The expertise of BMW’s Motorsport division was in full display in Frankfurt with the unveil of the new M8 GTE and the existing M4 GT4 race car. The M4 GT4 uses developments bits from the M6 GT3 while the engine and transmission, including control electronics, were adopted from the BMW M4 Coupe. The carbon bonnet comes from the BMW M4 GTS and in addition, the BMW M4 GT4 has carbon-fibre doors, motorsport-specific front splitters and rear wings, and a racing exhaust system. The seat, brakes and pedal box make use of solutions that are also included in the top model in customer racing, the BMW M6 GT3. The interior concept is designed entirely for the comfort of the driver, so that he or she can focus fully on driving.
BMW touts compiling over 20,000 test kilometers while developing the car, which is in addition to wind tunnel time and other fine-tuning tasks. And the GT4 includes a new, clever trick: the ability to fit it with one of multiple power sticks. These sticks come preprogrammed with different performance levels and connect with the engine control software to quickly adjust the balance of performance from one race to the next.
The M4 GT4’s twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six can be traced back to the production M4. Fitted with a racing exhaust, the engine produces 431 hp. All of that power is sent via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission that’s been programmed for racing.
The BMW M4 GT4 costs 169,000 Euros (plus VAT).
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