My name is Didier and I’m the proud owner of a BMW M4 GTS. The street-legal racing car is everything I have ever dreamed about. Over time, I’ve had the opportunity to own an M3 F80 and M3 F80 Competition, M2 F87 and M4 F82 Competition, but this M4 GTS holds a very special place in my heart.
I first fell in love with its looks at first, the Recaro Carbon Fiber bucket seats, the roll-cage in the back and the massive carbon fiber spoiler. However, what many may not know is that the latter is manually-adjustable, with three different positions. In its most aggressive position, it can provide 210 lbs of downforce at 183 mph. The front orange splitter can also be extended up to 2.4 inches, but only do that on a track because you’ll rip it off on road bumps. When fully extended, it can provide 63 lbs of downforce at 183 mph.
Water-Injection System
The engine is another marvel. This is the first ever water-injection system in a BMW road car. We’ve heard a lot about BMW’s water-injections system before. Essentially, it sprays a high-pressure mist of water into the intake plenum. At 145 psi, that mist turns to vapor from the heat and the energy of that change cools the combustion chamber down dramatically. That allows for BMW to increase turbo boost pressure from 17.2 psi to 21.6 psi, without risk of engine knock.
The system works in temperatures as low as 41 degrees Fahrenheit. But if you run the car without the system, the engine reverts back to Competition Package spec, with 444 hp. With the system engages, the M4 GTS makes 495 hp.
The chassis has also had some tweaks and the suspension has been lowered and stiffened – more on that in the next few weeks. So the M4 GTS will handle like a proper race car.
A Great Track Weapon
The driving is nothing compared to a “normal” BMW M3 or M4. Even the Competition versions don’t get close to the M4 GTS. The front has a lot more grip and the steering feels so much sharper. This gives a lot of confidence when pushing hard on track, exactly what this car is made for. Furthermore, the driving position in this car is absolute perfection.
Also, the 50 hp extra horsepower doesn’t make a lot of difference in real life situations. But the way the M4 GTS delivers its power is much more aggressive. Which is what we want, an extreme M product like we’ve never seen before.
I’ve already put a lot of track laps, mostly on the famous Formula 1 track Spa-Francorchamps. And even today, the M4 GTS still manages to give me goosebumps. Pushing all day long on track is what this car wants!
A Wrap Inspired By Jeff Koons’ M3 GT2
The original color is Black Sapphire Metallic, but I thought this car deserves a more “screaming” look. The inspiration behind this wrap came from the beautiful BMW Art Car #17 by Jeff Koons – the BMW M3 GT2. The BMW M4 GTS is the perfect car to create a new version of this artwork.
Therefore, I partnered up with Nathan Haetty, famous for his extreme designs on sports cars. Of course, the result was mind blowing and was exactly what I was looking for. Over time, the M4 GTS received a few other upgrades. I swapped the M4 GTS spoiler for the M4 GT4’s one and added the M4 GT4 canards and the M4 GT4 brake cooling ducts. Of course, all these parts are made of carbon fiber and they look at home on the M4 GTS.
The BMW M4 GTS is likely to become a future classic, especially since pure racing cars with a combustion engine won’t be around for long. But even if they did still exist, the BMW M4 GTS is the one I’ll keep forever.
[Photos provided for media use by Curbstone https://www.curbstone.net | Bas Fransen Photography] [Car Owner: Didier @didierpasschier]
