Last week we traveled to Monterey, California for the annual Car Week events. While the main event takes place on Sunday at the famous 18th hole at Pebble Beach, there are plenty of exciting venues to visit throughout the week. One of them is the Laguna Seca Racecourse. Courtesy of BMW of North America, we headed to the famous track to watch the unveiling of a new race car. For the first time, the BMW M4 GT3 landed on American soil ahead of its first race on January 22 at the 24 Hours of Daytona.
The new racing car will replace the current M8 GTE and M6 GT3 in various racing championships around the world. The new racing car is built on the mainstays of the BMW M4 competition. Testing started last year and it already has more than 14,000 test kilometers under his belt. The goal with the M4 GT3 was to drastically reduce life cycle costs and maintenance expenses compared to its predecessor. There is also some notable differences from its predecessor, the BMW M6 GT3. The new M4 GT3 is 45 millimeters longer, 6 millimeters narrower and has a 16 millimeter longer wheelbase.
The biggest change, however, is under the hood. While the old M6 GT3 used a 4.4-liter P63 V8 developing up to 580 HP, the new M4 GT3 uses a 3-liter P58 straight-six engine developing up to 590 HP. The new engine therefore saves around 40 kilograms of weight compared to its predecessor and has significant changes compared to the S58 engine on which it is based.
From installation angle to dry sump, engine mounted oil tank with integrated oil/water intercooler, intake system with charge cycle split and two throttle valves, exhaust system with load cycle distribution, adapted motor support and mounting at GT3, rear torsional vibration shock absorbers. The purchase price of the BMW M4 GT3 starts at €415,000 net – that’s €4,000 lower than the price of its predecessor, the BMW M6 GT3, and similar to that of its competetion. The “Competition Pack” is available as an option for a additional charges.
In the video below, you’ll see the unveiling of the car, along with behind-the-scenes footage from the BMW paddock. So stay tuned and don’t forget to subscribe to our channel!
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