April Fools’ – yeah, right. Right now every automotive influencer is losing their mind, because BMW M Motorsport has finally let the cat out of the bag: the BMW M3 Touring 24H is becoming reality. You probably remember April 1st, 2025, when BMW M Motorsport posted teaser images of a BMW M3 Touring GT on social media as an April Fools’ joke.

Shortly before the 58th ADAC Barbarossapreis, the second NLS round of the 2026 season, the Bavarians announced that Schubert Motorsport will enter a BMW M3 Touring 24H in the SPX class at the endurance classic in May 2026. In preparation for the 24‑hour race, the “motorsport touring” will also be on the grid at the second NLS round. This news is causing even more joy among the white‑and‑blue fan base than the NLS participation of Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen. By the way, around 75 race cars, roughly 55 percent of the field, will head out onto the NLS track next Saturday equipped with KW Racing suspension.

The idea of a Motorsport Wagon started years ago

When BMW presented the M3 Touring as a series‑production model, the first ideas for an M3 Touring for motorsport probably emerged over a casual Sunday morning get‑together in the M Motorsport department. As early as 2022, the first design drafts were circulating. And why not? In the VLN, later the NLS, and at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, various wagons have already competed in the past.

And not only on the Nordschleife. More than 30 years ago, in 1994, Volvo together with Tom Walkinshaw Racing entered an 850 wagon built to Super Touring regulations with a naturally aspirated 2.0‑liter five‑cylinder engine in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC). The Honda Civic Tourer and Subaru Levorg GT wagons were also successful in BTCC, with Subaru even taking the championship title in 2017.

In 2024, BMW M Motorsport decided to fool the internet a bit with renderings of a BMW M3 Touring as a GT3 race car and published the teaser images on April 1, 2025. What had to happen, happened: everyone was immediately fired up, and the motorsport touring almost went viral. It was a brilliant move, especially at a time when cars are often publicly put in the dock.

Immense positive feedback on the April Fools’ joke made it possible

This BMW M3 Touring 24H is going to be quite the super touring car. The wagon race car is essentially based on the body of the BMW M3 Touring combined with the hardware of the BMW M4 GT3 Evo. Under the carbon‑fiber hood, the 3.0‑liter inline‑six (P58) and its twin turbochargers get to work. Peak output is capped at 590 hp (434 kW), identical to the Evo, with peak torque rated at 700 Nm.

The X‑Trac six‑speed gearbox, the six‑piston and four‑piston brake system, and the KW V6 Racing suspension also all come from the BMW M4 GT3 Evo. In addition to the BMW M4 GT3 Evo and BMW M4 GT4 Evo, which we equip with our KW Racing dampers, our motorsport dampers are also used in the new BMW M2 Racing.

Even so, it was still considerably more work for the BMW M Motorsport department, and the engineers in Munich were happy to take on the challenge. For the BMW M3 Touring 24H, a large proportion of the components were developed from scratch, and all of that in an extremely short development time. The green light for the project was given in August 2025, and vehicle development started in September 2025. Now, in mid‑March 2026, the Touring is lining up on the Nürburgring Nordschleife in the SPX class.

Every component meets the exacting standards for fit, reliability, and durability you’d expect from BMW M. Made possible by decades of motorsport expertise and a well-established supplier network that guarantees short lead times and fast delivery.

The entire body follows the same philosophy as the BMW M4 GT3 Evo and is constructed from carbon fiber. At the same time, it integrates seamlessly into the M3 Touring’s design language, the racecar is still meant to look and feel like a Touring, both visually and conceptually. The attachment points and quick‑change bodywork concept are carried over directly from the M4 GT3 Evo, enabling fast repairs during the race. The rear doors are fixed carbon‑fiber panels rather than functional doors.

The completely newly manufactured components include the body‑in‑white, the driver and front‑passenger doors including crash pads, the rear doors, rear side panels, roof, tailgate, front door extensions, luggage compartment trim, rear bumper, all windows, and the rear wing mounts. Only minor adjustments were required to the front side panels, the side sills, and the cowl.

The rear wing comes from the M4 GT3 Evo but is mounted on a newly developed swan‑neck bracket that is positioned around 200 millimeters further to the rear and 32 millimeters higher.

The BMW M3 Touring 24H will contest the Nürburgring 24 Hours as a full BMW M Motorsport factory entry operated by Schubert Motorsport. Schubert secured the DTM team title in both 2022 and 2024. Behind the wheel of the BMW M3 Touring 24H, BMW M works drivers Connor De Phillippi, Ugo de Wilde, Jens Klingmann, and Neil Verhagen will take turns throughout the race.

“You dreamed it. We built it.” This line appears prominently on the sides of the BMW M3 Touring 24H for a reason. It is a direct message to the fans who reacted most passionately to the original April Fools’ post. During the preparation races, the M3 Touring 24H will run in the familiar BMW M Motorsport camouflage livery. The hashtag of the social media campaign, #WeBuiltIt, is displayed on the roof. For the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the Touring will receive its own special livery. We are looking forward to it.

Many dedicated M enthusiasts have known for years that KW automotive has been working closely with BMW M Motorsport and BMW M. Some may remember the BMW Z8 Safety Car used in MotoGP, and it is only logical that we also offer various KW coilover kits with parts certification for the BMW M3 Touring in our product range.

For those of you who drive a BMW M3 Touring yourselves, KW automotive offers matching KW coilover kits with parts certification. For dedicated track day enthusiasts, we developed the KW V5 Clubsport coilover kit, which brings you remarkably close to the dynamic motorsport performance of the BMW M3 Touring 24H.

If you prefer not to go quite that far as an M3 Touring enthusiast, our KW V3 and KW V4 coilover kits offer compelling alternatives that further enhance the driving dynamics of your M3 Touring and add even more of what makes it The Ultimate Driving Machine. Simply browse our blog for a compact technical deep dive into the suspension systems or visit our brand website at www.kwsuspensions.com/de-en

Photo: KW, Archiv, Gruppe C Photography, BMW M