BMW Motorsport won't replace the M6 GT3 until the 2022 racing season, but the all-new M4 GT3 is already out on the streets racking up development miles. Originally teased at the end of 2019, the track-only M4 Coupe is being developed alongside the road car and will share the chassis and S58 six-cylinder engine making more than 500 horsepower.
With BMW works driver Augusto Farfus behind the wheel, the first proper tests with the M4 GT3 are taking place this week at the company's test center in southern France ahead of further testing on a competitive level in 2021. With the massive wing and flared fenders, the race car looks downright menacing when viewed from behind. Squint your eyes and you'll observe the roll cage inside the single-seater cabin, stripped down to the bare essentials to cut weight.
The previous teaser showed the race car will share the XXL kidney grille of the M3 Sedan and M4 Coupe, both of which will go official in September. The new arrival in Bavaria's race car portfolio will join BMW Motorsport's lineup alongside the M2 CS Racing, M240i Racing, M4 GT4, and the M8 GTE.
The new M4 GT3's development started back in 2019 with CFD computer simulations before BMW Motorsport went on to test the engine in February this year. The first test chassis was completed at the beginning of the year and initial tests using a 60-percent scale model of the race car were completed recently.
BMW M CEO, Markus Flasch, is happy to report the coronavirus outbreak hasn't hindered the development phase as the M4 GT3 is evolving as originally scheduled even though the safety and hygiene regulations are far stricter now.
