One size bigger, the BMW M replaced the BMW Z4 GT3 with the GT3 version of the M6 F13 for the 2016 season. From 2010, until its replacement, this was the first choice for various private racing teams worldwide and initially produced 480 and later up to 535 hp. Its greatest success came in 2015 when it won the 24-hour race in Spa-Francorchamps.
Nevertheless, with its relatively short wheelbase of 2,509 millimetres, the Z4 GT3 was always more challenging to handle than its competitors. BMW Motorsport ultimately decided to rely on the BMW F13 from now on. This was “perfect for the development of the new GT sports car for customer sport”, explained BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt at his presentation at the IAA 2015. The almost five-metre-long racing car was to be used in various series in accordance with the FIA GT3 classification.
The turbocharged V8 engine and the long wheelbase were the basis for optimal handling, which gave the series vehicle a sporty look. Nevertheless, the modifications compared to the series models were plentiful, especially the radical change from over 1,900kg to under 1,300 kg, the driver's seat shifted to the centre, the transaxle transmission and a power increase of the series engine to 585 hp.
The first successes were not long in coming. A victory in the VLN Endurance Race Nürburgring was followed by first place in the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. In 2018, Walkenhorst Motorsport took its second overall victory at Spa-Francorchamps and Augusto Farfus won the FIA GT World Cup title for Schnitzer Motorsport in Macau. In 2020, ROWE Racing achieved the long-awaited overall victory at the Nürburgring 24 Hours with the BMW M6 GT3. Its victories on the international stage once again underlined the broad and varied expertise of the M - and this was therefore another important chapter in recent motorsport history.
Along with its sporting successes, the M6 GT3 also received the rare honour of twice becoming a work of art in the BMW Art Car Collection.