26.09.2024From a “near-use” in the DTM via detours to the road

When BMW re-entered the DTM in 2012 after more than 20 years, very few people knew that the last entry was planned for 1993 and was withdrawn at the last moment. It was the time of the E36 series, whose version of the M3 would have been used according to the DTM regulations. Some of the developments that had already been completed at that time then found their purpose in the M3-GTR, both on the road and on the race track.

The Minichamps label has released the M3 (E36) GTR in several colors. In red and in the M motorsport design, the models are limited and produced exclusively for ck-modelcars and modelissimo. Both vehicles are manufactured in scale 1:43, with the red M3 being limited to 500 units and the version in the motorsport design being limited to 650 units.

The fact that no one saw the M3 (E36) in the 1993 DTM season is due to a dispute between the manufacturers involved at the time. Alfa Romeo, Audi, Mercedes and Opel were also using six-cylinder engines at the time. While BMW placed value on the familiar in-line arrangement, the other manufacturers arranged their cylinders in a V shape. In order to ensure equal opportunities in the highly competitive DTM, the competitors called on BMW to move the engine further towards the interior, which BMW was not prepared to do. The resulting dispute went so far that the then BMW motorsport director Paul Rosche put the project on ice in December 1992.

During this time the series engine of the E36 with a displacement of 2.0 liters usually delivered just under 200 hp and even the M variant with its 3.0 liters displacement "only" produced 286 hp at 6,500 rpm. The planned DTM engine delivered 400 hp at a speed of over 10,000 rpm. BMW achieved all of this from the 2.5 liter displacement specified in the DTM regulations. The well-known design of the starting flag in the BMW M colors was also already decided on as a paint finish.

After the "DTM" idea was over, BMW used the know-how it had developed in the Warsteiner-ADAC GT Cup. The E36, now starting under the name BMW M3 GTR, produced 325 hp from 3.1 liters of displacement. The vehicle won the title in the first year of the championship with Johnny Cecotto at the wheel.

To homologate the GTR version, it was necessary at the time to bring a road version of the GTR onto the market. BMW did this. The widened body and the spoiler, which was unusual for the road, made the M3 (E36) GTR a striking eye-catcher.

BMW M3 (E36) GTR model year 1993 white/Motorsport-Design 1:43 Minichamps, RRP €39.95, item.no.: 943023384

BMW M3 (E36) GTR model year 1993 red 1:43 Minichamps, RRP €39.95, item-no.: 943023383

prodotti

	BMW M3 (E36) GTR Anno di costruzione 1993 bianco / Motorsport Design 1:43 Minichamps	35,95 €
	BMW M3 (E36) GTR Anno di costruzione 1993 rosso 1:43 Minichamps	35,95 €