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Think performance and the “M” badge is often front of mind. BMW M cars have their genes in motor sport, the track the focus for these high-performance machines. Passion for the M brand is a global one, with the M market up 40% in 2015 over the previous year. South Africa ranked fifth out of 32 markets for unit sales.
No better place then for BMW to debut such a car than at this year’s SA Festival of Motoring at the iconic Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit where the brand’s focus was on their M sub-brand. It was here that the adrenaline-packing BMW M4 GTS made its local debut.
Being behind the wheel of a powerful performance car is electrifying. And this magnetic thoroughbred racer beckons petrol heads, aspiring buyers keen to make a bold statement and of course, given that these magnificent machines don’t come cheap, the well-minted.
Yet only 700 special edition M4 GTS models have been produced worldwide, 23 of them allocated to the local market, fervour for the sub-brand evident in that all have already been snapped up.
With its sporty coupé roofline, star-spoked orange alloy wheels, front and rear carbon-fibre adjustable splitters and rear spoiler, the M4 GTS cuts a powerful and aggressive figure.
There’s plenty to love about this wicked-looking macho steed, especially if you happen to be an adrenaline junkie or hard-core petrol head. This high-performance rear-wheel-drive machine can after all sprint from 0-100km/h in only 3.8 seconds and can brag of a 7 min 27:88 sec lap time at the iconic Nürburgring-Nordschleife.
Aptly nicknamed “The Green Hell” because of its treacherous circuit through the Eifel forest, Nürburgring is one of the most demanding racing circuits in the world, filled with hazardous apexes, complex corners and steep ascents. It is used as a benchmark for lap times for the fastest production cars in the world, the quickest of them under eight minutes. And it was here that the M4 GTS was developed and tuned.
A rich, growling exhaust song from the titanium tailpipes is the first indication of what lies beneath the M4 GTS’s bonnet. Packing a high-revving six-cylinder in-line twin turbo engine, the M4 GTS is the first mass-produced road car to sport a unique water injection system that substantially boosts power output. So it’s seriously quick.
It’s a beast of a car, producing 368kW and 600Nm of torque with top speed limited, yes limited, to 305km/h. Driving this twitchy beast was akin to being on a horse with the bit between its teeth, fighting to stretch its substantial legs.
Acceleration is explosive, straight line speed eye-popping, and there is perhaps more power and speed than one (that would be me!) might be willing to experiment with, even given the biting traction, razor-sharp steering and superb braking from the carbon ceramic brakes.
Rigid, planted and seriously athletic yet given to a slight twitchiness in the bends (which perhaps had more to do with the drive mode selected rather than the car’s centre of gravity), this thoroughbred offers up buckets of adrenaline.
Focused as I was on getting around the track in one piece, scant attention was paid to M-emblazoned interior offerings other than the superbly supportive leather-covered carbon-fibre bucket seats, leather-clad sports steering wheel and the seven-speed M double-clutch transmission with its express gear changing.
But this two-seater performance car does come with a host of standard equipment that includes a navigation system, park distance control and LED headlights with dazzle-free high-beam assistant.
The optional Clubsport Package, which comes with roll bar, six-point harness and fire extinguisher, could also tempt true racetrack fans.
At 1 510kg, the BMW M4 GTS is the product of lightweight design, the bucket seats, centre console and door panels all made from carbon-fibre. Even the alloy wheels are lighter, as are the ultra-lightweight titanium exhausts.
But lightweight does not compromise this car’s superb handling nor down force on the tar, assisted as it is by the car’s specially tuned three-way coilover suspension, splitters and spoiler.
All said and done, this potent track-capable yet road-legal sports machine is an exceptionally dynamic drive. Perhaps though not for the timid.
This is a shortened version of an article that originally appeared in the 22 September edition of finweek. Buy and download the magazine here.
