The BMW M3 started life as a hard-core, stripped-out road racing special and has gotten softer with each generation. People might not like it, but that's the simple truth.
The original E30 M3 was built so BMW could go touring car racing. Since then they've been more luxurious, higher-powered versions of whatever 3 Series bodyshells were going around at the time. Sure, they've all had more power than their predecessors, they've all become internal technical flagships.
Now 25 years after the M3's birth, BMW has found a way to turn back time, with a light-weight, track-focused M3 special. Dubbed the M3 GTS, the limited-edition hammer has more power, less weight, more grip, monster brakes and an even-more monstrous price tag.
And it only comes in orange. And there are only 136 of them. And they're only available in Europe as left-hookers. And they're all sold already!
While the E46 M3 CSL went some of the way down the GTS path, a huge chunk of it performance advantage over the stock M3 was in its super-sticky Michelin tyres. The margin between this car and the current E90/92 M3 is something different again.
The GTS a much-more sophisticated machine than the standard M3 -- but only at the track… The ride is so firm, the cornering so flat and the power so brutal that, on a public road, it would be a real handful.
But, at certain times and at certain corners on this track, you can really see why M GmbH believes this car is worth two M3s. It's that good...
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