For so long as the racing sport has existed, so has the related ‘hero’ automotive, which then turns into synonymous with that title forevermore.
Suppose Ferrari’s Testarossa within the unique Outrun or the famed WRC Toyota Celica GT-4 from Sega Rally within the early ’90s. Each are undeniably cool vehicles in their very own proper, then elevated to cult standing by a gaming collab.
However on occasion, a partnership comes alongside which matches far past easy affiliation, as an alternative turning into the only purpose for a automotive’s fame, particularly when that sport stands the check of time throughout a number of generations.
We’re speaking concerning the BMW E46 M3 GTR and Want for Pace Most Needed from 2005, after all. And under no circumstances are we suggesting that the M3 GTR’s racing deserves pale compared to its digital footprint, however slightly embracing the truth that – almost 20 years on since Most Needed launched – it continues to be revered and celebrated by previous, current and future players around the globe.
When you noticed our story final week unveiling the last word Most Needed M3 GTR tribute, you’ll be loosely conversant in the backstory on how this iconic race automotive first got here to mild and what made it so quick inside the ALMS (American Le Mans Sequence) it initially competed in.
We’ve received a full, in-depth historical past on the M3 GTR touchdown very quickly (together with the E36 M3 GTR that predates it together with the über-limited Strassenversion), however till then, we needed to dive into 5 key causes we nonetheless adore this automotive over 20 years on, and why it resonated so properly with Want for Pace gamers. And that’s earlier than we get into the fan-built replicas being created yearly in tribute…
1. It’s A Motorsport & Gaming Icon
We’re beginning with the obvious one right here, however few different vehicles have captured this stage of following by each racing and gaming followers worldwide. First launched in 2001 to compete inside their fierce ALMS GT collection, BMW had beforehand raced the E46 M3 with its straight-six engine however feared it wouldn’t be potent sufficient to compete in opposition to its rivals, together with Porsche and Corvette.
As an alternative, BMW received inventive and exploited a little bit loophole designed to present them a aggressive benefit. The straight-six was ditched in favour of an excellent compact, tremendous light-weight V8 engine dubbed the P60B40. The catch? They’d want to provide not less than 10 road-going examples to homologate it for racing.
That’s precisely what BMW deliberate to do, constructing 10 ‘Strassenversion’ M3 GTRs with the plan of promoting them individually for €250,000 (roughly US$262,500 in at the moment’s cash) a chunk. They have been by no means formally offered, and of the ten developed, simply three exist, all owned (and displayed) by BMW.
For the 2002 season of the ALMS, BMW can be required to construct 100 autos and 1,000 engines to then be eligible to compete – one thing they determined in opposition to.
However earlier than considering this was a waste, not solely did BMW dominate the 2001 season (which triggered this enhance in manufacturing), however it additionally paved the way in which for the E46’s successor – the E92 M3 – to then be geared up with a V8 from the manufacturing facility, coincidentally returning to race within the ALMS GT2 class a number of years later in 2009.
2. Its Thunderous P60B40 V8 Engine
The M3 GTR would be the first official V8-powered E46, however it wasn’t the one one in existence. As a result of again in 2000, BMW North America joined forces with Prototype Expertise Group (PTG) to construct a V8-powered E46 M3 for the Rolex Grand-Am Sequence.
The place the 2 vehicles differ is the V8 engines getting used. Within the PTG vehicles, a closely reworked S62 was fitted that was in any other case discovered inside the E39 M5 and Z8. However within the M3 GTR? A wholly new engine was created solely for racing.
Produced between 2001 and 2005 for BMW’s Sports activities Automobile Racing program, the P60B40 was solely ever utilized in two fashions: the M3 GTR race automotive and the M3 GTR Strassenversion (albeit detuned to round 380bhp).
With a 4.0-litre displacement, a 12.0:1 compression and a flat-plane crankshaft, the P60B40 developed 444bhp at 7,500rpm initially regardless of having two 30.4mm restrictors in place. Later variations of the V8 produced nearer to 500bhp, however its compact and light-weight building allowed BMW to maintain the M3 GTR race automotive’s weight at simply 1,100kg (2,425lbs).
3. Its Iconic Standing Inside Want for Pace
The M3 GTR first appeared in Most Needed again in 2005, however do you know it has been included in a number of Want for Pace titles ever since then?
Carbon, World, Most Needed (2012), No Limits, Edge, Warmth and, after all, Unbound, to call just a few. Typically, it’s at all times been unlockable content material later down the road – and in some instances, only a physique package/tribute – however such has been its impact on Want for Pace gamers worldwide it continues to be replicated even in these video games with out its official livery or inclusion.
In truth, in Unbound, not solely does the OG M3 GTR seem, however so does a particular NFS thirtieth Anniversary version too, which encapsulates 4 distinctive hero automotive liveries into one.
4. That Unimaginable Gearbox Whine
When you performed the unique Most Needed, you’d have heard that – on high of the V8 engine noise – there was a really distinctive whine that received louder the quicker you went. That wasn’t an accident; Want for Pace needed to copy the sound as shut as doable to the precise racing automotive, and that included the almighty whine related to its racing gearbox.
Naturally, there’s some unimaginable footage on the market of the M3 GTR’s Hewland gearbox making all the appropriate noises. However what some folks don’t realise is that it wasn’t at all times a sequential fitted; at first, it was a 6-speed guide earlier than shifting to the sequential just a few years later.
5. Its Iconic Livery & Broad-Physique Styling
We’re not simply speaking concerning the blue and silver Most Needed livery right here. Look all through the M3 GTR’s racing historical past between 2001 and 2005, and you can see varied iterations from the blue/white Group BMW Motorsport vehicles used inside the ALMS proper by to the pink/white/blue vehicles from the Nürburgring 24 Hour race.
Naturally, these explicit physique kits have been by no means offered formally outdoors of racing. Constructed totally from carbon fibre, the M3’s width is pumped up by over 100mm in comparison with inventory – important for housing the 11.5-inch slick tyres fitted to BBS RE594/595 wheels.
An unique package would’ve price excess of €25,000 (US$26,250) relying on what wing/splitter you opted for, however fortunately, there are many comparable (cheaper) variations on the market for anybody eager to embark on their very own BMW M3 GTR tribute…
The Speedhunters
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