BMW releases new M4 GT3 customer race car
The good news? You can now impress everyone at your next track day with the hardcore new BMW M4 GT3 race car. The bad news? It will cost you.
BMW has a strong tradition of supporting customers and privateer racing teams around the world, and the German brand has just added a new range-topping machine to its catalogue, the 2022 BMW M4 GT3.
The M4 GT3 will replace the M6 GT3, and will be available to compete in 2022 global motorsport events, including the Bathurst 12hr Endurance race. Customers can also choose from the M2 CS, M4 GT4 and M8 GTE race cars.
Power comes from the turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder P58 engine, a race-tuned version of the S58 found in the road-going BMW M4 Competition.
Where the road car offers 375kW and a power-to-weight ratio of 222.2kW/t, the new M4 GT3 race car cranks out up to 440kW with a power-to-weight of around 308kW/t.
Pricing starts from €415,000 (A$650k), which is about €4000 or A$6300 less than the previous M6 GT3. It's also enough to buy four 2021 BMW M4 Competition coupes ($159,900 plus options and on-road costs).
Race car buyers can also option a Competition Package which adds backlit door numbers, extra lighting for 24-hour endurance races, on-board telemetry and data monitoring systems, an extra set of rims and a training session in the BMW Motorsport Simulator.
Interestingly too, the steering wheel on the car, which has the ability to record programmable settings and functions, is directly transferable to the simulator, which is the first of its kind.
BMW offers a sim-racing series for those who have the skill, but perhaps not the funds to pursue a more 'three-dimensional' motorsports career. All BMW Motorsport cars, including the new M4 GT3, are available to sim-racing customers to drive on the iRacing and rFactor2 platforms.
The 2022 BMW M4 GT3 will have its first taste of competition at the fourth round of the Nurburgring Endurance Series in Germany on June 26, 2021.
Director of Content
James has been part of the digital publishing landscape in Australia since 2002 and has worked within the automotive industry since 2007. He joined CarAdvice in 2013, left in 2017 to work with BMW and then returned at the end of 2019 to spearhead the content direction of Drive. In writing and presenting content for Drive, James understands that the needs of buyers will vary from car to car, and through his own family experience, knows what works best for when readers are dealing with day-to-day family challenges, and when they can simply relax and enjoy the drive. Much of his work is behind the scenes, guiding the strategy that steers the content publishing across all channels, but if given a chance will never shy away from getting his hands dirty off road, or at pace on a racetrack. James has owned dozens of cars, run a supercar club, competed in club and amateur level motorsport, and was even a finalist in the search for an Australian Top Gear presenter.
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