BMW Motorsport displayed the M4 GT3 in race livery at the Nürburgring on June 2, just days before the 2021 edition of the Nürburgring 24-Hour race. The car will make its race debut on the circuit in a four-hour Nürburgring Endurance Series race on June 26. The driver lineup for the first race has not yet been announced.
The new car will replace the M6 GT3 at the top of BMW’s customer race car line and is powered by the P58 M TwinPower Turbo inline-six engine, which is based on the BMW S58 and weighs 80 pounds less than the P63 V8 it replaces. BMW says that the greatest improvements to the new car compared to its predecessor “are in three areas: drivability, cost efficiency, and operation. The BMW M4 GT3’s handling and cockpit equipment are more comfortable for amateur drivers, while the car is easier on the tires and offers greater consistency. Far lower lifecycle costs and longer maintenance intervals for the engine and transmission are vital economic factors. Operating the car has been made far easier by the fact that many basic settings can be configured directly via the steering wheel, without having to connect an external laptop.”
BMW Motorsport says that, “The purchase price of the BMW M4 GT3 starts at € 415,000 net—€ 4,000 less than the price of its predecessor, the BMW M6 GT3, and roughly the same as its competitors. The Competition Package is available as an option ex-factory for an additional charge. This includes useful optional features, integrated and tested specifically for use in endurance races. As a special extra, the package includes an exclusive training day in an in-house BMW M4 GT3 simulator.”
In the U.S., the M4 GT3 is priced at $530,000, and the competition package comes at a cost of $55,000. BMW adds that, “In North America, the BMW M4 GT3 will be eligible to compete in the GT Daytona and GT Daytona Pro classes of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, as well as the GT class of the SRO Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS and SRO GT America powered by AWS series.”
“BMW of North America is preparing to welcome the BMW M4 GT3 for the 2022 racing season and support our BMW customer racing family behind the latest offering from BMW M Motorsport,” said Victor Leleu, BMW NA Motorsport manager. “We have little doubt that this car will be as successful as its predecessor, the BMW M6 GT3—most recently the IMSA GTD winner at Mid-Ohio with Bill Auberlen, Robby Foley, and our friends at Turner Motorsport.”
After the June 26 race, the car will undergo more testing and will run in more races. It is scheduled to be delivered to customers later in the year, and to compete worldwide in 2022. More detailed information on the car and its specs compared to the M6 GT3 appear here.—Brian Morgan
[Photos courtesy BMW Motorsport.]