The BMW Concept M4 GTS will take it to the track
BMW
The latest brainchild from BMW's performance M Division was developed with the racetrack in mind but will be completely street-legal.
The BMW Concept M4 GTS was unveiled earlier this month at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
"While the BMW M4 Coupe embodies the ideal combination of motor sport genes and unrestricted everyday usability, the BMW Concept M4 GTS previews an emotionally powerful and exclusive special model conceived with an eye for trailblazing technology and a keen focus on the race track," BMW M Division president Frank van Meel said in a press release.
"Despite its outstanding track ability, it is still fully road-legal," he added. "This is racing technology for the road in the truest sense."
[And earlier version of this post was written by Graham Rapier.]
BMW’s M designation has always been a show-stopper, ever since the first Giugiaro-designed M1 racer made its debut in 1978.
Flickr
It won't be BMW's first M Series special edition. This M3 Evolution was unveiled in 1988.
Stefan Poppelaars/Flickr
The most recent special edition — the M3 CRT — was released in 2011 and clearly still in the German designers' minds as they designed the new M4 GTS.
Flickr
For the current generation, which debuted in 2014, the M3 sedan keeps its traditional name, but ...
BMW
... the M3 Coupe is now called the M4.
REUTERS/Rebecca Cook
The standard M4 looks great, but the GTS ups the ante — big time. Matte-black paint covers most of the car’s exterior, and small highlights of "acid orange" add to the car’s racing flair.
BMW
Under the hood, the GTS is expected to get a slightly more powerful version of the M4's 425-horsepower, twin-turbo-charged, 3.0-liter straight-6 engine.
BMW
Source: Motor Authority
Aiding the two turbochargers is a water-injection system that increases power and torque by cooling intake air, making it denser as it heads for the cylinders.
BMW
That's the same technology that allows BMW's M4 MotoGP safety car to keep up with racing motorcycles on the track.
Harold Cunningham/Getty Images
The front grille design is similar to what we've come to expect from the M cars, but the huge air intakes make for a menacing profile.
BMW
BMW is also taking this announcement as a step to highlight its use of organic light-emitting diodes, the same technology that lights up your phone screen.
BMW
From the rear, with the spoiler included, we get a sense of where this car is meant to be: on the track.
BMW
Sleek lines down the side of the car, as well as a grippy quartet of Michelin Pilot tires, add to the racing feel. All these extras should make the M4 GTS considerably quicker than the already fast M4, which BMW claims can hit 60 mph in 4.1 seconds.
BMW
The M4 GTS will be available in the United States — the Bavaria-based automaker has indicated that deliveries will commence sometime in 2016.
BMW
See Also:
We can finally peek inside the home of the world's second-richest man
Meet the man who plans parties for New York's biggest banks — and see his stunning work
VW had a terrible month in the US — and it's not because they cheated on emissions
SEE ALSO: The new Mercedes C-Class Coupe is a ridiculously powerful German muscle car