A direct link between motorsport in a production car has long served to entice prospective buyers whether in the form of a legitimate homologation special or something more along the lines of the age-old saying, “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.” BMW has created some of the greatest vehicular embodiments of this concept, in the form of models as varied as the E9 3.0CSL and its derivatives, the E30 M3, and numerous others.
The latest example of just how much a BMW M car shares with its purpose-built competition stablemate are the new road-going G82 M4 and its GT3 counterpart. Like the BMW 8 Series and M8 coupes, which were developed in tandem with the Daytona-winning M8 GTE race car, the latest M4 has quite a bit in common with the M4 GT3, but the similarities extend further than relatively small design elements like sharing light housings.
In a new video by BMW, the two cars are parked next to each other for a direct comparison. Presented by Anne Forschner, the designer of the exterior of the M4 Competition, and Michael Scully, BMW Designworks global automotive director, the video goes into detail examining the differences and similarities between the two cars, and you might be surprised to learn just how alike they are, even though one is designed for world-class motorsport competition, and the other for a world-class driving experience.
Although the new M3 and M4 had their official market launch in March and are now available, deliveries of the M4 GT3 aren’t slated to begin until later in the year. The M4 GT3 is BMW’s latest customer race car, joining the ranks of the M2 CS Racing and previous models such as the M4 GT4 and the M6 GT3, the latter of which it is set to succeed. Both the M4 GT4 and the M6 GT3 have a long list of podiums and victories in a variety of professional motorsport events.
The road-going M4 and the M4 GT3 share more than design elements and things like the hood and rear window. The M4 GT3 is based directly on the G82 M4, but uses a race-prepared version of its S58 M inline-six, which BMW has promised to detail in an upcoming video.—Alex Tock
[Photos courtesy BMW AG. Video courtesy of BMW AG via BMWBlog on YouTube.]