BMW M4 GT4 breaks cover

After teasing the car a few days back, BMW has finally taken the wraps off the M4 GT4 at a special exhibition event at the Nurburgring. The M4 race car from BMW Motorsports division is a part of customer racing programme and is GT4 compliant. The M4 GT4 is positioned between the M235i Racing and the M6 GT3 in the BMW Motorsport family.

The engine is the same 3.0-litre twin turbo straight six from the standard M4, but produces ‘more than 431 hp’, depending upon the ‘balance of performance’. The novel feature here is the new engine control software, since this is the first BMW Motorsport car to be fitted with power sticks. These can be pre-programmed for different engine performance levels and can be easily plugged-and-played by the racing team, giving the flexibility to change ‘balance of performance’ depending upon the racing regulations. Approved by SRO Motorsports Group, these power sticks are well protected against manipulation, asserts the Bavarian carmaker.

The M4 GT4 benefits from all the racing developments of the M6 GT3 and the hardcore road-going version of the M4, the GTS. It wears carbon-fibre doors and bonnet. The front splitter is motorsport-specific, and so is the large adjustable rear wing and the lightweight racing exhaust system. The racing seats, brakes, pedal box are all scrounged from the M6 GT3. The suspension is equipped with adjustable springs, motorsport-specific stabiliser bars, and special Öhlins shock absorbers. The DCT gets a motorsport software with separate cooling for the mechanical differential. The brakes are upgraded to a 390mm six-piston up front and 355mm four-piston at rear sourced from AP Racing. The 18-icnh racing alloys are wrapped in slick Hankook tyres.

BMW completed an extensive testing phase of the M4 GT4 for a year and a half now, making a surprise appearance at the 24-hour race season starters in Abu Dhabi while still in development stage. BMW Motorsport takes pride in the fact that the M4 GT4 has completed over 20,000kilometres of tests, multiple hours in the wind tunnel, extensive application runs and successful test outings under race conditions. 

BMW has put a price tag of 169,000 Euros for the M4 GT4. The racecar will take on these gruelling championships at the 24Hour Endurance race at the Nurburgring this weekend. Expect to see the GT4 burn some rubber against the likes of Aston Martin Vantage GT4 and Porsche Cayman GT4 in the coming years.