BMW today unveiled its new top-of-the-range model for the international GT racing scene at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt: the M8 GTE.
The presentation of the racing variant comes before the 8 Series Coupé release, and is slated to compete on the track next season, including in the FIA World Endurance Championship. It is with this series that BMW Motorsport will also make its return to the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time since 2011, with a successor for its M3 GT2.
The V8 engine features BMW TwinPower Turbo technology and is restricted by regulations to a capacity of 4.0 litres, pumping a nominal base output of more than 500 horsepower to the rear wheels. The six-speed sequential motorsport gearbox is captained by an electric paddle shift system and a Sachs carbon fibre clutch.
There’s no shortage of technology either – the steering wheel has no less than 16 buttons and 7 dials, operating BMW’s in-house developed software functions for engine, gearbox and driver assistance. There’s even a live telemetry system for vehicle monitoring.
The car was designed with a substantial amount of AI and 3D printing, or ‘Virtual Development’ as BMW puts it – the traction control system was designed with heavy input from algorithms. 3D printing allowed protoype designs to be tested within 1 day of ‘Virtual Development’, allowing creating efficiency increases in design times.
Check out the gallery above for a first-look at the German manufacturer’s new track beast or head to their website for more details.
