But the NLS has multiple classes, from low-powered entries similar to the Golf GTI I used to race all the way up to GT3s, plus an exhibition class called SPX for stuff that doesn’t quite fit in elsewhere. It’s this latter class that the M3 Touring 24H will enter, being driven by Jens Klingmann, Ugo de Wilde, and two American BMW factory drivers, Connor De Phillippi and Neil Verhagen.
“A project like the BMW M3 Touring 24H has never existed at BMW M Motorsport before,” said Andreas Roos, head of BMW M Motorsport. “Many thanks to everyone who put their heart and soul into this unique car and brought it to life. I am thrilled—and at the same time, I am certain that our fans, who are never closer to us than at our second home on the Nürburgring, will be just as excited. I promise all fans a great show and look forward to an event of superlatives.”
Any 24-hour race is hard, and a 24-hour race at one of the world’s most challenging racetracks is so much harder. But regardless of where the M3 Touring 24H finishes, it will find itself among a very select group of racing station wagons. The most famous, as some of you may be shouting at your screens, was the Volvo 850 Estate that Volvo UK entered into the British Touring Car Championship in 1994.
The 1994 Volvo 850 Estate BTCC car is perhaps the most famous racing wagon.
Credit:
Volvo
The 1994 Volvo 850 Estate BTCC car is perhaps the most famous racing wagon.
Credit:
Volvo
Back then, the BTCC was just entering its purple patch as the world’s most competitive touring car series, with outsized budgets and technology that would rival F1. The Volvo wagon was quick enough not to embarrass itself and became a fan favorite thanks to its sheer outlandishness, though the following year, it was replaced by an 850 sedan after the BTCC changed some aero rules.
As for the N24, if you’re a motorsports fan, it’s worth attending at least once, as hundreds of thousands of German enthusiasts congregate to drink beer and build viewing platforms in the forests that surround the nearly 16 miles (25.4 km) of race track. Sadly, while the organizers are rather permissive about what they’ll let in, they turned down an application from Rauh Racing to enter a Renault Twingo. Oh well, we’ll have to make do with the M3 Touring 24H.