A purpose-built BMW M3 GT3 Touring is set to join the grid for the 2026 edition of the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, competing in the experimental SPX category.
The project was born from a digital prank on April 1, 2025. When BMW’s social media channels teased a rendering of a G81-based GT3 machine, the racing community didn’t just laugh – they demanded it.
With more than 1.6 million views and unprecedented engagement, the board in Munich took notice. Now, a G81 Estate wagon officially dubbed as the “BMW M3 Touring 24H” is being prepped for its competitive debut.
Over the course of just eight months, the BMW M3 Touring 24H was built. 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 200mm longer and, including the rear wing, 32mm higher than the BMW M4 GT3 Evo. The technical data of both race cars are identical.
BMW M3 Touring livery
Photo by: BMW
Four doors, four factory drivers
The car will be entered by Schubert Motorsport and run on Yokohama tyres, just as the team’s spearheading SP9 class M4 GT3.
Four factory drivers will be entered: Nordschleife veteran Jens Klingmann joins Belgian ace Ugo de Wilde and the American duo of Connor De Phillippi and Neil Verhagen.
“A project like this has never existed at BMW M Motorsport before. 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 Nurburgring, will be just as excited”, said BMW motorsports director Andreas Roos.
The move to the SPX class sets up a mouth-watering battle for fans. The BMW wagon is set to face the HWA EVO.R – the radical reimagining of the Mercedes 190E 2.5-16 Evo II.
The HWA was recently spotted during testing before the cancelled NLS1 race with former BMW star Bruno Spengler at the wheel, who is set to race against his former employer in the “Green Hell”.
Jan Lammers, Volvo 850 SE/GLT
Photo by: Motorsport Images
Station wagons in the Spotlight
While the M3 Touring 24H is a standout, it follows a rare but legendary lineage of “racing lorries” that mostly raced in the BTCC.
While most remember the iconic Volvo 850 Estate from the 1994 season, it wasn’t until 20 years later that station wagons took victories.
Honda’s Civic Tourer claimed four wins in 2014, but the ultimate estate champion remains the Subaru Levorg GT, which won the 2017 BTCC title with Ash Sutton at the wheel.
At the Nurburgring Nordschleife, the Mitsubishi Lancer estate wagon by Mario Fuchs claimed several overall victories in the Rundstrecken Challenge Nurburgring, which races as a support series in Thursday morning during the 24 hour race weekend.
The G81’s transformation into a GT3-spec racer marks a full-circle moment for the brand. Already back in 2000, the brand built a secret M3 E46 Touring prototype but opted against bringing it to the market. This only happened in 2022 with the introduction of the G81 model.
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