Last April Fools' Day, BMW M Motorsport decided to have a laugh. Engineers used rendering software to create an image of a racing version of the production M3 Touring wagon, built out in the same configuration as BMW's real M4 GT3 race cars. It was meant to be ridiculous — because wagons are for school pickups and flat-pack furniture hauls, not racing circuits.
The internet had other ideas.
BMW M took notice of the massive reaction and announced it has now actually built the car. Not only is a fully functional race-spec M3 Touring a reality, but it's also scheduled to enter the 24 Hours of Nürburgring this May. The prospect of a station wagon overtaking Max Verstappen's Mercedes-AMG on Germany's most legendary circuit is, to put it mildly, entertaining.
Performance wagons have carved out a niche on public roads, but very few have made the leap to actual competition. The short list includes a Subaru Legacy GT that ran in a handful of races under Subaru of America's banner, and more famously, the Volvo 850R estate that competed in the British Touring Car Championship in the early 1990s. BTCC drivers reportedly spent considerable effort ramming the Volvo — apparently infuriated at being overtaken by something with a stuffed animal zip-tied to the rear roll cage.
BMW's creation operates somewhat differently from the M4 GT3 EVOs already entered in the top SP9 class. The Touring is physically larger, as the road-going version is, and it's configured to accommodate both a driver and a passenger — meaning lucky BMW fans could eventually get a ride-along lap in the thing.
Beyond the standard safety equipment — full roll cage, fire suppression, and the rest — BMW raised the driver's seat position by 2.4 inches compared to the M4, making a hasty exit from the cockpit more feasible if things go wrong. The wagon's rear hatch also generates significantly more aerodynamic drag, which sent BMW's engineers back to the simulator to design a substantial rear wing capable of managing the airflow.
The engine is the familiar twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six, tuned to deliver just under 600 horsepower. A six-speed sequential gearbox sends power to the rear wheels only. Wagons are usually associated with certain kinds of screaming — the juice box-related kind — but in this case the soundtrack will be delivered entirely by the drivetrain.
The 24 Hours of Nürburgring is already one of the most chaotic and dramatic events in motorsport. BMW showing up with a racing estate car will only add to the spectacle, particularly if May delivers its typical unpredictable weather. Watching a wagon blast past a Porsche 911 in heavy rain would be one of the year's most memorable racing images.
Two of the four drivers entered in this car are American, so even though the M3 Touring was never offered on this side of the Atlantic, there's still reason to root for it. There's also a reasonable chance it shows up in a racing video game before long. The best ideas, after all, sometimes begin as punchlines.
