2012 BMW M3 CRT

The BMW M3 CRT will feature a body consisting entirely of CFRP in the passenger cell area. In a new development, the production process introduced for this purpose enables the cuttings left behind in the construction of the body to be reprocessed. The basic material (made up of carbon fibre thread) can now be woven into CFRP mats of any size before being impregnated with synthetic resin and hardened in a similar way to the material used in the body of the BMW i3 and BMW i8. For the BMW M3 CRT this allows the creation of a bonnet made from two CFRP mouldings encasing an aramid honeycomb structure. This construction imbues the bonnet with the strength of a conventional steel equivalent, but at roughly a quarter of its weight. The weight saving over the aluminium bonnet of the standard BMW M3 Saloon is around 50 per cent.

 Under the CFRP bonnet of the BMW M3 CRT lies a variant of the V8 engine developed exclusively for the BMW M3 with further increased displacement, output and maximum torque. The high-revving unit provides the linear power delivery you expect from an M car and a highly responsive performance profile honed by the demands of the race track. Tuned for the BMW M3 GTS, the eight-cylinder engine develops 331 kW/450 hp from its 4,360 cc displacement. Maximum output is reached at 8,300 rpm, and the driver will find peak torque of 440 Newton metres on tap at 3,750 rpm.

Included in the standard specification of the BMW M3 CRT are the M double-clutch transmission with Drivelogic, Navigation system Professional, BMW Individual High End audio system, a light, exterior mirror and luggage area package, an alarm system and Park Distance Control with sensors at the front and rear of the car. Despite this extremely generous selection of standard kit, its DIN unladen weight of 1,580 kg undercuts that of the standard BMW M3 Saloon by around 45 kg. When you take into account the equipment on board the weight saving is more like 70 kg. Added to which, cleverly reducing the load at the front of the car raises the proportion of the car’s weight over the rear axle to 48.4 per cent, which has an extremely positive effect on agility.

The specially tuned DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) system – including ABS and M Dynamic Mode (MDM) – responds to both the greater dynamic potential of the BMW M3 CRT and its optimised axle load distribution. Meanwhile, the 245/35 R 19 front tyres and 265/35 R 19 rears (fitted on 19-inch M light-alloy wheels in Y-spoke design) ensure the engine’s acceleration and braking power is transferred to the road with maximum impact. The electronic engine management of the BMW M3 CRT caps its top speed at 290 km/h.

The BMW M3 CRT will be produced by the BMW M GmbH factory in a limited run of 67 units.