North America Didn’t Get The Incredible E92 BMW M3 GTS, But You Can Buy This Convincing Clone

The 2011 BMW M3 GTS doesn’t seem to get a lot of air time these days considering how wild it was when new. Far more extreme than the earlier E46 M3 CSL, the GTS was BMW’s answer to a Porsche 911 GT3 RS, and it had the price tag to match.

Stripped down to the bare essentials, the GTS featured polycarbonate rear and rear-side windows, a pair of bucket seats and a roll cage where the rear bench used to be, fully adjustable suspension, upgraded brakes and a V8 enlarged from 4.0 to 4.4 liters, boosting power from 414 hp (420 PS) to 444 hp (450 PS). Weight was down 165 lbs (75 kg) versus the standard M3 coupe, but the price shot up to €137,000 ($147,000) in its homeland, making it twice as expensive as a standard M3 at the time.

But maybe the reason it doesn’t get much exposure today is that it was never sold in North America. The lack of regular safety kit like airbags and DOT seatbelts, plus the cost of re-homologating that bigger V8 would have sent the already high price soaring. So rich U.S. and Canadian BMW fans missed out on the GTS, though to be fair, so did plenty of people in Europe: BMW only built 150 cars, and despite the big price they sold out instantly.

So this 25k-mile (40k km) M3 pictured here isn’t the real deal, but it looks, and should feel, very convincing. A 2011 coupe finished in the correct BMW Individual Fire Orange, it has been modified in the style of a GTS, and we don’t just mean the interior was junked for a couple of buckets and a cheap wing screwed to the trunk lid.

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There’s a Brembo big brake kit, KW two-way adjustable Clubsport coilovers, H&R anti-roll bars and best of all, a stroked V8 connected to the seven-speed dual clutch transmission that is mandatory for all real GTS cars. Those real GTSs had V8s opened up to 4.4 liters, but this car’s motor measures 4.6 liters. There’s no mention in the auction listing of exactly how much power it produces, but you can bet the answer is plenty.

Attention to detail (and to reducing weight) is shown in the addition of an armrest delete panel and a side airbag delete kit, but it looks like the builder opted to keep the stock rear glass rather than fit polycarbonate replacements. We could live with that. If you think you can too, and you’ve spent the last 12 years throwing darts at a picture of BMW NA’s boss for not bringing the GTS to the U.S., get your bids in at Bring-a-Trailer by May 2.