BMW hasn't been playing around at this year's big concours events. Following the 3.0 CSL Homagge from Italy's Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in May, BMW brought both a more race-ready version of that design and the all-new Concept M4 GTS to Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance over the weekend. The new M4 concept must have been quite antsy on its dais; this two-door silver bullet clearly yearns for a hunk of open, twisty asphalt.
Two years after previewing the M4 in concept form, BMW builds upon the high-performance coupe it launched last year. The Concept M4 GTS serves as a preview of an even higher performance 4 Series that will be sold in North America.
Besides helping well-to-do buyers distinguish themselves from the average Joes buying the standard M4, the Concept M4 GTS satisfies drivers that plan to schedule regular track time. BMW promises that the new package has been track-tuned down to the smallest detail.
Most notably, the M4 GTS features the innovative water injection system that BMW first rolled out on the M4 MotoGP safety car. That system offers more than just output advantages, but we'll guess M4 GTS buyers will be most interested in the type of horsepower and torque increases they can expect from the M4's 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six. BMW hasn't answered those questions just yet, but we do know that the water injection system BMW talked about testing on the 1 Series last month offered 10 percent gains.
The Concept M4 GTS launches the latest offensive in the Great German Lighting Tech War, beating Audi to the punch in showcasing updated OLED taillight technology. The M4 GTS taillights show some slight styling evolution from the pair on the 2014 Vision Future Luxury.
Other performance enhancements include a manually adjustable front splitter and rear wing made from exposed carbon, a widened front air intake, and a lightweight carbon fiber hood.
"While the BMW M4 Coupe embodies the ideal combination of motor sport genes and unrestricted everyday usability, the BMW Concept M4 GTS previews an emotionally powerful and exclusive special model conceived with an eye for trailblazing technology and a keen focus on the race track," explains Frank van Meel, BMW M president. "Despite its outstanding track ability, it is still fully road-legal. This is racing technology for the road in the truest sense."
To ensure that everyone else gets the idea the driver is behind the wheel of the truest form of racing tech on the road, BMW brushes the Concept M4 GTS in a distinct blend of Frozen Dark Grey Metallic paint and Acid Orange highlights. The car stands on forged, polished light-alloy wheels, measuring 9.5 J x 19 in front and 10.5 J x 20 out back. A set of Michelin Sport Cup 2 tires (265/35 R19 front, 285/30 R20 rear) dress those wheels for fast, sharp track and road driving.
BMW doesn't suggest when it will get production of the M4 GTS started, so for now we'll just have to wait and enjoy the pretty debut photos.
Source: BMW
