M3 GTR V8
An E46 GTR came to life on February 2001, powered by a 4000 cm³ V8 producing over 450 bhp. Unlike the straight-six powered M3 versions, which was out paced by the Porsche 996 GT3, the racing version of the E46 M3 GTR V8 was very successful in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), entered by Schnitzer Motorsport. Arch rivals such as Porsche complained as a V8 engine was not available in the road-going BMWs this car was more of a prototype, which is in violation of the spirit of Gran Turismo. In 2001, ALMS regulations stated that cars must be for sale on two continents within twelve months of the rules being issued. In response, BMW put on sale 10 GTRs for 250,000 euros (then $218,000) each, allegedly only available for select customers.
In the end, the rules were rewritten to state that 100 cars and 1000 engines must be built for the car to qualify. Although BMW could have raced the V8 with the new weight and power penalties under these new regulations, they chose to pull out of the ALMS, effectively ending the M3 GTR's career.
Two Schnitzer Motorsport GTR cars saw a comeback in 2003 at the 24 Hours Nürburgring, winning 1-2 in 2004 and 2005, as well as entries in the 24 Hours Spa.
This was one of the theme cars in the 2005 video game Need For Speed: Most Wanted and is returning on the new installment Need For Speed: Carbon. The racing version of the car (as seen at the 24 Hours Spa in 2004) features in the 2006 game GTR - FIA GT Racing Game 2.
Private teams (Scheid, Getrag, etc.) also fit 4000cc BMW V8 engines into the E46 body to race on the Nürburgring, winning several VLN races in the last years.
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