A BMW M3 GTR in Need for Speed ​​mode

Need for Speed ​​turns 30 in 2024. To celebrate the anniversary of one of the most famous video game franchises, BMW has decided to redecorate one of its cars to give it the appearance of one of the most iconic models in the saga.

In 2005, one of the major episodes of the series, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, was released. A critical and commercial success upon its release, the game sold over 18 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling of the franchise and was entitled to a reboot released in October 2012.

The cover of Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005)

The plot of this open-world game begins with the player arriving in the fictional town of Rockport City at the wheel of a BMW M3 GTR. During a street race where the loser's car is at stake, it is sabotaged and the hero is forced to leave his car. The rest of the story consists of chaining races and victories until being able to recover this famous M3 whose blue and silver livery has become emblematic for players, so much so that it has reappeared in other games since, such as Carbon, No Limits and Heat.

The BMW M3 GT3 road version and its 2001 ALMS GT champion racing version – Photo: BMW

To celebrate the franchise's anniversary, BMW decided to bring this car into the real world by using a real model as a base. Not just any model, since the M3 GTR chosen for this facelift is a champion car. It actually won the GT category of the American Le Mans Series in 2001 with Jörg Müller and JJ Lehto. Let's not cry out about the degradation of a part of motorsport history right away, the n°42 still exists. Its decoration has only been covered with stickers taking up the design of the video game.

This Need for Speed-themed BMW M3 GTR can be seen until early January 2025 at BMW Welt in Munich (Germany).

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