BMW M3 Touring 24H Races From April Fools’ Joke Into Reality

What started as a cheeky social media stunt has now fired up into one of the most remarkable stories in modern motorsport. The BMW M3 Touring 24H is heading to the 2026 24 Hours of Nurburgring on 16th and 17th May, proving that sometimes the best ideas are born from the boldest pranks. On 1st April 2025, BMW M Motorsport posted images of a supposed racing version of the M3 Touring estate across its channels. The post clocked over 1.6 million views and sparked a wave of demand from fans and media alike, generating engagement figures far beyond the brand’s usual benchmarks. What the audience did not know at the time was that BMW’s engineers had already been toying with the concept behind closed doors ever since the road car rolled out of showrooms in 2022.

Fuelled by that overwhelming response, the project shifted into top gear during the summer of 2025. In a blistering eight-month build, the team at BMW M Motorsport constructed the BMW M3 Touring 24H from the ground up. The car shares its mechanical underpinnings with the BMW M4 GT3 EVO but wears the estate body of the M3 Touring, making it 200 millimetres longer and 32 millimetres taller (with the rear wing fitted) than its coupe-based sibling. Despite the different silhouette, the technical specifications of both machines are identical, meaning this is no mere showpiece but a legitimate and competitive piece of racing machinery.

Behind the wheel, Schubert Motorsport will field four accomplished BMW M works drivers: Jens Klingmann, Ugo de Wilde, Connor De Phillippi, and Neil Verhagen. The car is entered in the SPX class, keeping it separate from the three BMW M4 GT3 EVOs battling for outright victory in the SP9 category. Before the main event, the BMW M3 Touring 24H will sharpen its setup at the second round of the Nurburgring Langstrecken Serie and the 24h Nurburgring Qualifiers, giving the crew valuable track time on the demanding Nordschleife circuit.

The livery itself pays tribute to the fans who made this project happen. For the preparatory races, the bodywork features a selection of comments pulled directly from the original April Fools’ post, turning the car into a rolling celebration of the community’s passion. A fresh, bespoke livery will then be unveiled for the 24-hour race itself. On the tyre front, Yokohama has partnered with BMW M Motorsport to supply rubber for the car, mirroring the arrangement on Schubert Motorsport’s number 77 BMW M4 GT3 EVO.

Klingmann summed up the spirit of the programme perfectly, noting that while the car may have begun its life as a prank, it has evolved into a top-class and fully competitive race car built to deliver results. The team’s ambition is clear: put on a stunning display for the Nurburgring faithful and cross the finish line as high up the order as possible. For BMW M Motorsport, the BMW M3 Touring 24H stands as proof that when fans speak loudly enough, the engineers listen, and the result is a machine that turns laughter into horsepower.