Say hello to the automotive industry’s most expensive and elaborate April Fool’s Joke; the BMW M3 Pickup Truck. While other makers turn to photoshops, the Bavarian firm went ahead and developed an actual car, going as far as testing it on the Nurburgring race track.
The sport ute packs the same 420-horsepower 4.0-liter V8 engine under the bonnet as the rest of the M3 range, which includes the Coupe, Convertible and Sedan models, adding a rear-axle load capacity of up to 450 kilos or 992 pounds.
The load bed itself is clad in high-grade structured aluminium sheeting and provides the biggest cargo capacity ever offered on a M vehicle – up to 20 standard 46-inch golf bags, according to BMW. It’s also the first M3 to be equipped with a trailer tow hitch.
BMW said the kerb weight of the pickup undercuts that of the M3 Convertible by around 50 kilograms or 110 pounds. Interestingly, BMW’s designers also fitted the M3 Pickup Truck with a Targa top, which shaves another 20kg or 44 pounds and at the same time, lowers the car’s centre of gravity when removed.
Despite the removal of the rear passenger compartment, the company says measurements in the wind tunnel at the BMW Group’s Aerodynamic Test Centre showed a Cd factor on a par with that of the BMW M3 Coupé.
Official lap times have not yet been released, but BMW pointed out that the needle in the dial vouched for a top speed of 300 km/h or 186mph.
Of course, the M3 Pickup Truck won’t be heading for production, but BMW said the one-off model is earmarked for use as a workshop transport vehicle for BMW M GmbH.
