BMW M3 Touring 24h vs. BMW M4 GT3 Evo: Hardly any difference in driving

– In addition to Max Verstappen’s start, the debut of the BMW M3 Touring 24h was the big highlight at the second round of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS). The two drivers Jens Klingmann and Ugo de Wilde had a special experience.

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Because most BMW factory drivers were at the 12 Hours of Sebring, both drove not only the estate racer but also the BMW M4 GT3 #77. Since both vehicles are fielded by Schubert Motorsport, the general conditions are also the same, such as with tire partner Yokohama.

So both got a direct back-to-back comparison with both cars. And how does it drive? Jens Klingmann is enthusiastic. “As a driver, you almost forget that you’re not sitting in the M4 GT3 because it basically feels similar and gives you the confidence from the start that you’ve known from past years,” he told Motorsport-Total.com.

Ugo de Wilde, who has never driven a GT3 car on the Nordschleife and therefore had a debut in a double sense, agrees. “They are remarkably similar. When you sit in the cockpit, you hardly have the feeling of sitting in a different racing car, although the seat and the driver’s net are of course different,” said the Belgian to Motorsport-Total.com.

Time comparison: Internally, the estate keeps up

If we look at the times, these words seem surprising at first. If we take the average value of the 17 fastest laps (60 percent fastest laps) from both cars, both come to almost identical values:

1. BMW M4 GT3 Evo #77 – 8:06.253 minutes
2. BMW M3 Touring 24h #81 – 8:06.546 minutes

Looking at the development of the lap times of both vehicles, there are often only minor differences. Only in the last lap did the M3 Touring have bad luck with a Code 60 and therefore lost 40 seconds in one go. At the finish, the estate was 1:24 minutes behind. Both vehicles have the same classification in the Balance of Performance (BoP) with 1,365 kilograms and the same boost pressure curve.

In terms of the fastest lap time, the M4 is a bit more clearly ahead:
1. BMW M4 GT3 Evo – 7:59.610 minutes (Klingmann, lap 29)
2. BMW M3 Touring 24h – 8:01.723 minutes (de Wilde, lap 26)

Of course, it must be noted that there is still a lot more in the M4: The winning Rowe vehicle on Michelin tires took almost two minutes off the Schubert M4 over the four hours and drove a fastest lap of 7:57.656 minutes. However, the Rowe package is well-known, while Schubert was absent from the Nordschleife for almost four years and made its debut with Yokohama tires.

Almost identical driving behavior, with one difference

“A major difference is that the Touring feels a bit stiffer. In high-speed corners, it is very precise and a bit more aggressive. As a result, I didn’t have full confidence immediately,” de Wilde admits.

It is known that GT3 vehicles are primarily developed for amateur drivers. The goal of all manufacturers is to create as large a window as possible for all drivers. Therefore, GT3 vehicles are very forgiving to drive.

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The Touring, on the other hand, is stiffer on the rear axle due to its shape. This makes the rear a bit more lively. Thus, the car is more for professional drivers. It also doesn’t have to be developed for amateurs because with Klingmann, de Wilde, Connor De Phillippi and Neil Verhagen, four full professionals are used on the car.

Of course, the M3 Touring is a greater challenge for a Nordschleife “debutant” – de Wilde had already driven permit races and started in a BMW M2 Racing at the 2025 24-hour race, but had never been on the Nordschleife in really fast vehicles.

Klingmann is not surprised that de Wilde has to feel his way more with the Touring than with the M4, especially in the fast corners: “Specifically, the first half of the lap is a track that requires confidence in the car. It is medium-fast to fast with many fast corners. The driver has to build up a lot of confidence on the Nordschleife to be fast.”

By this, he means corners like the fast right after the Sabine Schmitz corner, Flugplatz, Schwedenkreuz, Fuchsröhre and the entrance to Metzgesfeld, which require a lot of “commitment” from the driver. This is exactly where the setup of the Touring needs to be refined in the short time remaining until the 24-hour race.

In fact, the biggest difference is not felt on the track at all, as de Wilde notes with a laugh: “A noticeable difference is evident during the driver change: due to the shorter driver’s door, getting in and out is a bit more cramped. However, as soon as you are on the track, you quickly forget that you are sitting in the Touring. It really feels like you are driving the M4.”

Successful racing debut

Overall, there is satisfaction after the first racing appearance of the April Fool’s joke come true. “We are very satisfied with the debut at NLS2, it was very positive,” says Klingmann. “We have seen that within these eight months from the start of the project until now on the Nordschleife, we have done a lot right.”

“I think we are on a very good path to really tease out the maximum potential. Although this car originated from an April Fool’s joke, our mission is clearly to make the car as high-performance as possible. We don’t just want to be field fillers.”

The goal is to shake up the GT3 cars. And that was quite successful at NLS2. In twelfth place overall, the Touring left several GT3 vehicles behind, including a Ford Mustang from the SP9-Pro class.

De Wilde confirms: Overall, the Touring, although the M4 is more developed, is already in a good range for a first race. Of course, there is still room for improvement, we will continue to work on that. Honestly, I had expected the cars to feel much more different, so it was a very positive surprise.”

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