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The BMW M3 GTR was a dominant competitor throughout the single season it contested. Bill Auberlen, Boris Said and Han Joachim Stuck capped off the season for BMW North America by winning the 2001 Petit LeMans finale. As a tribute to a grieving nation and to those who lost their lives on 9/11, BMW Team PTG owner Tom Milner had created the patriotic 'Stars and Stripes' design specifically for this race. As a result of the win and special livery, the car became a legend for BMW racing fans in America.
The most unique feature of the M3 GTR was its power plant, the first M3 in the history of the company to feature a V8 engine. Designated 'P60' the 4.0-liter engine was the first engine designed and constructed by BMW Motorsport specifically as a race engine. It is of flat-plane crank design and develops over 444 horsepower. This unique engine was smaller and weighed 30 pounds less than the inline 6-cylinder of the regular M3, despite adding two cylinders. The engine featured a dry sump for optimal lubrication at high cornering loads. A 'flat plane' crankshaft was also utilized, allowing far more efficient exhaust scavenging without the need to have header primaries cross over from one bank to the other enabling optimal flow at high RPMs.
Controversial during its only season of American LeMans competition, the M3 GTR was built to a set of rules that ultimate existed for only one season and allowed a manufacturer to compete with a purpose-built racing engine as long as a (small) number of road cars were produced. Two M3 GTR race cars each were campaigned by BMW Team PTG and BWM Team Schnitzer beginning with the third event of the eight race ALMS season. The two squads, for all intents and purposes now only competing amongst themselves, combined to win the final six races in a row, from five pole positions while setting six new race lap records. The BMW M3 GTR easily secured the ALMS Manufacturers' Championship for BMW, the Team Championship for BMW Team Schnitzer and the Drivers' Championship for Jorg Muller.
The most unique feature of the M3 GTR was its power plant, the first M3 in the history of the company to feature a V8 engine. Designated 'P60' the 4.0-liter engine was the first engine designed and constructed by BMW Motorsport specifically as a race engine. It is of flat-plane crank design and develops over 444 horsepower. This unique engine was smaller and weighed 30 pounds less than the inline 6-cylinder of the regular M3, despite adding two cylinders. The engine featured a dry sump for optimal lubrication at high cornering loads. A 'flat plane' crankshaft was also utilized, allowing far more efficient exhaust scavenging without the need to have header primaries cross over from one bank to the other enabling optimal flow at high RPMs.
Controversial during its only season of American LeMans competition, the M3 GTR was built to a set of rules that ultimate existed for only one season and allowed a manufacturer to compete with a purpose-built racing engine as long as a (small) number of road cars were produced. Two M3 GTR race cars each were campaigned by BMW Team PTG and BWM Team Schnitzer beginning with the third event of the eight race ALMS season. The two squads, for all intents and purposes now only competing amongst themselves, combined to win the final six races in a row, from five pole positions while setting six new race lap records. The BMW M3 GTR easily secured the ALMS Manufacturers' Championship for BMW, the Team Championship for BMW Team Schnitzer and the Drivers' Championship for Jorg Muller.
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Recent Sales of the BMW M3 GTR
(Data based on Model Year 2001 sales)
BMW M3 GTRs That Failed To Sell At Auction
2001 BMW M3 GTR's that have appeared at auction but did not sell.
| Vehicle | Chassis | Event | High Bid | Est. Low | Est. High |
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2001 BMW M3 GTR
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2001 BMW M3 GTR Vehicle Profiles
