Jalopnik: BMW M3 DTM Concept: An M3 mated with pure evil

nsx_23

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Just two weeks after the official roll-out of the new racing car for the 2012 DTM season, BMW's just dropped the BMW M3 DTM Concept Car.

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BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt unveiled the car earlier this evening in the Double Cone building at Munich's BMW Welt. As part of the DTM event in the Olympic Stadium, the BMW M3 DTM Concept Car will be on show to motorsport fans and visitors to BMW Welt all weekend.

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The M3 DTM concept's designed to provide an initial impression of what the BMW M3 DTM will look like when it lines up at the start of the 2012 season. Underneath the deadly-looking exterior is a 480 bhp air-restricted V8 engine mated to a six-speed sequential gearbox. That should be more than enough power to push the carbon fiber monocoque chassis-ed body around the track.

BMW Media release

:motherofgod:

Now they just need to merge Super GT and DTM.
 
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Could easily pass as the Batmobile. I like.
 
The DTM mechanicals are heavily regulated, and the aerodynamic packages are put through testing to ensure they offer they all offer pretty much the same level of performance.

Aside from the visual aspects there's basically no link with the road cars, just like Super GT really.
 
Maybe not a whole lot of M3 left, but a whole lot of awesome added. Given how BMW are with concepts, the real one should look just like that. Will look great in the race field.
 
It's not a "concept", it's already a running racing car: it has already been spotted on-track a couple of weeks ago.

Various rumours about the real competitive track debut place it either at a VLN race later this year or at the Daytona 24h in January.
 
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While this does look porperly awesome, I wish they would go back to a form of *touring* car racing, like we have seen it in the 80s. WTTC like, but without the silly rulings and faster. Maybe that would draw even more manufacturers to the series.

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Awesome.

As is that stadium in a slightly related note :p
 
fuck me that is seriously hot.

looks like I need to start following DTM next year, will be interesting to see Coulthard v.s Priaulx
 
The DTM mechanicals are heavily regulated, and the aerodynamic packages are put through testing to ensure they offer they all offer pretty much the same level of performance.

Aside from the visual aspects there's basically no link with the road cars, just like Super GT really.

Same as with V8 supercars. I find all such series difficult to get excited over, much prefer GT2 and GT1.
 
While this does look porperly awesome, I wish they would go back to a form of *touring* car racing, like we have seen it in the 80s. WTTC like, but without the silly rulings and faster. Maybe that would draw even more manufacturers to the series.


I agree. While these sort of racers (DTM & JGTC) looked cool about a decade ago, the "wow" effect has completely worn off for me. At first it was cool if the car had more louvers and canards than you could count but now these cars just looked like a boyracers' fantasy bodykits. Slap a canard there, there, there, diffusers, wings, louvers...way overboard.

I'd much rather want to see cars based on the actual production car instead of just prototype racers with bodies that slightly resemble the original car. Rules could be a mix of mid-90s DTM, JGTC and BTCC supertouring era. Now that I'd love to see...


Also, note to self: swan neck wing mounts look horrible on anything else than a sportscar prototype.

Edit: Watching these race also feels strange as hell, the way the car is glued to the road and how the suspension works, they don't even slightly look like GT cars racing. They look exactly what they are, prototypes with production car resembling bodies slapped on to them. Just looks like something's off. I'd love to see more restrictions especially on underbody aero, just look at the size of the front diffuser exits, completely ruins the lines of the car and looks unnatural.
 
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Am I the only one that doesn't care much for it?

No, you aren't, but I hate all BMWs anyway, so my opinion isn't really unbiased enough to count.
 
*O-face* New pants needed.
 
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