The Goodwood Festival of Speed taking place in June this year will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the popular BMW Motorsport division, known simply as ‘M’, with the leading global reveal of the model. first M3 Touring wagon.
I’ve seen the car up close, with no camouflage cover – at least from the rear – and it has all the signs of an instant hit. It will be remarkable how long BMW has toyed with the idea of making something like this.
Eight years after BMW released the larger M5 Touring in 1992, BMW M built the first M3 Touring Concept in 2000, with a project similar to a secret skunkworks program.
It had more rigidity than the (then) road-going two-door M3 to accommodate the extra length and weight, along with wider wheel arches and a power booster block on the hood- poo. It also has larger air intakes at the front, side skirts and quad exhaust pipes. The M alloy wheels are complemented with a striking Chrome Shadow metallic paint.
But it never saw the light of day.
Step into the present, and BMW M Prototyping head Hans Rahn has taken over by combining the attributes of a current-generation M3 and a conventional 3 Series Touring, to create a single version. The latest, new M3 Touring Concept, complete in Frozen Dark Silver.
The effort was enough to win over the BMW board, who gave the green light to the first suitable M3 Touring series, and thereby answered the prayers of car enthusiasts around the world, who who have been asking for this for years now.
Mass production is expected to begin in a few months. Currently, there are no plans to limit the production of the 2023 M3 Touring and any intention of continuing its development beyond its first series life as long as there is demand.
According to BMW M CEO Frank Van Meel, who spoke with CarExpert in Italy lately, there’s a lot of that…
“Of course, that depends on how it develops, but normally we don’t do it overnight, and we thought this car was going to be a huge hit, because we got it. see great demand. If that is the case, then its continued development makes a lot of sense,” he told us.
But getting the green light from the powerhouses in Munich requires its own set of challenges, not least of which is convincing the board that there is a market for the M3 wagon outside of Europe, given the fact the wagons are. of the station is unpopular. more than a decade facing SUVs.
“The biggest challenge is that a Touring concept is first and foremost a European concept – it’s not a world car like the M3 [sedan] by itself or the M4, it’s more or less a European concept, so you’re focusing very strongly on one market, which will limit your production volume,” said Van Meel.
“However, traction from all of our major markets was strong, with everyone desperate for M3 Touring, so we said, ‘okay, we’ll do it. ”
More challenging is still getting the road-going M3 Touring to perform and handle as well as the M3 sedan, despite the longer roof and extra weight. It’s an important commitment, according to Dirk Hacker, BMW M’s head of development.
“When we started this project, we told the chassis engineers that we wanted the M3 Touring to feel like an M3 behind the wheel, even when it was full of passengers and luggage, Mr. Hacker said.
We counted three M3 Touring prototypes in the development area we visited at the BMW M in Munich. Upon investigation we learned that each started off as a regular 3 Series Touring then was completely rebuilt, the man in charge of ‘dynamics’ for all BMW M cars explain, Klaus Uber.
“For starters, we removed everything at the front end, including the engine, drive and axle, and replaced it with M3 technology – that is, the S58 engine combined with the M xDrive. [AWD]“Mr. Uber said.
“A very important component to the M3 Touring was the special set of struts we used, consisting of parts that are visible on top of the engine and we use under the car. we [also] had to widen the front fender quite a lot to be able to integrate the front axle of the M3.
“Accordingly, we use M3/M4 tires in combination with the optional M Ceramic brake, because the M3 Touring has to achieve the same performance as the M3 [sedan]“Mr. Uber finished.
It’s the same story at the rear with extra-wide wheel arches to accommodate the M3’s rear and 285mm rear tyres.
There is also a newly reshaped roof spoiler, which significantly improves downforce and overall aerodynamic balance of the M3 Touring.
“If you open the luggage compartment, you can see we don’t use the usual bulkheads but the left and right strut domes. Instead, we’re using a new set of stiffeners at the rear, including an additional connection point on the outside of the V-strut at the rear. ”
The M3 Touring also features an all-new spring/damper/anti-roll bar setup on both the front and rear axles, incorporating a new damper system with piston valves at the bottom.
Spring speed and damper settings have also been adjusted on the front axle, as has the stiffness of the anti-roll rubber bearing. All major control systems have been calibrated to accommodate the mechanical adjustments on the M3 Touring.
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A former M3 Touring concept
“We didn’t leave a single stone on this car. It’s adaptive damping, steering, DSC, ABC, etc., to achieve the goal we set the M3 Touring at the very beginning of the project – to make it drive like the M3 [sedan]Mr. Uber concluded.
After we saw three M3 Touring prototypes, I asked Dirk Hacker how it drove. Here is his answer:
“It’s almost as fast as the M3 [sedan]and you will forget that you are driving a wagon with this one because it is very well balanced and turns very well in corners. “
A quick Google search of the M3 Touring’s lap times at the ‘Ring reveals strong rumors that the prototype made it to 7:30, which is just 10 seconds slower than the M4 CSL (7 (7). : 20.207) revealed recently – this is simply phenomenal.
You get the feeling, after looking at the car up close and talking to key members of the development team, that the long-awaited M3 Touring will be one of those rare cars that has been over-engineered to last. prove a point – and it’s happening in high demand.
As such, it probably won’t be one of the short-lived limited edition M models, like the 1994/95 E36 M3 GT Coupe (above), only 356 were produced and all in British colours. Racing Green.
Or perhaps the 2003/4 E46 M3 CSL, considered by many to be the most ionic M3. It was produced for only one year with a quantity of 1383 pieces. The CSL is a road racer in its purest form, without heated seats and sat-nav, while radio and air conditioning are available only on request. Weight-saving measures such as a whopping 110kg cut from the weight of the regular M3.
Further on is still the BMW M3 CRT E90 (Carbon Racing Technology) built to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the first M3, using carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic and other lightweight materials to reduce the vehicle’s weight. down to 1580 kg (45kg) smaller than the standard M3). Only 67 were ever built and it is illustrated below.
