Remember April Fools’ Day last year, when BMW revealed a race car concept based on the M3 Touring? Most of us laughed and then went back to our sensible lives, but it turns out the Bavarian outfit was playing the long game. They have now revealed the BMW M3 Touring 24H, and they certainly aren’t joking this time as the car is set to compete in the 2026 24h Nürburgring.
If you are wondering why BMW had a sudden change of heart, the answer lies in the power of the internet. The original prank announcement received an overwhelming response from fans, reaching over one million users and generating more than 1.6 million views. BMW admitted these engagement figures were many times higher than the usual numbers seen on their M Motorsport social media channels.
As a result, the engineers got to work in the summer of 2025. After just eight months of development, the result is the M3 Touring 24H we see here. While it shares the same technical base as the BMW M4 GT3 Evo, it is derived from the basic body of the M3 Touring. Because of its unique estate body, the car is 200 millimetres longer and 32 millimetres higher than its M4 sibling.
Turning a “wagon” into a racer did bring some unique aerodynamic challenges. The shape of the M3 Touring’s roof naturally increases air resistance, which limits top-speed potential and high-speed cornering efficiency, while the proximity of the roof to the rear window actually reduces wing downforce.
So, to make this a competitive beast, a large part of the exterior was completely redeveloped, including a bespoke roof, tailgate, and rear doors designed as trim panels rather than functioning doors. To keep all that power glued to the tarmac and offset the aero limitations of the estate body, BMW has fitted a massive rear wing with a specific swan-neck mount to produce essential downforce and a set of bespoke, sticky Yokohama racing tyres.
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These upgrades should ensure it remains a top-tier contender on the track. While no longer suitable for the school run, the extra boot space could be used to transport the pit crew around the Nordschleife; we digress.
Powering this track-focused estate is a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged straight-six engine delivering up to 590 hp and 700 Nm. This represents a significant power bump over the standard road-going M3 Touring, and when paired with a stripped-out cabin and a body made almost entirely of carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP), the performance gains are expected to be transformative.
The M3 Touring 24H will make its racing debut next weekend at the second round of the Nürburgring Langstrecken Serie. To really lean into the project’s origins, the livery for the preparatory races will feature selected fan comments posted under the original April Fools’ joke.
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