Station wagons have spent decades getting the short end of the stick in the automotive world. Decried as ugly family haulers, wagons ended up giving way first to minivans and then SUVs in the market. However, a small but growing crowd of wagon lovers has always remained. For them, wagons were most extravagantly expressed as luxury performance models, a handful of cars made by European manufacturers that gave their luxury performance sedans the long roof treatment.
Not many of those models are around, but as they have started to gain some popularity among enthusiasts, more have emerged, even seeing success in the United States, where wagons have been quite uncommon. With its M5 Touring, BMW has been part of that increase, and the BMW M3 Touring is part of the manufacturer’s lineup, as well, just not for the United States market. Unveiled as a concept last year, the BMW M3 Touring 24H, a hypothetical endurance racing version of the BMW M3 Touring, was showcased as an April Fools’ joke. However, wagon enthusiasts expressed the desire to turn that joke into something serious, and BMW has done just that.
The new BMW M3 Touring 24H is now a real race car, and it’s going to race at this year’s 24h Nürburgring. The “Green Hell” will serve as the debut for the new race car, and it will compete in the race’s SPX category with Jens Klingmann, Ugo de Wilde, Connor De Phillippi, and Neil Verhagen behind the wheel. Meanwhile, competing for overall victory in the race, three BMW M4 GT3 EVO cars will be racing in the SP9 category. Thanks to fans who gave an unprecedented reception to an April Fools’ joke, the BMW M3 Touring 24H is now a reality that could spell a future with a flourishing performance wagon category.
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Image Source: BMW
