-car underpinnings. It’s 200 millimetres (about 7.9 inches) longer than the M4 GT3 EVO and, including the rear wing, 32 millimetres (about 1.3 inches) higher. Beyond those dimensional changes, BMW states that the technical data of both race cars are identical, which means the M3 Touring 24H gets BMW’s P58 inline-six with M TwinPower Turbo technology, rated by BMW at up to 590 hp, depending on regulations, paired with a six-speed Xtrac sequential racing gearbox. BMW says the M3 Touring 24H will run on Yokohama tires, same as the M4 GT3 EVO.
For the preparatory races, the BMW M3 Touring 24H carries a livery that features selected comments posted under the 2025 April Fools’ joke on BMW M Motorsport’s social-media platforms, reinforcing the car’s fan-driven origin story. BMW describes it as a special highlight for spectators and says the livery will be changed for the main event.
Taking on the Green Hell
Appropriately nicknamed the “Green Hell,” the 24 Hours of Nürburgring is one of the most grueling and prestigious endurance races, known for its massive scale, diverse field, and unpredictable Eifel weather. The race has multiple classes ranging from professional GT3 race cars to near-stock production vehicles.
Unlike BMW’s M4 GT3 EVO entries, which will compete in the top-tier SP9 class for a shot at the overall win, the M3 Touring 24H will compete in the SPX class, which is typically used for special or non-standard entries outside the usual class structure. The car will be fielded by Schubert Motorsport, and sitting behind the wheel will be BMW M works drivers Jens Klingmann, Ugo de Wilde, Connor De Phillippi, and Neil Verhagen. BMW says the M3 Touring 24H will make its racing debut at the second Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie round before the Nürburgring 24 Hours and then continue preparation at the 24h Qualifiers.
Even though the M3 Touring 24H will run outside the SP9 fight for overall victory, it still stands as a striking example of how strong fan response helped turn an April Fools’ concept into a real Nürburgring project.
Source: BMW