I didn’t have time to stop and stare when I first saw my childhood hero car.
The moment the glass elevator doors opened, I rushed towards it, camera in hand, desperately trying to capture the moment as it was rolled onto the square. BMW World. I couldn’t afford to miss this, right?
No matter how calm and collected I tried to appear, inside I wanted to scream. It’s not every day you see a BMW M3 GTR in real life, let alone the one I raced Need for speed on my Xbox like a BMW obsessed kid.
The Munich striker had treated me very badly. Any progress I had made on my drive from Stuttgart had been wiped out by bumper-to-bumper traffic and roadworks. Fortunately, Jaqueline Traxler (Jacky), BMW Group’s Digital Marketing Specialist and my contact for the day, had managed to slow the car entrance just enough for me to park my rental car under BMW’s headquarters and run inside.
When the M3 GTR appeared, my jaw dropped. As I took pictures of him being rolled into place, I just wanted to stop and take it all in. The wide arches, the deep, extended bumpers and that enormous rear wing – all exactly as I remembered them from my childhood, were behind a screen, where you race or learn about the legendary BMW race car.
Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t take my eyes off the car. Visiting BMW Welt had always been a dream, but at that moment I might as well have been in an empty warehouse or another dealership. It wasn’t until I finished my photo session with the GTR that I began to realize how impressive my surroundings were.
I must admit that I did not handle the situation with much professionalism. I’ve lost count of how many times I told Jacky how surreal it all felt or that this was by far the best shoot I’d done all year. My excitement had gotten the better of me and I couldn’t do anything about it – I just did it had to ask if I could sit in the car.
“Of course, if you can fit!” she laughed.
Jacky didn’t have to tell me twice. I squirmed over the roll cage, squeezed under the extended wheelhouse, and discovered connections I didn’t even know existed. I didn’t think the day could get any better, but there I was behind the wheel of my favorite race car ever – in the iconic Need for speed color scheme.
That said, two things became painfully clear. One: Jörg Müller and JJ Lehto must have been remarkably thin when they raced and won the ALMS series in 2001. I’m a slim guy by most standards, but once I sank into the Recaro bucket seat I could barely breathe.
Two: Aside from the racing modifications like the cage and switchboard, it was absurd how familiar the M3 GTR felt with my hands on the wheel and my feet on the pedals. No pedal box, that signature BMW dashboard that curves towards me, and of course the blue and white roundel on the steering wheel. I felt at home there, even though it was more of an unfurnished house with a single chair in the office.
Even the door handle felt a bit nicked on the outside, just like any other E46.
Being there early had its advantages. Once I finally pried myself out of the cockpit and the team completed the exhibition, I had a short time to explore the car almost uninterrupted.
Anyone reading this should be familiar with the outside – Need for speed most sought after was a pre-cockpit view game after all. But it was the jewel in the bike that I most wanted to see.
With the hood up, the P60B40 race bike was revealed in all its glory, and I was impressed. The ram-air intake trumpets were oh-so-cool, as were the radiator ducts leading to the giant hood vents and the “BMW Power” lettering on the carbon fiber air box and valve covers.
I am aware that I have now written over 600 words of pure nostalgia, fanboying and unabashed praise. No, I’m not the least bit sorry. If you’re looking for a more detailed history of the M3 GTR, check out our recent story on it, linked here.
This piece is about pure excitement and the opportunity I got to make a childhood dream come true. It’s a story I wanted to share with all of you.
The sentence “Never meet your heroes” has always seen me as an excuse to stay in the comfort zone to avoid the risk of disappointment. But for me, that’s exactly what it is: a risk.
And I’ve always found that the reward is almost always worth it. I’m not one to pass up an exciting opportunity, so when I was offered a special viewing of the car that shaped a generation of car enthusiasts – including myself…
…Nothing would stop me from getting there. Even if it meant catching a flight, two rental cars, a fifteen-hour drive and some iffy hotels, meeting the Need for speed BMW M3 GTR was worth it each second.
Mario Christou
Instagram: mcwpn, mariochristou.world
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