The M4 GT3 begins racing in 2021.
The latest teaser for the new BMW M4 shows off not only the road car but also the GT3-class racer. Prototypes for both of them will be on display at the Red Bull Ring during the upcoming BMW M Grand Prix of Styria MotoGP race.
The M4 coupe in these teaser images show the car covered in a wrap, but there's nothing concealing the actual shape of the body. It matches up exactly with the bevy of spy shots showing the model's development. There's the huge grille from the 4 Series but with larger intakes in the lower fascia that creates a more balanced look for the nose.
The rest of the design alterations include larger side sills. The rear deck has a tiny spoiler, and there are four, circular exhaust outlets.
The M4 (and M3) will arrive with a standard version using a 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six with 473 horsepower (353 kilowatts) and running through a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic. The Competition version will use the same engine making 503 hp (375 kW) and have the auto gearbox. Both of these will be rear-wheel drive at launch, but there will be an all-wheel-drive variant later.
The road-going M4 coupe will debut with the M3 sedan on September 23. Sales in the US will likely begin in early 2021.
The M4 GT3 racer will use a variant of the inline-six from the road car but with some modifications for competition use. However, it'll wear a very different looking body. The motorsport team stretches out the front to add much wider fenders. More angular styling for the hood accentuated the inward slanted brows above the headlights, which gives the car an angry appearance.
Preparing For The New M3 And M4:
The exhaust exits just ahead of the passenger side front wheel, which should give the engine quite an impressive sound. At the back, there are inlets on the sides of the wider fenders. A gooseneck-mounted spoiler and big diffuser manage the airflow.
A good design is a matter of preference, but the changes to the M4 GT3's exterior arguably create a more attractive vehicle than the road car. The front tweaks to the front particularly seem to create a better balance with the big grille to generate a more cohesive appearance.
The M4 GT3 will compete in select races in 2021. In 2022, it'll become the company's full replacement for the M6 GT3 for customers running in this class.
From the road to the racetrack: First joint appearance of the BMW M4 Coupe and BMW M4 GT3 prototypes during the MotoGP™.
20.08.2020 Press Release
World premiere on the Red Bull Ring: For the first time, the BMW M GmbH presented its two icons designed for the road and the racetrack side by side, the prototypes of the new BMW M4 Coupe (combined fuel consumption: 10.9 – 10.5 l/100 km*; combined CO2 emissions: 249 – 239 g/km*, provisional figures) and the new BMW M4 GT3.
Munich. World premiere on the Red Bull Ring: For the first time, the BMW M GmbH presented its two icons designed for the road and the racetrack side by side, the prototypes of the new BMW M4 Coupe (combined fuel consumption: 10.9 – 10.5 l/100 km*; combined CO2 emissions: 249 – 239 g/km*, provisional figures) and the new BMW M4 GT3. During the run-up to the MotoGP “BMW M Grand Prix of Styria”, the two vehicles were presented in a camouflage look designed specifically for this purpose, as their final design will not be revealed until a later date.
“I am very pleased we are able to present both the new BMW M4 Coupe and the new BMW M4 GT3 together here. As title sponsor of the ‘BMW M Grand Prix of Styria’ and long-term partner of MotoGP organiser Dorna Sports, I cannot think of a better place to hold this special premiere. The BMW M4 Coupe and its motorsport counterpart BMW M4 GT3 are the icons of the BMW M GmbH and prime examples of the technology transfer from motorsport to series production – and back again. From the outset, both vehicles were developed parallel to each other, so they both have the same genes,” says Markus Flasch, CEO of the BMW M GmbH, who himself completed the first laps on the Red Bull Ring in the BMW M4 Coupe.
Like the new BMW M3 Sedan and all other current high-performance automobiles from the BMW M GmbH, the new BMW M4 Coupe will be available in two performance versions: Apart from a variant with 353 kW/480 hp and
a 6-speed manual transmission, a Competition model with 375 kW/510 hp and an 8-speed M Steptronic transmission with Drivelogic will also be on offer in each case.
The core component shared by all BMW M4s is the newly developed straight six-cylinder engine featuring M TwinPower Turbo technology and a high-revving concept. From the outset, the high-performance-power plant was developed on the basis of performance characteristics taken directly from motorsport. Not only will the BMW M Customer Racing Teams, who will be deploying the BMW M4 GT3 in numerous GT series worldwide, benefit from this. It also raises the standard of driving pleasure for BMW M4 road-legal vehicles to a new level.
For Philipp Eng, the person driving the BMW M4 GT3, the ride around the Austrian circuit was a welcome foretaste of the year ahead: “I can’t wait to take the BMW M4 GT3 onto the starting grid,” says the Austrian who will be participating in the DTM with the ZF BMW M4 DTM. “The BMW M4 GT3 will already take part in its first race next year and will be able to prove how it performs under competitive conditions. I am sure that it has what it takes to continue the long-standing and successful tradition of BMW M vehicles.”
From 2022 and following selected racing events in 2021, the BMW M4 GT3 will finally replace the BMW M6 GT3 as the top-of-the-range model in BMW’s customer sport offering. Since 2016, the BMW M6 GT3 has been part of the BMW M Motorsport vehicle portfolio, already winning the Spa-Franchorchamps 24 hours during its debut year, only to surpass this success with a double victory two years later.
However, before the new BMW M4 Coupe is actually released to the road and the racetrack without special camouflage design, final intensive tests still have to be performed. The official world premiere is planned for September 2020. But one thing is already certain: One of the MotoGP pilots battling for points and placements just a few days after the appearance of the BMW M4 Coupe on the Red Bull Ring, will have the pleasure of driving an icon of the BMW M GmbH. Because the winner of the “BMW M Grand Prix of Styria” being held from 21st to 23rd August will be honoured with an exclusive BMW M4 Coupe of the model generation 2021.