BMW will race with two sturdy, 500-horsepower-strong coupes in the 24 Hour
 Races at the Nürburgring and at Spa- Francorchamps. BMW Motorsport Director,
 Mario Theissen, has a high opinion of the car, “The BMW M3 GTR enables
 us to compete for the title.” The impressive race car, which was designed by Albert
 Biermann and his team, proved to be a winner more than once in 2001. In that
 year, the BMW M3 GTR had its debut for Team Schnitzer Motorsport at the
 American Le Mans Series (ALMS) and set new standards in the GT series.
 
   The car won ten races and took ten pole positions with its powerful V8 engine.
 Already in their very first race, the driver duo JJ Lehto/Jörg Müller came in third in
 their BMW M3 GTR, which had been built in less than six months in
 Sebring, Florida.
 
   After this successful debut, a second BMW M3 GTR was released for Fredrik
 Ekblom and Dirk Müller. At the end of the season, the BMW M3 GTRs were so
 advanced that both cars celebrated four one-two victories in the last four races.
 
   Consequently, the dominating car of the season secured the title: Jörg Müller
 won the Drivers’ Championship, Schnitzer Motorsport won the Constructors’
 Championship and BMW finished on position one in the Brand Championship in
 the most important foreign market for the company, the United States.
 

   If you take a closer look at the construction of the car, it is easy to see why the BMW M3 GTR has been so successful. The V8 engine,
 which is 500 bhp strong, does 7,800 revolutions per minute. With its short strokes, high performance and compactness the engine is
 typical for the M series. The individually designed chassis with components that are highly aerodynamic and the lightweight construction
 with body parts made of carbon fiber are the reasons why the BMW M3 GTR is a racing machine with no match.
 
   In the centre of the BMW M3 GTR is a powerful V8 engine with over 400 bhp. The engine is a short stroke, high reving power unit 
 following in the tradition of the M engines. The engine is compact which makes it suitable for the GTR and is possible to install the
 engine in the M3 due to its back angle of 90 degrees and a flat oil pan.
 
   Lengthwise, the 4-litre V8 is more compact than an in-line 6-cylinder engine, making a new cooling concept possible. The powerful
 cooling devices are located directly behind the front apron with one unit cooling the radiator and the other cooling the oil. The outlets for
 air, collected by the cooling device are visible on the bonnet.

   Due to the late decision for the go ahead with the BMW M3 GTR project, the engine construction only began in mid February of the year
 2001. The first V8 racing engine was run on the test bench on February 20 and was followed by a functional test on the BMW circuit in
 Ismaning near Munich on March 3. The engines are highly efficient like all M engines which make them suitable for long distance racing.
 The GTR drives with the power of a V8 instead of a 6-cylinder engine. Since racing regulations do not permit sequential gearshift, the GTR
 has a conventional 6-speed transmission. The racing and road versions of the GTR differ in safety-related mods, including the cleared
 interior with welded safety cell, the fast filling system and racing chassis and brakes. BMW M3 GTR – a success model celebrates its
 comeback. BMW will race with two sturdy, 470-horsepower-strong coupes in the 24 hour race at the Nurburgring. BMW Motorsport Director,
 Mario Theissen, has a high opinion of the car: “The BMW M3 GTR enables us to compete for the title”.
 
   The racer, which was designed by Albert Biermann and his team, proved to be a winner’s car more than once in 2001. In that year, the
 BMW had its debut for Team Schnitzer Motorsport at the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) and set new standards in the GT series.

   The car won ten races and took ten pole positions with its powerful V8 engine. Already in their very first race, the driver duo JJ Lehto /
 Joerg Mueller came in third in their BMW M3 GTR, which had been built in less than six months in Sebring, Florida. After this successful
 debut, a second BMW M3 GTR was released for Fredrik Ekblom and Dirk Mueller. At the end of the season, the BMW M3 GTRs were so
 advanced that both cars celebrated four one-two victories in the last four races.
 
   Consequently, the dominating team of the season won the title: Joerg Mueller won the drivers’ championship, Schnitzer Motorsport won
 the constructors’ championship and BMW won the brand championship in the most important foreign market for the company, the United
 States.

   If you take a closer look at the construction of the car, it is easy to see why the BMW M3 GTR has been so successful. The V8 engine,
 which is 470 HP strong, does 7,800 revolutions per minute. With its short strokes, high performance and compactness the engine is
 typical for the M series. The individually designed chassis with components that are highly aerodynamic and the lightweight construction
 with body parts made of carbon fiber are the reasons why the BMW M3 GTR is a racing machine with no match.
 
   Three of the men who were so successful at the ALMS in 2001 will also do their best for BMW Motorsport at the Nurburgring. Besides the
 champions Joerg Mueller and Dirk Mueller, the well-known Charly Lamm, who is head of Schnitzer Motorsport, will do his best
 in the “green hell”.
 
   Claudia Huertgen and John Nielsen from Denmark will also be at the wheel of the BMW M3 GTR, which is called “Gabi” by the Schnitzer
 Team. There is also the Boris Said from America and BMW brand marketer Hans-Joachim “Strietzel” Stuck both of whom already did a
 good job for the US team PTG at the ALMS.
 
  BMW M3 GTR Official statistics

 Engine specifications
 Cubic capacity: 4.0 liter, V8 cylinder
 Bore/stroke: 94 mm X 72 mm
 Power output: app. 500 bhp at 7,800 rpm
 Maximum torque: 500 Nm at 6,500 rpm
 Oil: Castrol TWS
 Induction system: BMW ECU 12A-V8
 Spark plugs: Champion

 Chassis:
 Two door coupe, self carrying chassis with FIA safety cage

 Dimensions/weight:
 Length: 4,617 mm
 Width: 1,884 mm
 Height: 1,300 mm
 Wheelbase: 2,731 mm
 Front track: 1,609 mm
 Rear track: 1,602 mm
 Weight: 1,250 kilos

 Fuel tank:
 FIA safety tank with a capacity of 120 litres

 Steering:
 M3 GTR standard steering wheel; electro-hydraulic power steering

 Shock absorbers:
 Four times adjustable Sachs shock absorbers

 Suspension:
 Front axle: McPherson suspension strut with spiral springs; adjustable anti-roll bar
 Rear axle: Central pivot rear axle with spiral springs; adjustable anti-roll bar

 Differential:
 Limited slip differential

 Transmission:
 Hewland six gear gearbox; H-scheme shifting
 Oil: Castrol

 Brakes:
 Brembo/Performance Friction
 Front: Inner ventilated brake discs; diameter 380 mm; brake calipers with six brake plungers
 Rear: inner ventilated brake discs; diameter 313 mm; brake calipers with four brake plungers
 
  Pulled triple disc carbon fiber clutch; straight cogged six speed manual transmission with oil/air cooling at rear single section aluminum
 steering shaft, step-up differential with viscous differential and mechanical spreader differential and multi-plate differential; steel
 drive shafts with tripod links
 
 BMW Motorsport Official Website
 BMW Official Website