Having possibly the ultimate M car in the showroom is no mean feat; a car which had a list price somewhere north of £120,000; despite that price tag, it sold out without ever having to be on sale. And to top it all, only 30 were ever allocated to the UK. Say hello to the BMW M4 GTS.
The BMW M4 GTS is impressive for many reasons. Not least, the incredible performance – 500 bhp and 600 nm of torque means the GTS can lap the Nürburgring-Nordschleife in 7 minutes 28 seconds. But perhaps the most impressive thing about the M4 GTS is BMW chose to put it into production in the first place. The M4 is a pretty imposing piece of kit in standard form. However, the GTS takes off the sensible shirt and tie and goes for gold in the most manic way possible. It’s the polar opposite of what we’ve come to expect from the existing M4 and that’s what makes it so exceptional.
BMW claim that the M4 GTS is “the most agile, radical and dynamically potent model in the range” helped by an outstanding power-to-weight ratio. There are no fripperies or luxuries here. Inside, you are by carbon-fibre bucket seats, a lightweight centre console and even the rear seat panelling and boot partition is a special lightweight construction. There’s no point in looking for door handles, as they’re gone too, replaced by simple pull loops. The engineers were so ruthless with the weight saving, that even the instrument panel bracing tube is made from lightweight carbon fibre.
Outside, the theme continues. The roof, boot lid and newly designed bonnet are all formed from carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic. The front splitter and rear wing are also carbon-fibre items and are fully adjustable, nods to BMW’s extensive touring car heritage and expertise.
The M4 GTS uses the same six-cylinder in-line turbo engine from the BMW M3/M4, but adds water injection technology to give the 3.0-litre unit the substantial power hike. The exhaust system is titanium and offers a 20% weight saving as well as providing the screaming soundtrack. Power is transferred to the rear wheels by a seven-speed M Double Clutch Transmission (M DCT) and the obligatory flappy paddles (or stick) can be used to select gears in rapid fire fashion. No surprise that the Drivelogic programme and launch control has been tweaked to cope with the increased output.
The car rides on three-way adjustable M coilover suspension specially tuned for the BMW M4 GTS. The Acid Orange star-spoke alloy wheels are exclusive to this model and wear Michelin Pilot Sport Cup rubber which has been adapted specifically for this model. Stopping power comes courtesy of M carbon ceramic brakes.
If an ordinary (a misnomer if there ever was one) GTS won’t quite cut it, BMW also offered an optional Clubsport Package. This includes a fetching Acid Orange half roll cage, a six-point harness and a fire extinguisher. Presumably to cool you down after you drive it. Utterly hardcore, but equally brilliant.
Thanks to forum member Robert K for the pictures.