Woodcliff Lake, N.J- October 6, 2015 – BMW today announced the new 2016 BMW M4 GTS giving BMW M GmbH a new and exclusive technological masterpiece which elevates the potential of the BMW M4 Coupe to an impressive new level. With its powerful, motorsport-inspired looks and high-performance technology, the BMW M4 GTS has its sights set squarely on the race track. Thanks to an innovative water injection system helping boost power to 493 bHP and track ready chassis, this Special Edition M vehicle recorded a lap time of 7 minutes 28 seconds around the legendary Nürburgring-Nordschleife, the world’s most challenging race circuit, making a clear statement about this model’s exceptional dynamic abilities.
At the same time, the sharpest BMW M4 of all can also hold its own on public roads. BMW M GmbH is launching the BMW M4 GTS in a special edition limited to 700 units worldwide, with 300 units of this high-performance Special Edition M4 available for the first time in the US market. In so doing, it is highlighting the innovative flair of the BMW M engineers in developing trailblazing M technologies on the powertrain, chassis and lightweight construction fronts.
- First production road car with a Water Injection System
- World-exclusive OLED light technology
- Specially designed full three-way adjustable M coilover suspension
- Intelligent lightweight body design
- Most agile, radical and powerful M4 ever
Three-dimensional front-end design.
Viewed from the front, the visual features that stand out the most are its muscular contours and the prominent three-dimensionality of its lines, which lend it a particularly expressive face. Characteristic design elements, such as a cutting-edge design take on the familiar twin circular headlamps with LED technology, the eye-catching front grille with M double bars in black and the powerfully sculpted front apron with its trio of large air intakes, dedicated to cooling the high-performance engine and brakes, immediately set it apart as the work of BMW M and spotlight its even more sportier pretensions.
Needless to say, the BMW M4 GTS also features the striking M exterior mirrors in twin-stalk style and hallmark powerdome on the hood. The carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) hood is painted in body color and features a large air outlet. Thanks to the use of CFRP, the hood weighs 25 percent less than an aluminum equivalent, which helps both to lower the car’s center of gravity and further improve the balance of weight between the front and rear axle. The air outlet on the hood optimizes the airflow and reduces lift at the front axle.
The front end’s weight-minimized splitter is made from lightweight exposed carbon fiber, has a contrasting stripe in bright Acid Orange running along its leading edge and can be set in two positions for road or track. The splitter divides the surging air, channeling part of it deliberately under the car to optimize aerodynamics. Here, the airflow is accelerated on its way to the carbon-fiber diffuser at the rear.
Low-slung silhouette, dynamic lines.
The flanks of the BMW M4 GTS pick up the dynamic verve of its front end and extend it rearwards. Hallmark BMW proportions – long hood, long wheelbase, set-back greenhouse, short overhangs – are emphasized by M design elements. Muscular wheel arches and dramatic surfacing translate the dynamic potential of the BMW M4 GTS into tangible form. This potential is accentuated by the M gills – in high-gloss black like the kidney grille surround – which fulfills both a stylistic and functional role. The gills house Air Breathers, which team up with Air Curtains in the front apron to optimize airflow through the wheel arches and enhance aerodynamics in the process.
The combination of a dark-colored, clear-coated CFRP roof and contoured roofline gives the BMW M4 GTS a hunkered-down look, with the cant rails painted in body color perceived as the car’s highest point. The flowing roofline lends an extra touch of elegance to the ultra-sporty appearance of the BMW M4 GTS. The large, forged M light-alloy wheels, featuring distinctive star-spoke design in Acid Orange and polished surfacing, appear to fill the wheel arches even more completely and give the BMW M4 GTS a compact, powerful appearance. The car’s lines pick up speed again as they stream rearwards, accentuate the body’s aerodynamic flow and, at the same time, add muscle to the rear end.
Authentic racing feel in the interior.
The many lightweight features in the interior of the BMW M4 GTS don’t just save weight, they also exude an authentic racing feel. This Special Edition vehicle is fitted with different bucket-style M sports seats in Alcantara (including lightweight backrests with cut-outs). In between the seats, the BMW M4 GTS boasts a new, asymmetrically styled lightweight center console that shaves around 30 percent off the weight of the corresponding component in the BMW M4 Coupe.
A further weight-saving measure is the deletion of the rear seats. This area is now trimmed in glass-fiber-reinforced plastic (GFRP), with a carbon sandwich bulkhead to the rear. Both of these elements are designed for reduced weight, a lower center of gravity and maximum stiffness. The across-the-board lightweight engineering approach also extends to the door panel trim and rear side panel trim with modified design geometry and special lightweight construction based on renewable natural materials. Conventional door handles are replaced by door release pull loops, while Alcantara trim makes an appearance only on the armrests. The weight of the door panel trim has been reduced in half compared with standard components.
Rear wing and diffuser made from lightweight CFRP.
The back end of the BMW M4 GTS can be distinguished clearly from that of the BMW M4 Coupe. On the trunk lid, for example, an adjustable carbon-fiber rear wing resting on intricate, CNC-machined aluminum struts provides a head-turning design feature. The rear wing can be adjusted through three positions – one for road driving and two others that can be selected according to individual preference on the track. Identifying features of the BMW M4 include the flared rear wheel arches which, together with the car’s wide track, underline its confident appearance. The double-chamber exhaust system, with its two pairs of tailpipes, is another signature BMW M feature. Here, the titanium tailpipes – with their 80-millimeter diameter and laser-engraved M logo – are another reference to the standalone character of the BMW M4 GTS. They are framed by a clearly structured rear apron and flank the exposed carbon-fiber diffuser. The diffuser forms a single aerodynamic unit with the rear wing and front splitter, which is likewise made from carbon fiber. They work together to optimize airflow and, in so doing, improve downforce and roadholding.
The trunk lid of the BMW M4 GTS also performs an integral aerodynamic role. Its specifically contoured lines channel the air at the rear of the car and improve airflow to the rear wing. In this way, the pair of lines spawned by the powerdome on the hood and extending over the CFRP roof in clearly defined contours reach their journey’s end at the trunk lid.
World premiere for OLED rear lights.
The rear lights of the BMW M4 GTS are the first of any series-produced vehicle to feature BMW Organic Light with OLED technology. OLEDs (organic light-emitting diodes) generate their light using wafer-thin layers of semi-conducting organic materials. Unlike LEDs, which emit their light in the form of points, OLEDs light up over their full surface with a homogeneous effect. Their flat design (they measure just 1.4 millimeters in height) and the ability to trigger individual light modules separately open up fresh possibilities for a characteristic and distinctive BMW lighting design – both at night and daylight.
Pure-bred, exclusive interior offers flawless ergonomics.
The M sports steering wheel, likewise covered in exclusive, anthracite-colored Alcantara, represents a clear nod to motor racing and is exceptionally grippy. A perforated stripe in contrasting Acid Orange at the “12 o’clock” position on the wheel marks the steering’s central positon, which comes in handy when the driver is pushing hard on the track. The Alcantara-covered interior trim strip has a perforated GTS badge with Acid Orange highlighting. The new center console of the BMW M4 GTS is asymmetric in design and lightweight in construction. Like the handbrake lever gaiter, it is covered in anthracite-colored Alcantara with edging adorned with dark grey contrast stitching.
The interior door panels and rear side panels also include lightweight design elements produced specially for the BMW M4 GTS. These display a new, purist geometry and are made from renewable raw materials. For example, the handles normally found on the inside of the doors are replaced here by pull loops which, like the seat belts, also come in black and feature longitudinal stripes in the signature M colors. Together with the Alcantara covering used for the armrests only, the door trim deepens the stripped-back and purpose-driven character of the interior. The omission of a rear seat bench takes this approach to another new level. The rear seat surfaces are replaced by an innovative glass-fiber-reinforced plastic (GFRP) shelf, combined with a rear panel made in a carbon-fiber sandwich construction. Lowering the car’s weight and center of gravity, while also ensuring unbeatable rigidity, once again took priority here.
A central feature of the interior is the roll bar, which is made from high-strength steels and mounted behind the front seats. Its Acid Orange paint finish provides another color accent, and its influence is not confined to the interior; visible from the outside, it also helps shape the overall perception of the BMW M4 GTS and signals the car’s sense of purpose and racing intent.
A fire extinguisher containing two kilograms of extinguishing agent is another safety feature of the interior. It is fitted centrally behind the front seats within easy reach of both driver and passenger.
Intelligent lightweight design
Intelligent lightweight engineering, already a vital consideration for the BMW M4, has been taken to new and even more uncompromising levels on the BMW M4 GTS. The goal was to minimize curb weight in order to give the new model outstanding driving dynamics, top-class agility and highest efficiency. Rigorous weight reduction measures include even the smallest details of the BMW M4 GTS, delivering a DIN curb weight of 3,329 pounds (ECE curb weight: 3,494 lbs). Its outstanding weight to power ratio of roughly 6.5 lbs/hp provides the perfect platform for a highly dynamic driving experience.
The low weight of the BMW M4 GTS improves not only performance but also dynamics and handling. Drivers perceive the benefits in the form of even more responsive steering, more precise cornering, shorter stopping distances and new levels of control when pushing the vehicle to its limits.
High-tech carbon construction reduces weight.
Like the BMW M4 Coupe, the BMW M4 GTS has a carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) roof that is more than 13 pounds lighter than a corresponding metal roof. Lightweight, robust CFRP is also used for the hood, which is approximately 25 percent lighter than its aluminum counterpart on the BMW M4. Both of these lightweight components play an important role in lowering the center of gravity (CG) and improving axle load distribution. In the BMW M4 GTS, BMW reaps the benefits of its many years’ experience in high-tech carbon construction. The use of CFRP continues under the skin as well, for example in components such as the instrument panel support.
The contoured roof line with the typical center channel carries over into the trunk lid, emphasizing the very sporty personality of the BMW M4 GTS. The geometry of the trunk lid, which is made of CFRP and plastic, is precisely designed to optimize the rear aerodynamics and to help direct air to the lightweight CFRP rear spoiler. The spoiler is attached to the trunk lid by two CNC-milled aluminum supports, each consisting of an intricate strut arrangement that optimally combines high stiffness with very low weight.
Lightweight exposed carbon fiber is also on display in the adjustable splitter underneath the BMW M4 GTS’s front apron and in the rear apron diffuser. Exterior lightweight design measures continue with the exclusive forged, machine-polished, low-weight BMW M star-spoke wheels in Acid Orange and the M carbon ceramic brakes, both of which not only cut down on overall weight but also significantly reduce unsprung masses. The M engineers have also extended their uncompromising focus on lightweight engineering to the sports exhaust system, which features a titanium rear silencer. The BMW M4 GTS’s sports exhaust system produces an authentic racing engine note while providing a 20 percent weight reduction when compared to a stainless steel component.
Extensive weight reduction continues under the skin.
Needless to say, lightweight engineering is not just confined to the visible areas of the body. For example, the BMW M4 GTS’s single-piece driveshaft is made of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP), which is even lighter than the corresponding component in the BMW M4. The low mass and high stiffness of the CFRP means that the driveshaft can be produced as a single-piece component, without a center bearing. This achieves weight savings of 40 percent over a conventional component, with a simultaneous reduction in rotating masses. This in turn results in improved powertrain dynamics and better response.
All weight-saving measures are designed with an eye to improved driving dynamics. A good example is the CFRP strut brace in the engine compartment. Weighing a little over 3 pounds, it offers superior stiffness to a comparable aluminum component. At the same time it plays a key part in ensuring eager turn-in and excellent steering precision.
View the expanded auto show images at https://autodesigno.com/?p=5172
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