By Dave Abrahams
Munich, Germany - As we, along with every petrolhead on the planet, speculated when the M4 GTS Concept broke cover at Pebble Beach, there was a seriously hardcore, track-focused M4 special edition in the wings.
And here it is: just 700 examples of the 2016 M4 GTS will be built to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first M3 in 1986 - and a handful will be coming to South Africa in the second quarter of the year.
When the M guys say hard core, they're not kidding. The M4 GTS borrows the water-injection system fitted to the one-off M4 MotoGP Safety Car (and which dates back to the BMW 801 D2 radial aircraft engine of 1944) to boost the peak power of its iconic three-litre turbo straight-six from 317kW to a fire-breathing 368kW and torque output from 550Nm to 600Nm.
Driving the rear wheels via a specially-tuned seven-speed double-clutch paddle-shift transmission, that's good enough for a 0-100 getaway in 3.8 seconds and a (limited) top speed of 305km/h. Because water-injection actually improves an engine's fuel-efficiency, however, BMW still quotes nominal fuel-consumption of 8.3 litres per 100km - the same as the 'stadnard' M4.
Probably the greatest truism of performance-car development is Lotus founder Colin Chapman's catchphrase “If you make a car more powerful it will go faster on the straights; if you make it lighter it will go faster everywhere.”
To that end the performance junkies in the M skunk works replaced the M4's roof, boot lid, bonnet, adjustable front splitter and even the instrument panel bracing tube with carbon-fibre. The adjustable rear wing is also made of the light stuff, mounted on CNC-machined aluminium brackets, as is the diffuser under the rear bumper.
SHAVING GRAMS
Inside, their dedication to gram-shaving can be seen in the carbon-fibre bucket seats, trimmed in a mix of alcantara synthetic suede and merino leather with M stripes in the backrests, lightweight centre console, rear-seat panelling and boot area partition, as well as the special lightweight door and side panel trims - including pull loops instead of solid door handles.
The M4 GTS has BMW's signature dual headlights with four corona rings, combining adaptive LED technology with dazzle-free automatic high/low beams. It's also the first production BMW with organic LED tail-lights, which not only allow for dramatic rear styling but, because they're only 1.4mm thick, are significantly lighter than conventional tail-light clusters.
Even the titanium exhaust canister is 20 percent lighter than the stainless-steel equivalent found on the straight M4. In addition titanium, as we all know, rings like a bell; that gives the GTS an 'emotionally rich soundtrack' - or in plain English, it speaks to you with authority.
Three-way adjustable coil-over suspension, specially tuned for the GTS' extra power, saves a bit more weight, as do lightweight carbon ceramic brake discs and exclusive M-spec star-spoked forged 19 inch front and 20 inch rear rims shod with 265/35 front and 285/30 rear Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber developed specifically for this car.
All of which has held the car's kerb weight down to 1585kg, for a power-to-weight ratio of 232kW per ton - and that makes possible a lap time of 7m28s around the tortuous Nordschleife at the Nurburgring.
And if you're as much of a track-day junkie as the M test pilots, you might want to order your M4 GTS with the optional Clubsport Package, which includes a roll bar in bright orange behind the front seats, a race-spec six-point harness and a fire extinguisher.