[Video] On board a raucous E36 M3 race car
At an open track day at the Barber Motorsport Park, it takes a lot to stand out. Luckily, the growl of Scooter Gabel’s 1997 PTG BMW E36 M3 is enough to get it noticed.
Chassis STC 95 020 hails from the era of BMW domination in sportscar racing, starting life as a Super Touring car run by Raffanelli Racing in the Italian Super Touring series, before becoming a BMW North America factory effort built to IMSA specs.
In the hands of Canadian driver Ross Bentley, this car won the 1998 USRRC championship, before passing through the hands of a number of privateer teams. It finished its racing career with a hard-earned second in the 2003 Grand-Am championship, behind the Ferrari 360.
After not racing for a decade, the M3 recently underwent a full mechanical and cosmetic restoration, and in the above video is seen completing final testing before racing at Monterey last month. Imagine if every M3 was quite so loud...