Edmunds: G-Power BMW M3 GT2 S First Drive

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Jul 6, 2010 | 08:52 AM

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Edmunds: G-Power BMW M3 GT2 S First Drive

"We manage a furtive glance at the speedo as the entrance to the old Nürburgring Nordschleife flashes past on the right. There's 170 mph on the clock and plenty more throttle to go. The seductive BMW V8 is screaming toward the redline and there's another note, a supercharger whine, piercing the Adenau forest. We were never meant to hit this kind of speed as it wasn't in the engineers' plan, but then with a near empty Nordschleife and a 2010 G-Power BMW M3 GT2 S to play with, you just have to.
We're here at the behest of Michelin, which has rented the whole Nürburgring and invited a handful of us to drive some of the world's best cars, hoping to show just how good the Michelin Pilot Sport 2 and Cup tires really are on the world's most demanding stage. A Gumpert Apollo, a Ruf Porsche and more have turned out, but this car just grabbed our attention right from the off.

Just the week before, a 2010 G-Power BMW M3 GT2 S very like this one actually won the Nürburgring 24, the infamous race for production-type cars that is easily more demanding than the 24 Hours of Le Mans. As we roll up to the "tourist" entrance to the old Nürburgring Nordschleife, where anyone can pay a few euros to drive the 13 miles of sinewy, lethal tarmac, no fewer than five people ask if this is the Schnitzer G-Power BMW that won the race. On the outside, at least, it is.

YouTube - 2010 Nürburgring 24 Hours BMW M3 E92 on the Nordschleife

Race Replica
Back in 1971, Johan Grommisch and his pals took over an old Esso gas station to tune BMW 2002s and it ultimately led to the establishment of G-Power GmbH in 1983. Zoran Zorneke and Christian Stober now lead the company, which is located in Autenzell, a little town between Munich and Ingolstadt. High-performance BMW hardware is their passion.

The 2010 G-Power BMW M3 GT2 S is a good example. A competition-style version of the G-Power BMW M3 Tornado CS, its aero pieces are made from carbon fiber. It would take some serious gumption to drive this car on the open road outside the Nürburgring gates, because subtle it is not. It's worth a mention that this company isn't one for making outrageous disco cars. First and foremost, G-Power is an engineering firm that focuses on the mechanical side, and the only way to identify its 750-horsepower G-Power BMW M5, the world's fastest sedan now parked nearby in the Nürburgring paddock, is a handmade sign the G-Power engineers have put in the window.

There's not much that reminds you of a BMW M3. Thanks to a stripped-out interior, the use of lightweight, forged 20-inch Silverstone ClubSport wheels, a titanium exhaust system and lots of careful detailing, the GT2 S is some 300 pounds lighter. G-Power is working on an even lighter version that will reduce the car's weight by a further 200 pounds, which will put this M3 on the same footing as the Porsche 911 GT3 RS.

Meanwhile, the motivating force of this car is a 4.0-liter BMW V8 fitted with an ASA T1-522 centrifugal supercharger, an application also seen on the Alpina B6 GT3 racecar. A dual-flow carbon air intake, a cast-aluminum intercooler and a cold air box help the engine develop a blast of power with just 7.5 psi of boost, some 600 hp at 7,800 rpm and 427 pound-feet of torque at 5,300 rpm.

At the Gate
And as we sit at the gate of the Nordschleife, perhaps the world's most challenging racetrack, 600 hp seems like a lot. Luckily Michelin has brought experienced race drivers to lead the way around the circuit and map out the driving line, but as we scream out onto the track and enter the series of bends at Hatzenbach, the stability-control warning light comes to life on the M3's instrument panel. This is no token parade lap.

The centrifugal supercharger means the power comes at the top of the V8's power curve, not the bottom, yet the car still screams past 60 mph in less than 4.1 seconds while 125 mph supposedly unravels in less than 11.8 seconds. This is a spine-tingling car that feels like it will storm straight up to its top speed of 205 mph without stopping for breath. Perhaps a six-speed manual transmission would have been fun, but the M3's Getrag-built seven-speed dual-clutch automated manual is the only way to truly keep pace with the car. Just a finger pull on the shift paddles brings on another gear, and the ECU takes care of the rev-matching on the downshift, which is good, because a minor mistake on the old 'Ring can have catastrophic consequences.

Even with a guide to lead the way, the Nordschleife is an intimidating beast. Tall trees frame the looming guardrails, and there are 1,000 videos on YouTube that tell the story of various misadventures by the unwary. It's not the individual corners that create the problem, but instead the complete lack of runoff, the sheer length of the place and the blind nature of so many of the bends. Even now, as we stick religiously to the M3 in front, a corner comes out of nowhere and we're forced to lean on the chassis and ask it to pull us through.

Faster, Faster
Fortunately the G-Power M3 comes through, thanks to its fully adjustable Clubsport suspension that's set up so stiffly that it clatters our teeth as we arc through the legendary Karussel. Dampers with adjustable compression and rebound join forces with stiffer antiroll bars front and rear, plus realigned steering geometry to suit the occasion. Not to mention the 245/30R20 front and 315/25R20 rear Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires."

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