The car on the cover of Need for Speed: Most Wanted (2005) is the BMW M3 GTR, specifically the E46-generation model. Its distinctive silver body with blue racing stripes became one of the most recognizable images in the Need for Speed franchise.
In the game’s story, the BMW belongs to the unnamed protagonist and serves as the player’s opening car. After Razor and his associates sabotage it before a pink-slip race, the protagonist loses the vehicle. Razor then uses the M3 GTR to rise through the Blacklist, turning the car into both a personal symbol and the central prize of the story.
The M3 GTR was based on BMW’s race-developed E46 M3 GTR, although the game presents a street-oriented version for gameplay. Fans often identify it only as “the Most Wanted BMW,” but its model name matters: it is not a standard M3, a Porsche 911 or a Nissan Skyline. The blue-and-silver livery has since become a cult design recreated by fans and even honored by BMW.