With officially just 10 units produced, the E46 generation BMW M3 GTR is not only one of the rarest M3 special editions but also, without a doubt, the one with the most significant differences from the standard production model. While the regular M3 of its era was powered by a high-revving straight-six engine, a genuine V8 powerplant resides under the hood of the M3 GTR Street. This eight-cylinder engine, along with several other modifications, laid the groundwork for BMW Motorsport to be competitive in the American ALMS GT series – the M3 would have been relegated to the back of the pack with the less powerful six-cylinder.
One of these extremely rare BMW M3 GTR Street examples is now on display at the Grand Palais in Paris. As part of the Tour Auto 2026, BMW France is celebrating, among other milestones, 40 years of the BMW M3. For this occasion, they've brought various special vehicles from the past four decades to the capital. Alongside the V8-powered M3, other showcased vehicles include the 2002 Turbo (as an inspiration for the compact power sedan), an E36 generation M3 GT, a current M3 Competition (G80 LCI) with M xDrive, and, of course, an example of the first-generation E30 M3.
View Price on AmazonFor a long time, BMW remained imprecise about the exact number of road-legal V8 M3s produced, even though regulations stipulated the manufacturing and sale of 10 units. Rumors quickly circulated that some of these vehicles remained in BMW's possession or were sold to hand-picked, highly trusted individuals, thus never truly being available for public sale. It now appears to be an open secret that only three examples of the BMW M3 GTR street version actually went on sale, priced at approximately $270,000 (€250,000 at the time). In a video for the Petersen Automotive Museum in fall 2025, Thomas Plucinsky of BMW Group Classic USA candidly explained that the GTR Street shown there is one of only three such "unicorns."
The M3 GTR's absolute cult status among many fans today has certainly been bolstered by its prominent role in the computer game ‘Need for Speed: Most Wanted’. In honor of this virtual appearance, the BMW M3 GTR Street, extensively used as the hero car by millions of players in the game, was meticulously recreated in 2025 and subsequently unveiled at BMW Welt.
Source: bimmertoday.de
