and it’s the #42 BMW E46 M3 GTR that was raced by Jörg Müller and J.J. Lehto in 2001. Not only is this a legitimate M3 GTR, ...

The E46 M3 GTR was an exception to that rule. See, BMW made a mighty V8 to compete in ALMS GT series racing. But to qualify for the class BMW wanted to race in, a street-legal variant needed to exist.

But I’ll start with the lightweight, carbon-roofed BMW. Cherished and fettled by owners almost to the point of fetishism, the E46 ... the M3’s motor and the turbo-muted growl of the GT-R ...

For the 2001 through 2006 BMW M3 model years, third-gen E46 variants delivered the goods via a 3.2-liter inline-six making 333 hp. Of all the BMW M3 generations, only the fourth-gen E90 series ...

right through to the E46 M3 and E39 M5. Both those last are considered perhaps the best of their breeds, but it's interesting to see lesser-known BMW models from the 1950s and late 1960s ...

BMW has dabbled with such prototypes in the past, chiefly an E30 that never saw the light of day and an E46 ... GT Touring is a fine and unique alternative to the very best fast estates The M3 ...