BMW's M3 Touring Nürburgring 24 Race Car Exceeds Expectations

The wagon-shaped race car finished 12th overall, beating out more than a dozen actual GT3 cars.

Mar. 24, 2026 at 11:43pm

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

BMW's M3 Touring, a wagon-shaped race car, exceeded expectations at the Nürburgring 24-hour race, finishing 12th overall and winning its class. The car, which started as an April Fool's Day prank, proved to be surprisingly fast, setting an impressive lap time of 8:01.723 and beating out more than a dozen GT3 race cars in the process.

Why it matters

The performance of the M3 Touring at the Nürburgring 24-hour race highlights the capabilities of BMW's engineering team and the potential of unconventional race car designs. The wagon's strong showing challenges traditional notions of what makes a successful race car and could inspire more automakers to explore unique body styles for motorsports applications.

The details

In qualifying, the M3 Touring set a lap time of 7:58.943 over the combined Nordschleife and GP Strecke courses, slotting it first in the SPX class and 14th overall on the starting grid. This meant it beat out more than 15 actual GT3 cars, including some entered in the all-professional SP9 Pro class. During the race, the wagon's best lap time of 8:01.723 was just four seconds behind the race-winning M4 GT3 Evo, and only four seconds slower than the best lap set by Mercedes driver Max Verstappen, whose car was later disqualified.

  • The M3 Touring was entered in an NLS series event, which effectively served as a qualifying race for the upcoming Nürburgring 24-hour race.
  • The Nürburgring 24-hour race took place in 2026.

The players

BMW

The German automaker that developed the M3 Touring race car.

Connor de Philippi

One of the drivers set to race the M3 Touring in the Nürburgring 24-hour event.

Neil Verhagen

One of the drivers set to race the M3 Touring in the Nürburgring 24-hour event.

Jens Klingmann

One of the drivers who raced the M3 Touring in the NLS series event.

Ugo de Wilde

One of the drivers who raced the M3 Touring in the NLS series event.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“The wagon looks far more like a race car than it does like a wagon in motion. The only real giveaway of the wonderfully ridiculous nature of the car comes when he walks into the driver's seat, passing a comically long roof and what seem to be a functional set of rear doors.”

— Ugo de Wilde

What’s next

The M3 Touring is set to compete in the upcoming Nürburgring 24-hour race, where it will look to build on its strong performance in the qualifying NLS event.

The takeaway

BMW's M3 Touring race car has proven that unconventional designs can be successful in motorsports, challenging traditional notions of what makes a competitive race car. This performance could inspire other automakers to explore unique body styles for their own racing programs, further diversifying the field and providing fans with more exciting and unexpected entries.