The January 2008 issue of Sport Auto arrived yesterday, it has an article that talks about a Study done by BMW regarding a GT2 program for the E92 M3. It sounds like they intend to make an announcement at the Detroit Auto Show regarding their plans for GT2 and ALMS in 2008. No mention of details. Both Audi and BMW have made large investments in sports cars and F1 respectively and apparently the study suggests that the ALMS has a stronger impact on the US market. Audi is considering the R8 as a GT car. If you get a chance to see the magazine look for the article.

I would only imagine that they bring a GT2 program to the US especially with the V8. It will be somewhat interesting to see if they decide coupe or sedan given that they went with the sedan in the E36s. It will also be interesting to see who runs the cars. I would guess Schnitzer would start the program but who runs it for the long term? Do they go with an established BMW team or do they go with established, major pro teams.

Should be interesting to see how things develop.

Sweet!

I was really sad when BMW stopped racing in ALMS. It was all Porsche in the, then GT3, class...boring.

I would bet that Schnitzer would do most of the initial development with PTG coming on board.

I'm glad BMW are focusing on touring cars and sports cars again. F1 is great but I've always fancied road-based racing cars.

It would be interesting to see if they could hang with the 430's.

Here is a cool R8, not ALMS but still cool:

http://www.cr-8.com/

One of the guys on the ALMS forum has read the article and says that BMW will show a GT2 Concept Car at Detroit that might race by 2009, so the plans may not be so much for the near term. He confirms that BMW has a strong interest in racing the US because they believe that their image is not the same in the US as in Europe and they want to show customers that they can compete with Ferrari and Porsche. He also says that Audi will not race the R8. It was my impression though that Audi was expressing that the Sport Car successes in the US has not done what they'd like to for their brand image. That's my impression though. So it will be interesting to see what is said in January in Detroit.

He also adds that Alpina is developing a GT3 car based on the 6 Series for the FIA GT3 series and the ADAC GT Masters.

I would only imagine that they bring a GT2 program to the US especially with the V8. It will be somewhat interesting to see if they decide coupe or sedan given that they went with the sedan in the E36s. It will also be interesting to see who runs the cars. I would guess Schnitzer would start the program but who runs it for the long term? Do they go with an established BMW team or do they go with established, major pro teams.

Should be interesting to see how things develop.

Actually they first went with the coupe for the e36 M3 and only switched to the sedan in '98 I believe. Though there was a lot of discussion on the mailing lists at the time that the reason was because the sedan was a better platform, it seems they reason was really marketing.

Since the Coupe appears to be the initial release, I'd suspect that would be the way they go.

Will PTG be in consideration after all the success they had with the E36?

There are some privateer E92's racing already in europe:

http://www.packeisen-motorsport.de/fileadmin/images/homep/2007-11-05-003-detail.jpg

And Flossman has an E92 kit developed...dtm style:

http://www.packeisen-motorsport.de/fileadmin/images/homep/2007-09-27-002-detail.jpg

http://www.packeisen-motorsport.de/fileadmin/images/homep/2007-10-01-003-detail.jpg

http://www.packeisen-motorsport.de/fileadmin/images/homep/2007-10-01-005-detail.jpg

Aren't both VLN cars or will be? I think I've seen pictures of the black Coupe from the last race of the year. I hadn't seen the Flossmann car development thought, that looks interesting.

Didn't they use the E36 4 door because they got a weight advantage?

I wonder how the Avon tires held up.

He qualified 82th and finished 87th, with a best lap of a 9:36.614 which was faster than those around him. Ulli Packeisen was the only driver for the entire 23 laps or sllightly over 4 hours on the Nurburgring. This was for the last race on 27 Oct. Looks like they are trying to sell GT3 kits for the E92 M3. I've included some pictures from the Nurburgring and one from the VLN site.

Yes, they are offering their own prepped/spec motorsport chassis, they even had a special deal at the Essen show.

"From now on, customers can buy brandnew car-bodies for the new M3 V8 with already integrated roll-cage (FIA approved), air-jacks, fuel-systems (FIA FT3), carved-out wheel-arches for the wide GTR-Version or as small normalversion. All these is already possible, as we started producing these parts with prototypes in early March 2007.

The brandnew M3 V8 E92 racing-car-bodies will be sold during Essen Motorshow for EUR 13.500 net as a special exhibition price.

The Carbonfibre-parts for the small FIA GT3-Version is (as also the GTR-Version is) already on stock for sale. "

Its also interesting to note that they built a 130i that qualifies for ALMS Gt2 class..

"Packeisen Motorsport will unveil its newest racecar at the Essen Motorshow on Friday. The Wuppertal-based squad has been a stalwart competitor in the VLN touring-car classes and is now stepping up its game. The radical approach on the popular BMW 130i road-car was designed to fit the American Le Mans GT2S class rules, even though the team has no current plans to compete in the United States.

http://www.packeisen-motorsport.de/fileadmin/images/static/2006-11-26-005-detail.jpg

And Flossman has an E92 kit developed...dtm style:

http://www.packeisen-motorsport.de/fileadmin/images/homep/2007-09-27-002-detail.jpg

http://www.packeisen-motorsport.de/fileadmin/images/homep/2007-10-01-003-detail.jpg

http://www.packeisen-motorsport.de/fileadmin/images/homep/2007-10-01-005-detail.jpg


man i wish BMW would enter DTM, we shouldn't be allowing M-B and Audi to run the show in the German touring car world.

I think they are planning on it, might be one of the good reasons they have re-released the M3 saloon! I would love to see that beautiful Bavarian Bimmer blasting the merc's and audi's!

Sweet!

I was really sad when BMW stopped racing in ALMS. It was all Porsche in the, then GT3, class...boring.




Ummm, Ferrari won the GT2 ALMS championship the last two years....BMW was out only the last year. IMO the P-Cars of Flying Lizards (I go one of thier '07 Crew Shirts for Xmas!) at least it interesting and made the 430's work for it in '07 taking it the final round. Fingers crossed BMW will return ASAP. We go to the Season Finale at Laguna every year. (last 5 so far)

very exciting to hear bmw has interest in alms again. I think ptg is tied up with panoz, that seems to be going well and PTg might be a little bitter of bmw giving them the axe mid-contract.

Also interesting that bmw is selling caged chassis m3's I think that is a good sign of their involvement in racing. That would be a sick job to have at bmw.

I hope it's some good news. I prefer BMW to race their production cars vs. being in F1.

+1 on BMW entering DTM. I would love to see them run M3's in that series.

Personal opinion: You will never see BMW in DTM.

There...I said it. I think they have as much interest in DTM as they do entering a factory effort in Grand Am DP. Not enough production car in either of those series.

Personal opinion: You will never see BMW in DTM.

There...I said it. I think they have as much interest in DTM as they do entering a factory effort in Grand Am DP. Not enough production car in either of those series.

that's a reasonable arguement, but they're in F1, and have done LMP's in the past, and obviously neither of those are production-based.

Thank god for WTCC...still the one of the top 3 racing series in the world IMO.

Thank god for WTCC...still the one of the top 3 racing series in the world IMO.

Agreed, I wish they'd bring them here. I guess with Seat having no presence here, even though Alfa is about to come back and Chevy doesn't sell the car here that they race, they don't think there'd be interest. I watched online and downloaded the races via bit torrent.

DTM is probably too heavily regulated for them, but the FIA is taking F1 into an overly regulated almost spec series direction. I really don't want to start that discussion here though.

I have to say DTM is definatly on their minds, the C63 and the RS4 are the only two cars in the series and that is the M3's greatest compitition, why not run head to head on a regular basis against them? The F1 is not going anywhere as they are makgin great advances and its been a good driving factor for them. I would love to see BMW in ALMS that would rock!

Thank god for WTCC...still the one of the top 3 racing series in the world IMO.

Agreed, I wish they'd bring them here. I guess with Seat having no presence here, even though Alfa is about to come back and Chevy doesn't sell the car here that they race, they don't think there'd be interest. I watched online and downloaded the races via bit torrent.

They do, it's called Speed World Challenge Touring over here.

The reason BMW/PTG ran the 4-door M3 to start with, was for Marketing reasons. However after they started running it, they found it was more aerodynamic than the 2 door. Also the 4-door shells were SuperTouring shells with M3 motors and bodywork. The Supertouring shells and suspension were modified a lot more than what they had been doing with the 2-door cars they were building in-house.

I have to say DTM is definatly on their minds, the C63 and the RS4 are the only two cars in the series and that is the M3's greatest compitition, why not run head to head on a regular basis against them?

Because it's not the type of "production" racing BMW seems to prefer. It's essentially a prototype car with a BMW looking body. The chassis and motors have very little to do with a production car.

The reason BMW/PTG ran the 4-door M3 to start with, was for Marketing reasons. However after they started running it, they found it was more aerodynamic than the 2 door. Also the 4-door shells were SuperTouring shells with M3 motors and bodywork. The Supertouring shells and suspension were modified a lot more than what they had been doing with the 2-door cars they were building in-house.

4Dr Chassis (with the full rear shelf, i.e. no pass thru) are/were stiffer than the 2dr.

Because it's not the type of "production" racing BMW seems to prefer. It's essentially a prototype car with a BMW looking body. The chassis and motors have very little to do with a production car.


I do watch DTM and know that its not production car racing but I have to say that it is popular and the ability to race against the two cars the M3 is up against in the production wars is a great oportunity to showcase the cars abilities and to gain more general popularity! I love ALMS and I think that WTCC is great too but I want to see M3 vs RS4 ve C63!

4Dr Chassis (with the full rear shelf, i.e. no pass thru) are/were stiffer than the 2dr.

You would know better than me... but didn't they have better weight distribution too?

Possibly. Depends on the rules I guess. If the driver could sit way back and in the center, then definitely :) Then you can cut the firewall back, bring the engine back, and lower it.

great oportunity to showcase the cars abilities

:shifty:shifty

You mean showcase the Roundel/Arrow/Rings on the hood? They are purpose built racecars with tube frames. The performance of those cars showcases nothing that is in the production cars besides the look...and even that is a stretch with all the aero devices, fender flares, etc.

Possibly. Depends on the rules I guess. If the driver could sit way back and in the center, then definitely :) Then you can cut the firewall back, bring the engine back, and lower it.

I just seem to remember that being mentioned when I was first learning about SWC Touring BMWs and asking why everyone used 4 doors.

PS... after nearly 7 years...I finally have 1000 posts.

:shifty:shifty

You mean showcase the Roundel/Arrow/Rings on the hood? They are purpose built racecars with tube frames. The performance of those cars showcases nothing that is in the production cars besides the look...and even that is a stretch with all the aero devices, fender flares, etc.


More or less, I just think that racing it vs its great rivals no matter how different they are from production is a great thing. I dont care that the car on the track will be different from the one in my garage, I just want to see them race.