Statement from BMW on Number of Homologation Street E46 M3 GTRs

[Estoril]

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of both the BMW 3 Series and BMW North America, the marque brought an example from all seven generations of the model to Amelia—a milestone display of milestones. Of the two race cars present, it was the fourth-generation 2001 BMW E46 M3 GTR that had the most gravitational pull. “The engine is a 4.0-liter flat-plane-crank V-8 originally designed to go IndyCar racing,” says Tom Plucinsky, head of BMW Group Classic USA. He adds that only 10 street cars were made, of which just three still exist, and only three of the race versions are extant.

Plucinsky also points out that it’s the only running M3 GTR in the world.

[Tbonem3]

what dreams are made of

[shibui]

What happened to the other 7 street cars?

[Estoril]

What happened to the other 7 street cars?

Guess: They ran out of talent.

[Nate047]

What happened to the other 7 street cars?

They're probably in Brunei with like an inch and a half of dust on them.

[L0okitzRaj]

I coulda sworn i saw two running- on track at Laguna Seca a few years back during historics...

[Slideways]

I coulda sworn i saw two running- on track at Laguna Seca a few years back during historics...

One was at Legends of the Autobahn in 2015 (race seats and German plates)

The other with BMW Group Classic (stock E46M seats)

I can't imagine 7 were written off. My guess is the same as Nates and they have not been seen in years, likely in very private collections.

[bmw m3 s50]

They're probably in Brunei with like an inch and a half of dust on them.

That is honestly most likely the very sad truth.

[maw1124]

Homologation was apparently a very loose term. I recall being up close and personal with one of these V8 racers, gnarling and gurgling on race gas, and it was different from any BMW V8 M I had seen, heard or driven (let alone smelled). Not an E46 but still a racing engine, and maybe the same one (circa 2011).

maw

[Nate047]

P65 😮💨 The Z4 GT3 era was a truly special moment in time for sports car racing. Under appreciated. Absolutely gorgeous to look at too.

[0-60motorsports]

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of both the BMW 3 Series and BMW North America, the marque brought an example from all seven generations of the model to Amelia—a milestone display of milestones. Of the two race cars present, it was the fourth-generation 2001 BMW E46 M3 GTR that had the most gravitational pull. “The engine is a 4.0-liter flat-plane-crank V-8 originally designed to go IndyCar racing,” says Tom Plucinsky, head of BMW Group Classic USA. He adds that only 10 street cars were made, of which just three still exist, and only three of the race versions are extant.

Plucinsky also points out that it’s the only running M3 GTR in the world.

Love it

[01SG]

I had long thought that I read that ten cars were SUPPOSED to be produced, but with the rule changes BMW scrapped the program before that even came to be. I can't say how reliable this source is, but it confirms that only six in total were made, three were prototypes that were scrapped, and only three actual production cars ever existed at all.

The BMW classic head there even says only 3 exist..I find it hard to believe 7 could have been destroyed/lost without a trace. More likely, they never existed at all.

https://www.motorbiscuit.com/why-you-never-own-ultra-rare-bmw-m3-gtr-isnt-about-money/

[Estoril]

I had long thought that I read that ten cars were SUPPOSED to be produced, but with the rule changes BMW scrapped the program before that even came to be. I can't say how reliable this source is, but it confirms that only six in total were made, three were prototypes that were scrapped, and only three actual production cars ever existed at all.

The BMW classic head there even says only 3 exist..I find it hard to believe 7 could have been destroyed/lost without a trace. More likely, they never existed at all.

https://www.motorbiscuit.com/why-you...t-about-money/

He didn't say that they were lost without a trace. They obviously know exactly where the 3 remaining are, which suggests to me that they have had careful eyes on all 10 produced since they were sold. That makes sense. I wouldn't be surprised if they bought-back some of the "missing" ones not long after homologation. It would make sense to do that, especially for parts cars for the racers. I also expect some were lost to "unplanned high-speed disassembly".

[cornerbalanced]

I had long thought that I read that ten cars were SUPPOSED to be produced, but with the rule changes BMW scrapped the program before that even came to be. I can't say how reliable this source is, but it confirms that only six in total were made, three were prototypes that were scrapped, and only three actual production cars ever existed at all.

The BMW classic head there even says only 3 exist..I find it hard to believe 7 could have been destroyed/lost without a trace. More likely, they never existed at all.

https://www.motorbiscuit.com/why-you...t-about-money/

This aligns with what I have heard as well. I don’t think they built the entire run of 10. I also don’t think the BMW classic head would disclose this information willingly.

These have always been hyper-exclusive, hyper-desirable cars. I find it hard to believe that a customer owned car would just be totaled. Regardless of the damage, there would be a great onus to repair. Reference any McLaren F1 that has ever crashed, or the recently burnt down/crashed Ferrari F40s. It would, however, make sense for dev cars to be scrapped or recycled for parts.

I don’t think there has been a public GTR Strassenversion sale?? Let me know if I am mistaken. I know some $$$ BMW collectors (M1 pro cars, etc.) and even them are unaware of where these cars may be apart from the cars belonging to BMW.