Contrary to what most people think, BMW actually made an M3 Touring over the years but it was only an experiment, to see how a potential E46 M3 Touring would work. BMW fans over the world have been asking for a more practical M3 for years now but considering how popular SUVs are these days, a Touring M car wouldn’t really make sense financially. That’s a niche that will be filled by the upcoming BMW X3 M.
Nevertheless, there are plenty of people out there who prefer Touring models to SUVs, as they provide considerably better driving dynamics, thanks to their lower center of gravity. Sure, a BMW M3 Touring is currently missing from BMW’s line-up but you can compensate with the Alpina offerings or maybe just buy a 340i Touring as you may find its 320 HP enough for your daily needs. Then again, you could just convert a BMW 3 Series Touring model into an M3 surrogate.
The car in the video below is exactly that, with its owner deciding to take matter into his own hands. We lack some essential details here but according to the video description, the car has even more power than the most potent iteration of the M3, being rated at 530 HP. That’s thanks to a Stage 2 tune. The car also has an Eventuri intake KW Suspension, GTS hood and an M Performance steering wheel, M-Performance exhaust and what look like M3 brakes.
The S55 engine is hooked up to a 7-speed DCT gearbox and an active M differential at the back, most likely. Even the instrument cluster has been changed out for an M3 one and it looks like an Awron gauge was installed as well, to help keep an eye on the car’s key parameters. A lot of hard work was put into making this car possible and it certainly seems pretty damn close to the real thing.
[Project by instagram.com/63np]
