The regulatory framework for Grand Touring (GT) racing was established in 1954 when the FIA issued Appendix J to govern Touring Cars and GT Cars. By 1957, the term Group 3 was formally in use to describe these GT vehicles. To ensure the cars remained representative of production models, the FIA mandated a minimum production of 100 units within a 12-month period for a vehicle to achieve Group 3 homologation by 1960.
The prominence of Group 3 increased in 1960 with the institution of the FIA GT Cup. During this period, GT cars were featured in most rounds of the World Sports Car Championship. In 1962, the FIA shifted the focus of international competition by replacing the World Sports Car Championship with the International Championship for GT Manufacturers, a title contested through 1965.
In 1966, a major revision of Appendix J led to the introduction of a new Group 3 Grand Touring Car category. This revision significantly increased the production requirement to 500 units. This change resulted in the reclassification of several high-performance models, such as the Ferrari 250 GTO and Porsche 904, which were moved to the new Group 4 Sports Car category because they met that category's lower 50-unit minimum rather than the new Group 3 threshold.
Following the 1966 revisions, the International Championship for GT Manufacturers was discontinued and replaced by the International Championship for Sports Cars. Group 3 cars remained eligible to compete alongside Group 4 cars in 1966 and 1967. In 1968 and 1969, they competed in the International Championship for Makes, running against Group 4 Sports Cars and Group 6 Prototype-Sports Cars. An International Cup for GT Cars was held concurrently with the Makes Championship starting in 1968.
In 1970, the category underwent another transition. With the creation of a new Group 4 Special Grand Touring Car category, Group 3 was renamed Series Production Grand Touring Cars. The production requirement was increased again, this time to 1,000 units. The new Group 4 category allowed for more extensive modifications and required only 500 units for homologation.
Both GT categories were eligible for the International Championship for Makes, which was renamed the World Championship of Makes in 1972. In 1976, this championship was restricted to production-derived cars from Groups 1 through 5, and the International Cup for GT Cars was discontinued that same year.
Group 3 regulations were also applied to rallying, where they sat alongside Group 1, Group 2, and Group 4 classes. Manufacturers sometimes homologated different versions of the same model into different groups to suit these regulations. For example, the Lancia Beta Coupé was homologated for both Group 3 and Group 4; the Group 3 variant utilized the mass-produced 8-valve engine, while the Group 4 version was equipped with a more powerful 16-valve engine.
The Group 3 Series Production Grand Touring Car category remained a valid FIA classification through the end of 1981. In 1982, the FIA introduced a new set of regulations, including the Group B Grand Touring category, which replaced the previous numbering system.