The rarest BMW in the world: the BMW M3 GTR

The BMW M3 GTR may be considered the rarest BMW in the world, but you’re more likely to know it from Need for Speed: Most Wanted.

Players of the iconic game will remember tearing up the streets in a silver-and-blue-striped version of this beast.

However, what you might not know is that the car was actually based on a real, insanely limited BMW.

In fact, the story behind possibly the rarest BMW may seem more fiction than fact.

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The BMW M3 GTR was built to destroy its opponents

The BMW M3 GTR was born out of racing necessity.

In the early 2000s, BMW wanted to dominate the American Le Mans Series.

The problem, however, was that Porsche was running the show with its Porsche 911s.

For reference, in 2000, there were 17 cars in the American LeMans Series (ALMS) GT class, 16 of which were Porsche 911s.

Out of the 12 races being held, 11 were won by 911s.

If the German automaker wanted a chance of winning the event, it had to do something drastic.

In 2001, the company pulled a wild move: it swapped out the standard inline-six engine from the BMW E46 M3, and dropped in a 4.0 liter V8.

While the new V8-equipped M3 was now ready to race, there was a catch: the car wouldn’t be considered legal for competition if it wasn’t a production car.

According to regulations, in order for a car to be allowed, the company needed to offer at least 10 examples of the car for sale in at least two continents within 12 months of the car’s debut.

BMW proceeded to do just that, offering up 10 road-legal versions of the M3 GTR, at €250 000 apiece, which was more than triple the price of a regular E46 M3.

In the end, the gambit worked. The car won seven of 10 races, and finished first and third in the ALMS championship that year.

The rarest BMW has a legendary story behind it

Going forward, the ALMS made some changes to the rules defining what constituted a production car.

At least 100 of the cars have to exist, and the carmaker must also ensure that 1000 engines had to be built.

The M3 GTR’s engine was considered extremely expensive, and it no longer made sense for it to be used again, given the new regulations.

The M3 GTR was discontinued, although the existing M3 GTRs remained road-legal.

At the end of the day, what made the BMW M3 GTR so legendary wasn’t just its rarity or performance, but its story.

The car was built purely to push boundaries and win championships, and it did just that.

It was created to be a secret weapon, one that is only unleashed in an hour of need.

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