The spectacular BMW M3 Touring 24H, which previously caused a stir in the motorsport scene with its fourth-place overall finish at the Nurburgring 24 Hours, made a surprise comeback during the traditional driver parade heading towards downtown Spa as part of the Spa 24 Hours event – with an extraordinary detail.
The power estate wagon rolled through the Belgian Ardennes equipped with a genuine roof box in M design, once again drawing the attention of the motorsport community, which celebrated the vehicle accordingly and called for burnouts on the road between the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps and the city center.
What initially looked like a humorous marketing gag for social media actually had a serious technical background for the development department in Munich.
“We used the event to combine series accessories from BMW with motorsport technology and to demonstrate its performance. The latest generation of BMW roof boxes is currently in the final development and validation phase, so a test with the BMW M3 Touring 24H was more than obvious,” BMW said when asked about the roof box by Motorsport.com Germany.
“The BMW aero roof box received a special design adapted to the Touring for this purpose. In the new generation, the focus in development was on aerodynamic efficiency and low noise development.”
The massive rear wing of the wagon harmonised surprisingly well visually with the aerodynamically optimised roof structure. For the fans along the roadside, the additional volume on the roof also served a very practical purpose: “For the fans in Spa, we were also able to transport a number of great giveaways with it.”
In addition, the Touring was fitted with a passenger seat, as already promised during the initial presentations. The private collector who acquired the car can therefore look forward to an added piece of practicality.
Next stop: Goodwood Festival of Speed
Anyone hoping to see the M3 Touring and its roof box in action again over the remainder of the race weekend will be disappointed. “Further appearances with the roof box are currently not planned,” the manufacturer explained. Following the successful showcase in the Ardennes, the accessory was dismantled for the rest of the weekend.
Instead, the vehicle itself is heading straight to its next journey for a real highlight for automotive enthusiasts: “Next, the vehicle will be seen at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.”
From 23 to 26 July, the bolide will then start again without the luggage solution, but as usual chasing top times at the famous hillclimb.
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