#5 - The Bavarian Bruiser

BMW M3 GTR: This car, of course, is what the whole game of NFS-MW is all about. In the game, this will be your original ride before Razor boy pulls a fast one on you and uses your car to get to from Blacklist #15 all the way to the top. So this must mean that the M3 GTR is quite a machine. In the real world, the stock 2001 M3 ran on one of the most highly regarded engines in the automotive world – the 3.2 liter straight six dubbed S54B32 which made 333 BHP. However, the BMW M3 GTR was an extremely rare prototype powered by a 4.0 liter V8 which made nearly 450 BHP – more than a hundred horses extra. The racing version of this car was very successful in the American Le Mans Series but only two road-going M3 GTR’s are known to exist. In spite of being virtually non-existent on roads, this car is featured not only in NFS-MW but also in GTR - FIA GT Racing Game 2, Gran Turismo 4, Forza Motorsport 1 and 2. What’s the deal with that? Let’s find out what makes this car, well, “Most Wanted”.

Power Lap [+1 min 41 sec]: It is first of all, hugely fast as you can conclude from the Power Lap time. Secondly, because it’s a pretty heavy car, it is utterly calm and collected in every situation, and it’s nearly impossible to upset the composure. It also means even if you hit something, nothing really happens. You just shift down and the engine will be back in its element in no time making you feel unstoppable pretty much like the mutant “Juggernaut” in X-Men 3. It’s not only the engine either. The way the chassis treats tricky corners with utter contempt and just glides over anything you throw at it with absolutely no drama or histrionics whatsoever is unnerving. Driving the M3 GTR is rather like having Don Vito Corleone as your Personal Assistant – you just tell him what to do and he will get it done, no sweat. Nothing is impossible. But he will not smile when you say “Good job, Vito!” He will just give you a curt nod - “It’s not personal, Sonny. It’s strictly business”.

And that brings me to the car’s shortcomings and there are quite a few. Firstly, the Nitrous boost in this car is short-lived and to make matters worse, you’re not allowed to upgrade any parts at all. Furthermore, its exhaust noise is as exciting as a Simon Webbe song which means it’s a lifeless monotonous drone of a steam boiler. But most of all, it is quite simply the victim of its own success. After the initial period where you drive the M3 GTR again and again just to be struck dumb by its absolutely staggering abilities, you start to think “Oh what’s the point? I’m going to win before the others reach 4^th gear.” And that is not good. What’s most annoying is the fact that this car does not slip or slide at all and so you rarely need to really get in there with opposite lock to bring it back under control. This gives the whole driving experience a detached feel; you don’t feel like you’re involved because the car just doggedly does what it's told and doesn’t ask you to put in real effort. I know it sounds weird but the biggest fault of this car is the apparent absence or shortage of significant faults. Lack of faults is lack of character. Whom would you remember better – the mild-mannered guy who never talked but always topped the class or that guitarist who got detained again but still refuses to attend classes coz he’s too busy writing songs? I hope you picked the guitarist dude…