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The world's most powerful BMW M3 GTS:
G-POWER M3 GTS wîth 635 hp V8 supercharged engine G-POWER M3 GTS wîth SK II 'Sporty Drive' supercharger system
• 635 hp / 467 kW @ 7,800 r/min (+ 185 hp / 136 kW)
• 630 Nm 3,900 r/min (+ 190 Nm)
• Top speed: 323 km/h
• 0-100 km/h: 4.2s
• 0-200 km/h: 11.9s
• G-POWER SK II 'Sporty Drive' supercharger system:
€ 23,500.00 (excl. tax) plus installation
Club sport events are enjoying increasing popularity across the world. These events have traditionally been dominated by Porsche vehicles. Then, in 2009, BMW decided to stop ignoring widespread customer demands for a base vehicle for use in club sport events and unveiled the Project M3 GTS. Delivery of the limited run of 150 units was scheduled for early 2010. However, it took until the end of 2010 for the first vehicles to reach customer hands, of which 3 found their way immediately into the G-POWER workshops.
Although the BMW M3 GTS differed from the base M3 in virtually all parameters relevant to motorsport – adjustable aerodynamic body components front and rear, 100 kg less weight, a modified suspension and brake setup – the power increase of 30 hp to 450 hp turned out to be somewhat reserved. This is particularly so, when you consider that the Porsche 911 GT3 RS wîth the same output has to move only 1,370 kg (DIN). Against this, the 1,530 kg (DIN) of the BMW M3 GTS seems almost flabby.
Luckily for all ambitious club sport drivers, G-POWER is the sole tuner in the world being able to resolve this shortcoming. With our more than 25-years experience in the BMW sector, we are the world's number one address when it comes to supercharger systems for BMW vehicles in general and M models in particular.
The high-revving V8 power unit of the BMW M3 GTS has proven itself as the ideal starting point for the forced induction technology practiced by G-POWER wîth ASA superchargers. Because the engine wîth a 10% greater displacement of 4.4l has got even larger reserves that can be used for an additional output increase than the 4.0l standards M3 power unite, that has successfully managed full throttle test bench drives for more than 350 hour non-stop and therefore is rightly well-known for its durability.
A version of the renowned and globally proven G-POWER M3 'Sporty Drive' supercharger system, adapted specifically for the BMW M3 GTS raises the standard output from 450 hp to 635 hp and 630 Nm of torque. The ex works reinforced engine block of the BMW M3 GTS along wîth a forged crankshaft and reinforced con rods are the basis for this increase of the output maximum from 600 HP (standard M3) to 635 HP (M3 GTS).
Speaking of strength and durability it needs to be mentioned that the featured ASA superchargers can easily compete wîth the qualities of the engine basis coming from BMW. ASA superchargers are used not only in the ALPINA B5S, B6S and B7S models, but also in the ALPINA B6 GT3. In ALPINA's works race car, the ASA supercharger has already provided impressive proof of its reliability and quality in competition over a distance of 3,500 km through the 'Green Hell' – at the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring.
The exclusive application of OEM-quality components is a fundamental element of the G-POWER philosophy.
But it is not just the OEM-quality of the used components that ensures the exceptionally high quality, reliability and durability of the G-POWER products. A major contribution to it comes from our engineering process that meets to standards, starting wîth the CAD engineering, followed by the prototyping and ending wîth test drives on the Autobahn and in hot climate countries like Saudi Arabia.
A particular highlight of this engineering process is the use of the instrumentation of our technology partner AVL, by the way G-POWER being the only BMW tuner world wide to use this equipment. It measures the exact peak pressure that develops in the combustion chamber. With this information at hand the engineers were able to develop a custom-made software for the ECÚ, that keeps the peak pressure in the combustion chamber of a M3 power unite equipped wîth a G-POWER 'Sporty Drive' supercharger system similar to the stock figures. So overstraining is not an issue.
More than 3000 sold G-POWER supercharger systems and the high customer satisfaction state that the huge effort made during our engineering process are worthwhile.
On the exhaust side, a lightweight, all-titanium exhaust system made by G-POWER delivers the necessary reduction in exhaust back pressure. The exhaust, developed specifically to suit the requirements of the SK II supercharger system, is equipped wîth 100 cpsi metal catalytic converters. The engine control unit software, which controls the setup for the V8, was also developed by G-POWER for the BMW M3 GTS.
In combination wîth the G-POWER SK II 'Sporty Drive' supercharger system, this kind of high-revving V8 is nothing short of stunning. The 'Sporty Drive' technology, developed by G-POWER for the G-POWER supercharger systems retains the unique performance characteristics of the M power unit. Compared wîth the series-production version, the addition of a G-POWER supercharger system delivers further improved response to even the tiniest movement of the gas pedal, plus absolutely no restrictions in its aggressive high revving under full load and progressive power delivery right up to the rev limiter. In addition to these features, the increased output of the V8 engine delivered by the G-POWER supercharger system also comes wîth a significant plus in mid-range torque. Especially when accelerating out of a slow corner, this feature of 'Sporty Drive' technology will leave competitors to G-POWER M3 GTS drivers lòòking on in despair.
The performance figures, too, are designed to drive fear into the hearts of the competition. The G-POWER M3 GTS wîth 635 hp completes the standard sprints from 0-100 km/h and 0-200 km/h in 4.2s and 11.9s. Even more impressive: from 100 km/h to 200 km/h it takes the G-POWER M3 GTS 2.2s less than the standard M3 GTS. Top speed is 323 km/h. These figures have been clocked by a German car journal during their latest test of the G-POWER M3 GTS.
Further modifications to the series-production suspension and wheels of the BMW M3 GTS were not undertaken, as the standard M-GmbH setup already guarantees perfect balance and race-ready handling. It was only the shortage of power that was preventing faster lap times. With 635 hp, the hunt for lap time records is now on, like the car journal 'sport auto' has proven wîth a new fastest lap for BMW M3s on the Hockenheim circuit. It took the G-POWER M3 GTS, equipped wîth MICHELIN standard street tires, just 1.11,8 min to complete the lap. But this lap time doesn't show the huge potential of the G-POWER M3 GTS at all. Equipped wîth matching Cup tires and an adjusted suspension, one to two seconds faster laps are absolutely realistic.
The price for the 635 hp G-POWER SK II supercharger system for the BMW M3 GTS is EÚR 23,500.000 (excl. tax) plus installation.
The company G-POWER:
G-POWER was established in 1983 and has ever since exclusively focused on tuning BMW automobiles and producing exclusive one-of-a-kinds. In 2008, the brand celebrated its 25-year anniversary and today, it is one of the most renowned providers on the global market. By developing the world-wide strongest versions of the most important BMW engines in-house, G-POWER significantly stands out from its competitors. G-POWER holds various world records and its 800 hp strong BMW M5 Hurricane RR is the fastest limousine in the world. G-POWER is holding the following records:
- fastest BMW saloon wîth the 730 hp G-POWER M5 HÚRRICANE, delivering a top speed of 360 km/h
- fastest LPG-driven car wîth the 660 hp G-POWER M5 HÚRRICANE GS, delivering a top speed of 333 km/h
- fastest saloon car wîth the 750 hp G-POWER M5 HÚRRICANE RS, delivering a top speed of 367,4 km/h being driven at the highspeed-oval of Papenburg. This top speed was furthermore topped wîth the 800 hp G-POWER M5 HÚRRICANE RR, delivering a top speed of 372 km/h
- fastest 4-seat coupé wîth the 750 hp G-POWER M6 HÚRRICANE CS, delivering a top speed of more than 370 km/h
- fastest station wagon wîth the 750 hp G-POWER M5 HÚRRCANE RS Touring, delivering a (limited) top speed of 360 km/h
The story of an exception: the BMW M3 is 25.
The anticipation began in August 1985. That summer Germany's automobile magazines built up their readers' expectations for the fastest 3 Series BMW of all times. The key data revealed a sports car that would punch way above its class: 200 hp, top speed in excess of 230 km/h, sprint from a standing start to 100 km/h inside 6.7 seconds. However, the story was that 'the most dynamic BMW 3 Series drivers' would have to wait until mid-1986. The pundits were right on that count. But one prediction missed the mark by a mile: anyone who 'wants to be in the A Team needs to be turbocharged under the bonnet'. Not true.The BMW M3 became the most successful touring car in motor-sport history. The M3 project was launched just a few months earlier. Production of the M1 mid-engine sports car had already been discontinued for some time and BMW CEO Eberhard Kuenheim commissioned a design for a successor, almost as an aside, according to legend. After one of his regular visits to Motorsport GmbH in Munich's Preußenstraße he said, almost as he was leaving: 'Mr. Rosche, we need a sporty engine for the 3 Series.' His aspiration was in good hands. Motorsport GmbH wîth its managing director of technical development Paul Rosche had demonstrated its expertise wîth the legendary 5 Series saloons driven by M engines as well as developing the Formula 1 turbo engine that powered Brazilian Nelson Piquet to win the World Championship in the Brabham BMW in 1983.
The new 3 Series engine had something in common wîth this: the crankcase. It originated from volume production and actually formed the basis for the two-litre engine wîth four cylinders. Four cylinders meant less weight and high torque, an ideal platform for a sports engine in the projected displacement class. Naturally enough, the series four-cylinder engine was much too tame for a sports engine. A comprehensive power boost was called for in order to turn the plucky daily workhorse into an athletic and sporty power unit. The BMW design engineers increased the displacement to 2.3 litres and applied a formulation that had already achieved significant successes over a period of many years: four-valve engineering. There was also another reason for the decision to opt for a four-cylinder engine and not adopt the six-cylinder engine introduced in the BMW 3 Series. The longer crankshaft in the big engine started to vibrate much earlier than the shorter four-cylinder shaft. The design engineers therefore designed the crankshaft drive of the BMW M3 wîth sufficient torsional stability to achieve 10,000 revolutions a minute and more. By comparison wîth the four-cylinder engine installed in the series vehicles, this represented an increase of more than 60 percent. The rated speed for the road version of the BMW M3 was still significantly below the critical range at 6,750/min and therefore offered sufficient scope for further developments.
Paul Rosche recalls: 'We started work immediately. One advantage was that the big six-cylinder engine originally had the same cylinder gap as the four-cylinder engine. We therefore cut two combustion chambers off the four-cylinder head of the M88 and bolted a panel over the hole on the rear side.' This meant that the new four-cylinder engine had a second forebear. The six-cylinder engine that had initially created a sensation in the M1 and had meanwhile transformed the M635CSi into one of the fastest coupés in the world. Paul Rosche: 'Whether you believe it or not – we had created an outstanding four-cylinder engine for the 3 Series within the space of two weeks. Únder the development name S14, this engine was to generate headlines in sport and in volume production over the years to come. One Sunday, I drove to von Kuenheim's flat and gave him the car for a test drive. When he came back he said: ‘Good, I like it.' And that's how the M3 came into being.'Source - BMWThe Champion in Touring Car Racing. 25 years ago the BMW M3 started its unique series of victories.
In August 1985, a rumour surfaced in motor magazine Auto-Deutschland which emanated from a new sports car. An A Group Car from BMW that was a thoroughbred racing car according to the rules but was also to be produced in a version licensed to drive on open roads for everyday use. Speculation about this dream car that could take to normal roads and was intended for the 'Most dynamic among BMW 3 Series drivers' was right on target. But the pundits missed the mark about the motor-sport car by a mile on one prediction: They were convinced that anyone who 'wants to be a key player in the A Team needs to be turbocharged under the bonnet'. Not true. The BMW M3 had a naturally aspirated engine. And it became the most successful touring car in the history of BMW.The M3 project was launched just a few months earlier. Production of the M1 mid-engine sports car had already been discontinued for some time and BMW CEO Eberhard Kuenheim commissioned a design for a successor, almost as an aside, according to legend. After one of his regular visits to Motorsport GmbH in Munich's Preußenstraße he said, almost as he was leaving: 'Mr. Rosche, we need a sporty engine for the 3 Series.' His aspiration was in good hands. Motorsport GmbH wîth its managing director of technical development Paul Rosche had demonstrated its expertise wîth the legendary 5 Series saloons driven by M engines as well as developing the Formula 1 turbo engine that powered Brazilian Nelson Piquet to win the World Championship in the Brabham BMW in 1983.
Power source: a four-cylinder engine wîth 2.3 litres displacement and four-valve engineering.
The new 3 Series engine had something in common wîth this: the crankcase. It originated from volume production and actually formed the basis for the two-litre engine wîth four cylinders. Four cylinders meant less weight and high torque, an ideal platform for a sports engine in the projected displacement class. Naturally enough, the series four-cylinder engine was much too tame for a sports engine. A comprehensive power boost was called for in order to turn the plucky daily workhorse into an athletic and sporty power unit. The BMW design engineers increased the displacement to 2.3 litres and applied a formulation that had already achieved significant successes over a period of many years: four-valve engineering. There was also another reason for the decision to opt for a four-cylinder engine and not adopt the six-cylinder engine introduced in the BMW 3 Series. The longer crankshaft in the big engine started to vibrate much earlier than the shorter four-cylinder shaft. The design engineers therefore designed the crankshaft drive of the BMW M3 wîth sufficient torsional stability to achieve 10,000 revolutions a minute and more. By comparison wîth the four-cylinder engine installed in the series vehicles, this represented an increase of more than 60 percent.Paul Rosche recalls: 'We started work immediately. One advantage was that the big six-cylinder engine originally had the same cylinder gap as the four-cylinder engine. We therefore cut two combustion chambers off the four-cylinder head of the M88 and bolted a panel over the hole on the rear side.' This meant that the new four-cylinder engine had a second forebear. The six-cylinder engine that had initially created a sensation in the M1 and had meanwhile transformed the M635CSi into one of the fastest coupés in the world. Paul Rosche: 'Whether you believe it or not – we had created an outstanding four-cylinder engine for the 3 Series within the space of two weeks. Únder the development name S14, this engine was to generate headlines in sport and in volume production over the years to come. One Sunday, I drove to von Kuenheim's flat and gave him the car for a test drive. When he came back he said: 'Good, I like it.' And that's how the M3 came into being.'
Contrary to the situation wîth the mid-engine sports car, the BMW M3 was not going to be crafted by hand in small batches. This car was to be produced as a mass-production automobile on an assembly line. It was destined to compete in near-production touring car motor sport, or more precisely as a Group A racing car, defined as a 'production car', of which at least 5,000 units have to be built within the space of twelve consecutive months in accordance wîth Annex J of the international automobile sport regulations.
300 hp for competitive racing.
However, many of them immediately disappeared again into garages and workshops to be given a new outfit. After all, the M3 had been designed as a racing car, and this was the time to prove that it really could 'race'. A World Touring Car Championship was held for the first time in 1987. And that was exactly what the M3 had been built for. But not quite in the guise in which it was seen on the streets. Instead of 200 hp, the 2.3 litre engine delivered up to 300 hp at 8,200 rpm in the racing version. This put it on a par wîth the BMW M635CSi. BMW didn't line up on the starting grid wîth its own team but supported a number of famous racing outfits like Schnitzer, Linder, Zackspeed and Bigazzi. Drivers like Markus Oestreich, Christian Danner, Roberto Ravaglia and Wilfried Vogt took the wheel, and Annette Meeuvissen and Mercedes Stermitz were the first women drivers.
Roberto Ravaglia in the M3: first World Touring Car Champion.
The first race for the 1987 World Touring Car Championship started in Monza on 22 March 1987 – and ended wîth a sensation. All the M3 cars were excluded from the placings. The vehicles were checked under chaotic conditions and disqualified because of sheet-metal thicknesses that were allegedly contrary to the regulations. BMW appealed but the sports tribunal decided that the appeal had been lodged too late. There was no longer any talk of infringements of the rules. All the brouhaha naturally didn't have any effect on the result of the championship. At the end of the season, Roberto Ravaglia was standing on the podium as the first World Touring Car Champion. But that was only the pinnacle of the success list. Wilfried Vogt took the title of European Champion. Altfried Heger came in second – both driving a BMW M3. In 1987, the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) also went to the new BMW M3, wîth Eric van de Poele behind the wheel. Moreover, the most sporty 3 Series car was also winning competitions off the race track. An M3 crossed the finishing line in first place in the Corsica Rally and secured a victory for BMW after a gap of 14 years in a race for the World Rally Championship.
24 Hour Race: M3 one-two victory on the Nürburgring.
In 1988, the BMW M3 continued the success story and took the national titles in France, England and Spain. In the following year came another victory in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM), this time wîth Roberto Ravaglia in the driver's seat, alongside wins at the national championships in Belgium, Holland, France, Italy, Finland, Spain, Sweden and Yugoslavia. Meanwhile, the displacement had been increased to 320 hp and the BMW M3 drove the competition into the ground. Belgian driver Marc Duez battled his way through the Monte Carlo Rally wîth an M3 and took eighth place as best driver in a car without a four-wheel drive. The sensational one-two victory in the 24-hour classic on the Nürburgring crowned this series of successes in 1989 wîth the driver combinations Pirro/Ravaglia/Giroix and Heger/Grohs/Manthey.
Playing wîth displacement: the right engine for each race.
The M3 had a commanding presence on the international touring car racing scene for five years. It became the most successful touring car of all times by winning the two champion's titles in the European Touring Car Championship and twice in the German Touring Car Championship. There were also numerous further victories and championship wins at international level. Depending on the competition rules, the four-valve engine had to be adapted to national regulations. For example, the capacity for England was limited to 2 litres while for Germany and France it was raised to 2.5 litres wîth effect from 1990. This enabled the four-cylinder to deliver up to 355 hp. In the version wîth the biggest capacity, the engineers of BMW M GmbH went up against the limits of what was feasible. In order to make full use of the 2.5 litre limit, they not only increased the stroke of the 2.3 litre unit from 84 to 87 millimetres, but also increased the cylinder bore from 94 millimetres to 95.5 millimetres. This reduced the width between the cylinders to just 4.5 millimetres. But success proved the development engineers right. The engines withstood the stresses and strains of touring-car racing even at maximum output without any problem.
1992: the first BMW M3 wîth a six-cylinder engine.
The year 1992 saw the birth of a completely new M3, this time wîth an advanced six-cylinder engine. Once again, Motorsport GmbH developed a version for competition in record time. In April 1993, the new M3 was due to line up at the start of the first race for the German Touring Car Championship (DTM). But due to discrepancies in the new regulations, BMW changed its strategy and instead set up a BMW M3 GTR in the striking design of a starting flag and entered the Warsteiner ADAC GT Cup organised by the German Automobile Association. The six-cylinder now generated 325 hp, the car weighed 1300 kilos in accordance wîth the regulations. A strong BMW team lined up at the start wîth Johnny Cecotto and Kris Nissen, and Cecotto ended up taking the championship at the end of the season. However, this was the end of the motor-sport chapter for this M3 GTR for the time being. Changes in the regulations meant that the potent 3 Series had no realistic changes of victory any more.
The BMW M3 GTR: the most powerful M3 ever.
BMW only returned to motor sport as a works team wîth a BMW M3 seven years later. In 2001, the first starting flag came down for the new BMW M3 GTR powered by a 450 hp V8 engine. The most powerful M3 ever set benchmarks in the GT class of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) wîth its four-litre engine and raced in a quartet: Team BMW Motorsport entered two cars under the management of Charly Lamm and two other cars were raced by the American BMW Team PTG run by Tom Milner, who hailed originally from Germany. The coupé took seven victories in ten races, six of them were from pole positions. BMW works driver Jörg Müller won the driver's championship in the GT Class, BMW Motorsport won the team placings, and BMW became constructors' champion in the company's most important export market.
But the advanced BMW M3 GTR also caused a sensation in Europe. Two each of these eight-cylinder racing cars lined up at the start of the 24 Hour Race at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium and on the Nürburgring in 2004 and 2005.The result: In both years, BWM took a one-two victory on the Nürburgring, and class victory went to BMW in Spa in 2004.
In 2009, the next generation of the M3 started in the American Le Mans Series. The V8 engine was beefed up to 485 hp and entered the Twelve Hour Race at Sebring for the first time. The successes meant that the M3 was also raced in Europe in the following year. It lined up at the start of the 24 Hour Race on the Nürburgring, in Le Mans and in Spa-Francorchamps. The result: outright victory on the Nürburgring – for the 19th time – and class victory in Spa.
And the next winner will soon be on the starting line in 2012. BMW will be back at the German Touring Car Masters (DTM) wîth three teams and the new BMW M3 DTM.Source - BMW
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