At BMW Test Fest 2023, Carscoops had the opportunity to ride along in three retired BMW race cars. Of the trio, this M3 GT2-spec car was by far the quickest. Here’s an inside perspective and video on what it’s like to ride in a championship-winning BMW racer.
This is the third and final ride-along experience from the event and it came not long before this very car broke down. Unlike the drivers of the M1 and the Z4 race cars that we sampled, the M3 GT2 driver appeared to be trying to set a new fastest lap time. We can’t blame him considering the pedigree of this particular car.
Under the hood is a 3.4-liter naturally aspirated inline six that produces about 450 horsepower ( kW). That might not sound like much, and it’s the least of the three cars we rode in, but this thing weighs just 2,475 pounds. On top of that, it leverages a Hewland manual gearbox for quick gear changes and 280-section-width Yokohama tires for maximum traction.
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It’s one of just three such cars in existence and was part of the BMW Team M3s that swept the Manufacturer, Driver, and Team GT Class Championships in the 2004 Rolex Sports Car Series. Two years later it was on the grid for the American Le Mans Series which explains the livery that you see on it here. Today, it lives on as a demonstration vehicle for events just like Test Fest.
While BMW didn’t disclose what exactly broke in the car just a few minutes after we got out, it’s not difficult to see that the driver was pushing the M3 hard. For now, sit back, turn up your speakers, and enjoy the sights and sounds of a 450-horsepower race car rocketing around the BMW Performance Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina.