In case you’re unfamiliar with the Continental Papenburg 3000, it’s a speed test organized at the ATP automotive testing track in Papenburg, a city in the district of Emsland, Lower Saxony in northern Germany. The goal of the event is to determine a car’s highest speed over a distance of 3,000 meters (1.86 miles). Dedicated to tuners, the event organized by Continental Tires takes place every year, and in 2023, AC Schnitzer brought its tricked-out BMW M3 Touring.
Naturally, the G81 was far from stock as the twin-turbo, 3.0-liter inline-six engine was upgraded to a massive 602 horsepower and 750 Newton-meters (553 pound-feet) of torque. AC Schnitzer got rid of the OEM wheels to make room for its own 20-inch front and 21-inch AC4 forged wheels wrapped in Continental SportContact 7 tires, of course.
Flat out, the BMW M3 Touring went on to reach an impressive 306 km/h or 190 mph, which isn’t too shabby for a family wagon. From the factory, the G81 is capable of hitting an electronically governed 155 mph (250 km/h) or 174 mph (280 km/h) if the optional M Driver’s Package is included.
AC Schnitzer mentions their modified M3 Touring took 3.5 seconds to reach 62 mph (100 km/h) or a tenth of a second less than a standard G81. Even more impressive was the sprint from 0 to 124 mph (200 km/h), which only took 10.8 seconds whereas the stock car needs 12.9 seconds. Bear in mind, the first-ever M3 wagon is not the lightest car out there, tipping the scales at 1,940 kilograms (4,276 pounds) for the one tested by the German tuner.
The G81 has been around for a little over a year but a facelift is already being worked on. BMW wants to align the speedy wagon with the changes planned for the M3 Sedan LCI arriving in 2024. A hotter M3 CS Touring is rumored to land in 2025 with extra power and a generous use of carbon fiber.
Source: AC Schnitzer / YouTube
