GT3-Spec BMW M3 Touring Set to Enter 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours

Most April Fools' jokes are a casual afterthought dreamt up on a quiet Friday. BMW M's marketing department, however, put real thought into last year's hook, line, und sinker, delivering accurate renders of a GT3-inspired M3 Touring. What they underestimated was the reaction – one strong enough to force their hand into building the thing. Eight months later, the car exists, and it's entering this year's N24.

Grafting the Touring bodyshell onto the BMW M4 GT3 EVO inevitably came with its challenges. Although the technical specifications carry across directly – the 582bhp powertrain, wheelbase, suspension and brakes – the extended roofline has thrown the aerodynamic balance of the car, resulting in a new swan-neck rear wing that extends 200mm from the car and reaches 32mm higher in order to hit clean air. While this means the Touring 24H should be able to match the cornering speeds of the M4, the additional drag will penalise the car down the Döttinger Höhe and on the long climb up Kesselchen.

Consequently, BMW does not expect the car to challenge for overall honours alongside the three GT3 EVOs. Instead, Schubert Motorsport will run the car in the SPX class – a mixed category for heavily modified production cars and prototypes that includes the likes of the HWA Evo.R. All four drivers hold BMW M works status, with Jens Klingmann, Ugo de Wilde, Connor De Phillippi and Neil Verhagen sharing duties.

GT3-Spec BMW M3 Touring Set to Enter 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours: front three-quarter view — Toruing silhouette has been fashioned from CFRP and placed over M4 GT3 EVO underpinnings

GT3-Spec BMW M3 Touring Set to Enter 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours: front carbon grille detail shot

Prior to the main event, the car makes its competitive debut at next weekend's second round of the Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie ahead of the 24h Qualifiers. For those shakedown rounds, the livery incorporates fan comments taken directly from beneath the original post, although a separate design is planned for the race itself. Yokohama will supply tyres for the programme, as they do for Schubert's #77 M4 GT3 EVO.

BMW M has form for creative special projects, but unlike those locked away in a secret bunker in Garching – a roster that includes an E46 M3 Touring – the Touring 24H will not only see the light of day, but compete. With BMW confirming the passenger seat can be easily reinstated, the car appears destined for a life beyond the Nordschleife. Goodwood in July feels like an obvious destination.

Jens Klingmann was direct about expectations. "The car may have started as an April Fools' joke," he said, "but it has become an absolutely top-class and competitive race car. Our goal is to put on a great show and to finish as far up front as possible." Klingmann knows the Nürburgring better than most – in 2014 he became the first driver to break the 8-minute barrier in a GT3 car during a race on the combined circuit. He's right to be bullish; with GT3 underpinnings beneath that estate bodywork, the Touring 24H must be considered the favourite for SPX honours.

Over the 16th and 17th of May, BMW's marketing department will find out if the M3 Touring 24H leaves a lasting impression.