The BMW E92 M3 GTS, the M3 with the attitude you probably didn’t know about
The BMW M3 is a very popular high performance sports car in the United States and Europe. It is only recently that the United States started receiving special, high performance allocations of BMW’s fabled M-Cars. The latest car to arrive at our shores is the BMW M4 GTS.
Europe has had their share of high performance, limited edition M-cars. One of the best is the BMW E92 M3 GTS.
BMW E92 M3 GTS
Built between 2010 and 2013 and limited to less than 150 units, the M3 GTS was primarily built for Clubsport events. Hand-built by the workman in Garching, Germany at BMW M GmbH, modifications were to the drivetrain, suspension, body and interior of the vehicle. However, a homologated version for road use was also available.
The M3 GTS is characterized by lightweight construction, adjustable aerodynamic body parts, a bigger, more powerful engine, and an advanced suspension set up that were all oriented towards motorsports. The result was a high performance rocket on wheels having an unladen weight of 3,300 pounds. The lightweight body has special mounts for six-point seat belts and a roll cage.
The drivetrain
The powerplant of the M3 GTS is a high-revving, naturally-aspirated 4.4 liter 8 cylinder engine. Output is 444 bhp at 8300 bhp with maximum torque at 325 lb-ft. This was good for acceleration from 0 to 62 mpt in 4.4 seconds accelerating all the way to a top speed of 190 miles per hour.
The engine utilized construction methods and technologies found in motorsports such as a special crankcase made of aluminum-silicon alloy, individual throttle butterflies and wet sump oil supply for high performance driving. The cylinder head is a double overhead cam unit with four valves per cylinder. Compared to the regular E92 M3, the M3 GTS is considerably louder.
Power in the M3 GTS is put to the pavement through an M-double clutch gearbox with Drivelogic. The seven-speed M DKG Drivelogic gearbox optimized for motorsports shifts gears smoothly through the entire powerband. Built specifically for the GTS powerplant, the driver can shift gears through the selector lever on the center console or through special M shift paddles on the steering wheel.
Braking
Another aspect of performance, braking is on par with the other systems making up the vehicle. The high performance brake system of the M3 GTS consists of fixed calipers with six pistons up front and four pistons on the rear wheels. The DSC dynamic stability control system is also optimized for the increased performance set up while power is put to the pavement through 255×19 wheels in front and 285×19 wheels in back. The wheels have a double spoke design and are lighter compared to the wheels of the regular m3.
Adjustable aerodynamics
Aerodynamics is another very important part of overall vehicle performance. To optimize air flow and adjust downforce as needed, the M3 GTS has a race-oriented adjustable front air dam and rear wing. For example, the air guidance units on the front air dam can be adjusted as can the position of the rear wing. This enables the vehicle’s performance characteristics to be optimized for the profile of the respective track.
The interior of the M3 GTS
Modifications to the M3 GTS extend to the interior of vehicle in the form of classic bucket seats, interior trim in carbon and an M steering wheel finished in Alcantara. The door and side panels are also clad in Alcantara while there are mounting brackets for six-point seat belts, a fire extinguisher and an emergency-off switch.
While never allocated to the United States, the E92 M3 GTS was priced at 115,000 euros when new. One of the 150 units produced with a bit over 6,000 miles on the odometer changed hands in the UK in December 2015. The price was right around $190,000.