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- JASON_ROCKS1998
- JR98 GAMING
The BMW M3 GTR was Built for running in the American Le Mans Series, it was powered by a 493HP 4.0 V8. Unlike previous Straight 6 M3's, which were outpaced by the 996 GT3, this racing M3 GTR was very successful, entered by Schnitzer Motorsport.
Rivals, such as Porsche, pointed out that the M3 GTR was more of a prototype, as there was no production M3 with a V8 engine, thus violating the spirit of Gran Turismo. In 2001, the ALMS regs changed and stated that cars must be on sale on at least 2 continents within 12 months of rules being issued. To fullfil this rule, BMW built and sold 10 limited edition "M3 GTR's", costing $250,000 each.
The ALMS rules were altered again in 2002 and stated that 100 cars and 1,000 engines must be produced for a car to qualify without penalty. Although BMW could have run the season with penalties, they pulled out of the ALMS, effectively ending the short lived career of the M3 GTR.
However, this wasn't the end of the M3 GTR. They entered the car at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring and got a 1-2 finish in both 2004 and 2005. And they also ran the 2004 Spa 24 Hours.
BMW Motorsport fielded 2 M3 GTR's in the event in the G2 class, marking the first ever FIA GT event entered by BMW Motorsport since they ran 2 F1 GTR's at the 1997 Season.
The first of the 2 cars entered by BMW Motorsport (#142) was driven by the 3 driver squad of Jorg and Dirk Muller and H.J. Stuck. The second car (#143) was driven by the 4 driver squad of Andy Priaulx, Kurt Mollekens, Pedro Lamy and Antonio Garcia.
The #143 car wasn't able to finish, with it's race ended after 278 laps. The #142 car, however, managed to finish the race, and was the fastest car in it's class, finishing 6th overall, after 525 laps. It even managed to beat one of the BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari 550's.
Specifications:
Body Style: 2 Door Coupe
Length: N/A
Width: N/A
Height: N/A
Wheelbase: 2731 mm
Engine: BMW 4.0 V8
Aspiration: Naturally Aspirated
Power: 493HP
Torque: 500NM
Weight: 1170 KG
Transmission: 6 Speed Manual
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