The new BMW M4 GTS makes its international press launch in Barcelona Spain. How did BMW M save weight in the M4 GTS?
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The BMW M4 GTS is the first Special Edition M3/M4 to be made available in the U.S. market. Only 300 cars will be available to U.S. performance enthusiasts with delivery starting in the second quarter of 2016. Why will performance enthusiasts want to get their hands on the BMW M4 GTS?
It starts under the hood with the six-cylinder in-line turbo engine from the BMW M3/M4. BMW M GmbH fitted the M4 with innovative water injection technology to give the 3.0-liter powerplant an increase in power. The water injection system raises the engine’s output significantly to 368 kW (500 hp), and increases torque to 600 Nm (442 lb-ft). The M4 GTS will launch from zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.8 seconds and hits a limited top speed of 305 km/h (189.5 mph).
M4 GTS is light and fast
Coupled with the engine technology, the BMW M4 GTS gets a lightweight design contributing to this performance machine’s fast lap time of 7.28 minutes around the legendary Nurburgring-Nordschleife. It weights in at 1,510 kilograms (ECE curb weight: 1,585 kg (3550 lb) and has a weight-to-power ratio of 3.0 kg/hp.
BMW optimizes weight savings in M4 GTS
How did BMW M reduce weight in the M4 GTS? Outside, the high-performance coupe gets a newly designed hood, roof, adjustable front splitter and adjustable rear wing which are all made from carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP). It sits on CNC-machined aluminum mounts fixed to the CFRP boot lid to also minimize weight. The rear diffuser, made from carbon fiber along with the rear wing, optimizes the flow of air and reducing lift at the rear axle. M4 GTS also is fitted with a titanium muffler, which allows a weight saving of 20 percent according to BMW M.
Cabin weight-saving optimization
BMW M’s rigorous weight-saving measures continue through the interior of the car. Inside, M4 GTS gets carbon-fiber bucket seats, a lightweight center console, lightweight rear seat panelling and boot area partition, and special lightweight door and side panel trim. The sports car even comes with door pull loops in place of solid door handles to save additional weight. Underneath the dash, the instrument panel bracing tube is made from lightweight carbon fiber.
The BMW M4 GTS makes its press launch in Barcelona Spain and it’s coming to U.S. shores for the first time in limited numbers with a light-weight design. The new road-legal BMW M4 GTS’s extra-high output and weight-saving design will make it the most agile, radical and powerful M4 ever. It won’t come cheap. Estimated base price? $134,200 US.
Source: BMW
Image source: BMW M
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