When BMW returns to the DTM next season, it will also mark the comeback of a racing legend: between 1987 and 1992 the BMW M3 celebrated no less than 40 wins and over 150 podium finishes in this series. The BMW M3 DTM is based on the fourth generation of the most sporty production car to emerge from BMW M. BMW Motorsport has been developing the DTM version of the car since autumn last year, when the Board of Management of BMW AG announced the company's return to the DTM.

The DTM regulations for the 2012 season stipulate all cars must use a certain number of standard components. This is to guarantee that development costs remain reasonable and are considerably lower than in other top motorsport categories. Despite this, the BMW Motorsport engineers have been able to call upon the immense technical resources of the BMW Group and apply their innovation to establish performance advantages over their rivals in areas such as engine and aerodynamics.

The result of this work is a spectacular racing car, which is set to thrill DTM fans. The powerful V8 engine equipped with the air restrictor as detailed in the technical regulations generates approximately 480 bhp. The car accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in about three seconds and boasts a top speed of approx. 300 km/h.

The BMW M3 DTM was revealed to the public for the first time at the DTM event in Munich on 15th July. Since then, BMW Motorsport has completed numerous successful test sessions with the newly developed car. BMW will be represented by three teams in the DTM in 2012, each running two BMW M3 DTM cars: BMW Team Schnitzer, BMW Team RBM and BMW Team RMG.

Fact box (Concept Car).