BMW and Electronic Arts partner up to recreate iconic M3 GTR from 2005’s Need for Speed: Most Wanted

It has been 30 years since Electronic Arts (EA) released the first Need for Speed, and to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the racing game franchise in 2024, the company has partnered with BMW to recreate the M3 GTR from 2005’s Need for Speed: Most Wanted.

Players of the game will remember the M3 GTR as their starting vehicle before losing it to Razor, after which they have to pick a new, lesser car and upgrade along the way as they beat every member on the Blacklist in order to win back their prized possession.

The video game icon has been the inspiration for many tribute builds but this one is a lot more special. As Speedhunters details, this is an actual M3 GTR race car, specifically the #42 Team BMW Motorsport racer that won the ALMS GT series in 2001 with Jörg Müller and J.J. Lehto behind the wheel.

Working with BWM Group Classic, the carmaker created a wrap for the race car that replicates the blue and silver livery seen on the M3 GTR from the game. Should you happen to be in Munich, Germany, the car will be displayed at BMW Welt from November 27, 2024 until January 6 next year.

The M3 GTR was designed to compete in the highly competitive American GT and Le Mans series and featured a P60B40 4.0 litre naturally-aspirated V8 engine. This was necessary because the M3’s S54 straight-six engine was deemed to be “inferior” to take on rivals from Porsche, Chevrolet and others at the time.

However, to meet homologation needs, BMW needed to produce a small quantity of road-legal M3 GTRs. What resulted was the M3 GTR Strassenversion (or Street) that was limited to just 10 units and had detuned P60B40. This made the Street version one of the rarest BMWs ever, and the only road-going model from the brand to get the P60B40.

These efforts paid off as the M3 GTR dominated the ALMS GT series in 2001, achieving first and third places in seven out of 10 races. The competition wasn’t pleased, and for the 2002 season, the number of road-going examples required for homologation increased from 10 to 100, which meant the M3 GTR would be withdrawn from racing in the US.

The M3 GTR, which has also appeared in subsequent Need for Speed games, will be added to the latest instalment in the franchise, 2022’s Need for Speed Unbound, as part of the Volume 9: Lockdown update that’s available now – motorcycles also make their debut for the first time.

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