We’re all sort of impatiently awaiting the reveal of BMW’s new M3 and M4 CS models. We’re going to have to wait awhile, of course, as they won’t be coming for at least another year. While we wait, though, we can remember one of the best special edition, hardcore versions of the M3 ever — the E92 BMW M3 GTS. The E92 M3 GTS is one of the more interesting M cars of its era but it’s also one of the most forgotten. In this new article from Top Gear, we get to look back on the M3 GTS to remember what it was like.
The best cars come about when engineers find a bit of extra money in the budget and say “Eff it, let’s make something fun.” That’s what happened with the E92 BMW M3 GTS, as former M boss Albert Biermann and his team had some extra cash and wanted to make something crazy. And they did. Reading this old Top Gear review of the E92 M3 GTS is making me contemplate faking my death for the life insurance money, buying one of these, and getting off the grid.
What made the M3 GTS different from the run-of-the-mill M3? It was made much lighter, given sharper suspension, more tactile steering, better aero, and a big engine upgrade. The standard M3’s 4.0 liter atmospheric V8 was stroked to 4.4 liters, given an extra 30 horsepower and an additional 29 lb-ft, and a racecar-like, ear-shredding soundtrack, thanks to its titanium exhaust. Total power was 444 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque but, honestly, who the hell cares?
The E92 M3 GTS isn’t the most well-known high-performance BMW, taking a backseat to the legendary E46 M3 CSL, E30 M3 Sport Evo, and even the water-injected M4 GTS. However, it might be among the best BMW ever made. So while we wait for the M3 CS and M4 CS, remember the E92 M3 and just how special its cars from that era were.
[Source: Top Gear]
