BMW has always offered faster, more focused versions of its M3 coupé, generally built in limited numbers and often costing much more than the base model. It started with the E30 M3 Sport Evo in 1990 and here it’s the turn of the current car – now known as the M4, of course.
Just 700 units will be sold worldwide (with 30 coming to the UK), but they’ll be special. The M4 GTS is uprated to nearly 500bhp, and its top speed of 190mph makes it the fastest production BMW
ever. All of this goes some way towards justifying its £121,770 price – more than double that of a standard M4.
This car is fearsomely expensive then, but there’s some trick engineering going on under the skin. The engine is still a twin-turbocharged straight-six with the same internals as the motor in the standard car, but an innovative water-injection system means the turbos can run at higher boost pressures and so generate more power.
Outputs of 493bhp and 600Nm of torque represent increases of 68bhp and 50Nm. The only transmission is the seven-speed twin-clutch gearbox, which helps fire the GTS from 0-62mph in 3.8 seconds.
The chassis has received the most significant upgrades, though. Three-way adjustable coilovers replace the stock springs and dampers while the anti-roll bars are bespoke. The front track is slightly wider and the tyres are now track-focused Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s, developed specifically for this model. As well as adjustable bump and rebound settings, the new suspension enables owners to adjust the ride height.
Weight reduction was a major focus, too, so the bonnet is made from carbon fibre – in addition to the standard car’s carbon fibre roof and tailgate. The exhaust (now made from titanium) saves 7kg and the rear seats have been thrown out. The front seats, meanwhile, are lightweight buckets that are half the weight of the standard items.
Carbon-ceramic brakes are standard, and for those who want the very lightest GTS, BMW offers carbon-compound wheels. They save another 7kg of weight, but don’t come cheap at almost £10,000. Finally, the front splitter and rear wing are adjustable.
We got our first taste of the M4 GTS at the Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona. There was no road driving on this occasion, so it remains to be seen just how well the GTS copes with a typical public highway – especially in this country. On a track, however, it is a deeply impressive and hugely entertaining car.
Running at its lowest ride height and in the recommended damper settings for track driving, the M4 GTS feels a world apart from the base model, with far more immediate responses and much tauter body control. In fact, combined with the bucket seats, harnesses and the Alcantara-covered steering wheel, the uprated chassis gives the GTS the feel of a truly hardcore competition machine.
The standard M4 has a grippy front end, but the GTS’s Cup 2 tyres let you carry even more speed into corners. The steering is more direct and communicative, too. The car’s most impressive trick, however, is being so adjustable and so controllable right on the edge of grip without ever feeling twitchy or unstable. In fact, you can use the throttle pedal to tweak your line in a corner with real precision and confidence – either by lifting off or applying more power.
The engine is appreciably stronger and it has a reasonably energetic top end for a turbocharged unit, but there aren’t the fireworks at the red line that made the previous-generation M3 GTS such a delight. At least the new titanium exhaust gives this model a much more aggressive vocal character than the base version.
If the M4 GTS proves to be as capable on the road as it is on the circuit, it will go down as the best BMW M car for a generation.
- Model: BMW M4 GTS
- Price: £121,770
- Engine: 3.0-litre 6cyl turbo
- Power: 493bhp
- Torque: 600Nn
- Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, rear-wheel drive
- 0-62mph: 3.8 seconds
- Top speed: 190mph
- Economy: 34.0mpg
- CO2: 199g/km
- On sale: Sold out