Spied: BMW M4 GTS production prototype bares its GTS goodies [updated w/ VIDEO]

[F83]

Better in white. Let's see the performance specs

[mkoesel]

B.

Manufacturers cover up parts of the car that have been revealed all the time. After all, even if they are the same as the concept (I suspect they are, or very close anyway), leaving them covered keeps that fact a secret.

Originally Posted by aajami

A. First sighting of F32 LCI LED taillights?

B. First sighting of production F82 GTS OLED taillights?

C. Needlessly covering up concept F82 GTS OLED taillights?

[nbennettksu]

I need that hood on my F80

[CanAutM3]

Originally Posted by M3 n X5M

The ugly 20" wheels will probably stay since the carbon brakes don't clear road debris well against the oem 19" wheels.

And those flower orange wheels are just ugly.

Too bad...

Front wheels are still 19", and that is where the tight clearance resides. So I doubt it has anything to do with that...

[CanAutM3]

I find it looks better here, but still... I would ditch the orange "accents" and put better looking wheels.

Unless they can justify those wheels through very (very) light weight and strength, I have a hard time finding any attraction to them.

I still find the rear wing not well integrated, but it is functional, so it makes sense on a track car. It is a beautiful design by itself, quite better than the E92 GTS IMO.

The fact that the front lip is retractable is a plus. Once retracted it should have less of that snow plow look.

I am looking forward to reading more about the technical specs and performance figures.

...and reading more about that rumored M4CSL

[MasterC17]

Originally Posted by Boss330

Rear wing looks allmost exactly like the one on the E92 GTS...

And good luck with a JB4 piggyback outperforming the GTS lap after lap on a track. This is not just a few dyno runs or one pass down the drag strip performance... Not to mention lacking the downforce of the GTS aero vs the LIFT on the std M4 aero...

Yeah, sure the JB4 M4 will be faster...

Good sir; I own an M3 with a JB4. Guess what? It IS consistent lap after lap. So congratulations with backing up your theory with no credible information. BMW is going to *slightly* bump the power on the GTS as compared to the regular F8X. And guess what - the small (ugly) rear wing and that horrendous front lip are going to barely add any downforce over the M Performance Aero to the point of being nearly negligible. Is the GTS going to be faster around the Ring than the regular F8X? Obviously. But most of its gains are going to come down to suspension and tires. The "aero" and slight power bump will account for basically nothing.

Here's a prime example. The regular E46 M3 ran a lap time of 8:22. The E46 M3 CSL ran a lap time of 7:50. An astounding 32 second difference. Did the aero on the E46 change? Barely. Was it lighter? Incrementally. Did it have more power? Negligibly. So where did all that time come from? Suspension and tires. Throw the E46 M3 CSL out there with the PS2's and standard suspension and the difference would have been marginal. Interestingly, the E92 GTS was only 17 seconds faster than the regular E92; even with it's more aggressive aero and similar power bump.

My point is this. The E92 GTS wing was big enough. The one on the F82 is just over the top. The front lip on the E92 GTS was nice looking. The F82 looks like a massive piece of cardboard hanging off the front end. They overdid it. And as much as you want to believe that the F82 GTS will have a huge power bump over the F82, it won't. And a piggyback will outperform it every day, every time. Because BMW isn't going to sell you big power off the shelf.

But again, none of that matters. Put the same suspension and the same tires on both the F82 and the F82 GTS, and the GTS will be only slightly faster.

And if you don't believe me, please feel free to bring a GTS out to Watkins Glen sometime so I can spank it.

[Accel Junky]

Still ugly.

[Boss330]

Originally Posted by MasterC17

Good sir; I own an M3 with a JB4. Guess what? It IS consistent lap after lap. So congratulations with backing up your theory with no credible information. BMW is going to *slightly* bump the power on the GTS as compared to the regular F8X. And guess what - the small (ugly) rear wing and that horrendous front lip are going to barely add any downforce over the M Performance Aero to the point of being nearly negligible. Is the GTS going to be faster around the Ring than the regular F8X? Obviously. But most of its gains are going to come down to suspension and tires. The "aero" and slight power bump will account for basically nothing.

Here's a prime example. The regular E46 M3 ran a lap time of 8:22. The E46 M3 CSL ran a lap time of 7:50. An astounding 32 second difference. Did the aero on the E46 change? Barely. Was it lighter? Incrementally. Did it have more power? Negligibly. So where did all that time come from? Suspension and tires. Throw the E46 M3 CSL out there with the PS2's and standard suspension and the difference would have been marginal. Interestingly, the E92 GTS was only 17 seconds faster than the regular E92; even with it's more aggressive aero and similar power bump.

My point is this. The E92 GTS wing was big enough. The one on the F82 is just over the top. The front lip on the E92 GTS was nice looking. The F82 looks like a massive piece of cardboard hanging off the front end. They overdid it. And as much as you want to believe that the F82 GTS will have a huge power bump over the F82, it won't. And a piggyback will outperform it every day, every time. Because BMW isn't going to sell you big power off the shelf.

But again, none of that matters. Put the same suspension and the same tires on both the F82 and the F82 GTS, and the GTS will be only slightly faster.

And if you don't believe me, please feel free to bring a GTS out to Watkins Glen sometime so I can spank it.

Only time will tell if the GTS will be significantly faster or not and whether it's aero will have a real influence on it's performance on the track.

But I still don't get your argument about the rear wing compared with the E92 M3 GTS??? To me they look like they are very similar in shape and size...

[G30 B58]

The front to rear wheel difference is very noticeable in that pic. ^^^^

[MasterC17]

Originally Posted by Boss330

Only time will tell if the GTS will be significantly faster or not and whether it's aero will have a real influence on it's performance on the track.

But I still don't get your argument about the rear wing compared with the E92 M3 GTS??? To me they look like they are very similar in shape and size...

I think it is because it reminds me so much of this.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/UNIVERSAL-49...166838&vxp=mtr

At least the one on the E92 had some class. They look similar yes, but the one on the F82 just looks like a tuner's piece.

[s4mmie_]

Gotta say this looks pretty horrible... It looks like something you'd knock up in Need For Speed :/

[48Laws]

The auxiliary wing never worked well for the last gen GTS nor this one. Smh.

[dmk08]

I really hope those don't end up being the Comp Pack wheels. Even in a different color scheme.

[IEDEI]

Originally Posted by MasterC17

Throw the E46 M3 CSL out there with the PS2's and standard suspension and the difference would have been marginal. Interestingly, the E92 GTS was only 17 seconds faster than the regular E92; even with it's more aggressive aero and similar power bump.

WELL the E46 M3 CSL was 400+ pounds LIGHTER than the E46 M3......which is HUGE. In addition to that, i agree with you about the tires. Even with the same tires though, the CSL would be massively quicker.

[Boss330]

Originally Posted by MasterC17

I think it is because it reminds me so much of this.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/UNIVERSAL-49...166838&vxp=mtr

At least the one on the E92 had some class. They look similar yes, but the one on the F82 just looks like a tuner's piece.

Also, the GTS prototype tested by some Euro magazines say that the GTS will have "at least 500hp", so a quite significant increase if correct.

http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-rev...r-2015-review/

How does the M4 safety car drive?

The extra 75bhp should be a real game-changer, but surprisingly it is not so much the extra urge that makes this M4 special, it’s the much more emotional driving experience. That’s emotional as in loud noise, pungent smells, instant response, deceptive grip, heartbeat feel. When you first hit the Start Engine button you can’t actually hear the siphoning of the water-injection, but you register the louder and deeper voice of the exhaust, which is made of thin-wall titanium and has shed the second silencer for a less compromised flow. Blip the throttle and the rumble will briefly climax in a surround-sound roar before dropping a few octaves again. The other big change concerns the seats, or lack of seats.

The rear bench has gone, and the front seats are thinly upholstered slim-fit Recaro buckets with no height adjustment and fitted with electric blue, six-point Schroth harnesses. Apart from three rocker switches to activate the flashing lights, the cockpit is pure M4, but swathed in carbonfibre, suede and black leather. The lavish equipment includes blindspot and lane-departure warning, air-con, even sat-nav. ‘I have programmed the M buttons to my liking,’ beams Mike. ‘M1 equals Sport mode, hitting M2 deactivates all electronic aids. Enjoy the car!’

They’ll save up to 100kg by removing the rear seats, making doors and lids of aluminium, and fitting carbonfibre buckets, hollow-spoke rims and a decontented interior. The rollcage will be an optional extra, but all the drag-cutting addenda featured on the pace car are likely to be carried over. These are part of the M Performance aero kit, featuring front splitters and blade, bespoke sill extensions, more slippery door mirrors, smoother undertray, lift-reducing rear apron and adjustable tail rudder.

How does BMW's planned water injection system work?

The water-injection’s pipes and tank add about 10kg. In an ideal world, BMW would use the condensation from the AC unit to cool down the intake manifold, but for packaging and sustainability reasons this approach may not materialise until the next-generation 4-series in 2018. At any rate, the H2O reservoir will have to be more accessible than in the prototype, where it is tucked away in the boot. By improving the thermodynamic efficiency, WI is claimed to boost power and torque by up to 8% while reducing fuel consumption by a similar measure.

Its effect is particularly noticeable at high revs and during very fast full-throttle autobahn stints when the water mist helps to tune down the combustion temperature which in turn reduces the knock tendency. In response, the black box can increase the boost pressure and advance the spark timing. Since high-load knock would no longer be an issue, the compression ratio may be increased which in turn works wonders for the performance vs economy equation. Under race conditions, the water container needs to be refilled every time you stop for fuel. Normal driving quintuples the range.

Still in pit lane, we are anxiously waiting for the car to return from its second run, this time on properly inflated tyres. Everything looks good now, except for the weather. Within minutes light drizzle becomes heavy rain, but despite the slippery surface the reset M4 feels much better planted and consequently more confidence-inspiring. Even close to the redline at 7600rpm the engine sounds so stressless, as if it would happily spin into five-figure territory. Since the middle section of the torque curve resembles a pool table, it helps the flow on this circuit to keep the transmission in third and fourth most of the time, with only one downchange into second required as you enter the slowest bend. Not surprisingly, the correct tyre pressure transforms the car. The temperature of the Michelins (255/35 in the front, 275/35 in the back) is now building up more slowly and more progressively, the breakaway characteristics are more benign and the amount of grip that carries the car through the two fast kinks has almost doubled.


Is it worth the extra outlay?

To find out, I wrangle ten more minutes out of the increasingly nervous MotoGP squad. This time, no photography, just driving. Hard, but not as hard as the unlucky Spanish doctor who damaged his X5M medical car the day before by cold deformation. This time, it’s DSC off plus a mental memo not to overheat the front tyres. And, voilà, it works! At last it is back, the enticing mix of sharpness and compliance, agility and smoothness, poise and intuition. Corner by corner, the enchanted brain wanders further down, through the hip into the right foot. Like the bike riders who are already warming up their engines, the person at the wheel of this M4 needs plenty of patience to tackle the slow esses where less is more, and too much will result, you guessed it, in a spin.

But what makes the heart thump are the looong third-gear arcs which issue an open invitation to throttle-steer the M4 all the way through to the next set of chevrons. The adjustable coil-over suspension unique to this model keeps body roll in check and absorbs deceleration dive. With a less firm calibration, this set-up should be fine for normal road driving. The carbon-ceramic brakes are strong and full of stamina, but you need whaam-whaam-whaam downshift support to turn in.

Verdict

When race control switch on the red lights the session is definitely over, but the M4 GTS has made its point. This car is not merely about grunt and oomph. What gets you hooked are the intensity and intimacy that define the adventure of putting the BMW to the limit. Everything is familiar, yet most things are different. Driving position, overall agility and precision, the sharpness of the handling and the sweetness of the feedback, the delightful steering, the neatly balanced chassis and that unique ready-for-action attitude which must always remain a forte of every M car.

[adc]

Originally Posted by MasterC17

Here's a prime example. The regular E46 M3 ran a lap time of 8:22. The E46 M3 CSL ran a lap time of 7:50. An astounding 32 second difference. Did the aero on the E46 change? Barely. Was it lighter? Incrementally. Did it have more power? Negligibly. So where did all that time come from? Suspension and tires. Throw the E46 M3 CSL out there with the PS2's and standard suspension and the difference would have been marginal. Interestingly, the E92 GTS was only 17 seconds faster than the regular E92; even with it's more aggressive aero and similar power bump.

Some of your facts are wrong. The CSL was some 360lbs lighter than the regular car (3053 vs 3413). It was running on Cup tires (5-8 sec difference on such a long track) and the CF trunk was shaped mostly to eliminate lift (which the regular shape produces). Front splitter produced 50% more downforce according to BMW (still probably not much). Basically each drastic modification implemented helped slashing that Ring lap time, its not like suspension changes took 20 sec off - that's just not realistic.

However if you believe that, I have a dynamite suspension package to sell you for your F80 - it's expensive but hell, worth it!

As for the E92 generation, the aero and suspension of the standard car were much better already so in order to make a measurable improvement, the GTS had a much bigger front lip and sported that huge rear wing. The damping on the standard E46 M3 was simply horrible IMO - very bouncy, never settled and that hurt on such a bumpy track like the Nordschleife. By comparison, the E92 damping was absolutely superb so any suspension improvements were smaller by comparison.

IMO you cannot extrapolate modifications in a linear fashion between different generations. When M tackles a project like this, they look at every area which can yield a significant improvement. With the new GTS, we'll simply have to wait for the final specs and lap times before judging. (And yes, I think a well driven GTS will spank you badly on any track).

Anyway, given how good the base car already is (in damping, power, aero etc.) I am not at all surprised that they went to these extremes to make this car. Anything less would have simply not made a difference.

[punky8d]

I'm not sure what's up with the designer.. I honestly liked the e92 m3 GTS better.. The diving board orange or gold lip and the gold or orange wheels are just confusing for me... This of course is my honest opinion, so don't hate

[solstice]

What I find most intriguing is that they stopped at 285s at the rear. Assuming this car has 500hp and huge torque I was expecting something around 305s to be more optimal. This make me think the aero works REALLY well.

[MasterC17]

Originally Posted by IEDEI

WELL the E46 M3 CSL was 400+ pounds LIGHTER than the E46 M3......which is HUGE. In addition to that, i agree with you about the tires. Even with the same tires though, the CSL would be massively quicker.

False, the CSL was 240lbs lighter. I'm not saying it does not make a difference but it is not that much.

Originally Posted by Boss330

Also, the GTS prototype tested by some Euro magazines say that the GTS will have "at least 500hp", so a quite significant increase if correct.

http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-rev...r-2015-review/

Time will tell but I highly doubt it will have more than 475hp.

Originally Posted by adc

Some of your facts are wrong. The CSL was some 360lbs lighter than the regular car (3053 vs 3413). It was running on Cup tires (5-8 sec difference on such a long track) and the CF trunk was shaped mostly to eliminate lift (which the regular shape produces). Front splitter produced 50% more downforce according to BMW (still probably not much). Basically each drastic modification implemented helped slashing that Ring lap time, its not like suspension changes took 20 sec off - that's just not realistic.

However if you believe that, I have a dynamite suspension package to sell you for your F80 - it's expensive but hell, worth it!

As for the E92 generation, the aero and suspension of the standard car were much better already so in order to make a measurable improvement, the GTS had a much bigger front lip and sported that huge rear wing. The damping on the standard E46 M3 was simply horrible IMO - very bouncy, never settled and that hurt on such a bumpy track like the Nordschleife. By comparison, the E92 damping was absolutely superb so any suspension improvements were smaller by comparison.

IMO you cannot extrapolate modifications in a linear fashion between different generations. When M tackles a project like this, they look at every area which can yield a significant improvement. With the new GTS, we'll simply have to wait for the final specs and lap times before judging. (And yes, I think a well driven GTS will spank you badly on any track).

Anyway, given how good the base car already is (in damping, power, aero etc.) I am not at all surprised that they went to these extremes to make this car. Anything less would have simply not made a difference.

The CSL was only 240lbs lighter. I agree the aero modifications on the CSL helped, but it was minimal. I agree the standard E46 suspension was not good, which is why I stated in the E46 CSL the suspension and tires made the most difference; sounds as though you are agreeing with me.

Regardless, I still maintain that a properly (lightly) modified F8X will perform (and look!) the same or better than the GTS. Time will tell. And I still would be happy to go head to head with one to see which performs better.

[technik330]

Originally Posted by SCOTT26

You forgot the words of wisdom of Herr Gerhard Richter.
When you take a BMW M product aftermarket it is no longer a BMW M.

Respectfully, that's the biggest bunch of BS I've ever heard and I'm on Bimmerpost.

When BMW stops holding their ///M cars back to protect halo ///M cars, we can have a discussion.

Till then, the aftermarket serves its purpose which is to give BMW the finger for holding their cars back in the name of profits.

Have a great day Kermit.

[SeG9n7Rf58pagQt3]

Don't know about you guys, but i wanna see M3 GTS so bad... F80 always looked nicer to me

[Devilzmantis]

I swear, who's designing BMW wheels!? Some college kid in Dubai?!!? That thing just radiates Saudi Royalty Youth... I'm with everyone, get rid of those wheels. ugghhh