We recently scratched a nostalgic itch and listed Need For Speed’s most iconic cars. Top of the list? You already know. Obviously it’s that 2005 M3 GTR from NFS: Most Wanted.
Either EA’s been eavesdropping on our coffee breaks, or by sheer coincidence they’d long since planned to recreate that very same car in reality to mark the release of Need For Speed Unbound’s Vol. 9 content drop. The only way we’ll know for sure is if Vol 10 includes a minigame where you have to throw sugar packets into a mug from increasing distances.
The instantly recognizable blue and silver livery recreates the vehicle that you famously began the 2005 game with, before that dastardly Razor conspired to have it taken away from you. But beneath the wrap, there’s an even more interesting story to this particular M3 GTR that EA’s using for this promo.
The car you’re looking at here is the #42 Team BMW Motorsport E46 M3 GTR driven by Jörg Müller and J.J. Lehto to ALMS GT Series victory in the 2001 season, and which Müller also won the drivers’ championship in. Quite some pedigree hiding under the wrap, then.
You can go and see it in the flesh at BMW Welt in Munich, where it’s on display until January 6, 2025. Maybe if you ask them really nicely they’ll let you touch it, but probably not.
Its appearance marks the release of the latest NFS Unbound update, Vol. 9: Prepare For Lockdown. Don’t worry, they haven’t been getting Boris Johnson in as a developer—the name’s a reference to a new PvPvE mode introduced to the game, which you can read about in more depth on NFS Unbound’s official site.
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
