The BMW M3 Touring 24H will compete in the 24h Nürburgring 2026.
Munich. Our fans asked for it, and we delivered. An
overwhelmingly successful April Fools’ joke from 2025 is becoming
reality at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring 2026 (GER) – the racing
version of the BMW M3 Touring. On 16th/17th
May, the BMW M3 Touring 24H will compete as a spectacular highlight
for spectators in the “Green Hell.” The car will make its racing
debut next weekend at the second round of the Nürburgring
Langstrecken Serie (NLS). All technical data on the BMW M3 Touring
24H as well as detailed information on the modifications can be
found in our Media Guide.
Shortly after the market launch of the BMW M3 Touring road car in
2022, BMW M Motorsport began considering the idea of building a racing
version as well. However, it took a special key moment to turn the
idea of parallel engineers into a concrete plan – and that moment was,
of all things, an April Fools’ joke. On 1st April 2025, BMW
M Motorsport posted images on its social media platforms of a
supposedly in-development BMW M3 Touring GT race car. The response
from fans and the media to this post was overwhelming. It reached more
than one million users and generated over 1.6 million views.
Engagement on the posts was also many times higher than the usual
figures for BMW M Motorsport’s social media channels.
Inspired by this success, the previously conceived plans to realise a
racing version of the BMW M3 Touring became concrete in the summer of
2025. Within just eight months, the engineers at BMW M Motorsport
built the BMW M3 Touring 24H. It shares the same technical base as the
BMW M4 GT3 EVO, but is derived from the basic body of the BMW M3
Touring. The BMW M3 Touring 24H is 200 millimetres longer and,
including the rear wing, 32 millimetres higher than the BMW M4 GT3
EVO. The technical data of both race cars are identical. In addition
to our Media Guide, we offer a walkaround video for editorial use, in
which BMW M works driver Jens Klingmann (GER) explains the car in detail.
The BMW M3 Touring 24H is a car for the fans at the tight
Nürburgring, with whom BMW M Motorsport has a very special
relationship. This is underlined by the design of the car for the
preparatory races, which features selected comments posted under the
April Fools’ joke on the social media platforms. For the 24-hour race,
the BMW M3 Touring 24H will receive another special livery.
At the wheel of the BMW M3 Touring 24H, which is fielded by Schubert
Motorsport, will be four BMW M works drivers: Jens Klingmann, Ugo de
Wilde (BEL), Connor De Phillippi, and Neil Verhagen (both USA). The
car will compete in the SPX class and will therefore not be in direct
competition with the three BMW M4 GT3 EVOs, which will be fighting for
overall victory in the top SP9 category. The BMW M3 Touring 24H will
complete its preparations at the second NLS race as well as at the 24h
Nürburgring Qualifiers.
Like the #77 BMW M4 GT3 EVO from Schubert Motorsport, the BMW M3
Touring 24H will also run on tyres from BMW M Motorsport partner
Yokohama. “We are deeply honoured to partner with BMW M
Motorsport as an official tyre partner for this exclusive programme,”
said Takayoshi Omae, Deputy Head of Consumer Tyre Product &
Marketing Planning Div. “This collaboration marks a historic
milestone in Yokohama’s motorsport history, and our participation in
the Nürburgring 24 Hours fills us with immense pride and anticipation.
Together with BMW M Motorsport, a global premium brand defined by
visionary engineering and an unwavering competitive spirit, Yokohama
looks forward to pushing the boundaries of what is possible on the
Nordschleife, driven by our shared pursuit of excellence.”
Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): “A project
like the BMW M3 Touring 24H has never existed at BMW M Motorsport
before. Many thanks to everyone who put their heart and soul into this
unique car and brought it to life. I am thrilled – and at the same
time, I am certain that our fans, who are never closer to us than at
our second home on the Nürburgring, will be just as excited. I promise
all fans a great show and look forward to an event of superlatives.”
Jens Klingmann: “This is truly a unique project, and
I am absolutely delighted to be a part of it. The fact that we took
our fans’ reactions to an April Fools’ joke as an opportunity to
actually make the BMW M3 Touring 24H a reality speaks to our closeness
to our community and our enthusiasm for motorsport. It has to be said
clearly that the car may have started as an April Fools’ joke, but it
has become an absolutely top-class and competitive race car. Our goal
is to put on a great show for the spectators at the Nürburgring and to
finish the race as far up front as possible. I am convinced that we
can achieve a top result.”
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