BMW M3 GTS Released

A lot has been going on at BMW's M Performance division with everything centered around the 25th anniversary of the BMW M5 sedan. A BMW M5 CSL special performance variant was recently introduced (not for public consumption though). This car is a little bit different though.

A lot has been going on at BMW's M Performance division with everything centered around the 25th anniversary of the BMW M5 sedan. A BMW M5 CSL special performance variant was recently introduced (not for public consumption though). This car is a little bit different though.

Just recently the rumor mill started to grind about a special performance variant of the M3, to be dubbed "CSL:'. While the new car isn't a CSL (try GTS) the speculation proved to be spot on.

Can the the orange color be called "pumpkin"? Halloween was just last weekend, after all. The M3 GTS sets its sights firmly on the Porsche 911 GT3, with prototype variants of the car supposedly lapping the Nurburgring in only 7 minutes and 40 seconds.

As to changes - there is a whole lot of them. The GTS is equipped with 19-inch competition alloy rims, six-piston brake calipers in the front and four in the rear.

Bodywork has been changed to be more aggressive, with a splitter in the front and out back, a rear wing (which I am not a fan). The suspension is also adjustable now, and fitted with yellow springs.

Inside, the M3 GTS has a lot of changes versus the standard car. Mounting points for a rollcage and six point harnesses, an emergency cut-off switch, bucket racing seats and a fire extinguisher are the additions. Air conditioning, navigation system and radio? All gone.

Along with a Macrolon replacement for the rear windshield, the changes bring weight on the M3 GTS down to 3285 lbs from the 3704 pounds of the stock M3.

Official engine specifications have yet to be released - they should be quite impressive. As expected, the M3 GTS won't be cheap - or readily available either.

If you're in the United States and interested in buying one from BMW, you're out of luck - the M3 GTS seems to be a German home market car only.

The car goes on sale in May 2010, at a price of 115,000 euros (around $170,000 USD at current exchange rates). Ouch! That is one expensive M3. They won't have to find too many buyers for it though - reports have pegged the GTS as being limited to 25 units per year.

To go along with some of the initial details on the M3 GTS, BMW created a short promotional video. It doesn't contain any footage of the car in action though unfortunately.

The current crop of pictures is sparse and not very well detailed - high-resolution photos and a full information drop with specifications should be coming soon.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7G6K-i4soQ

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