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BMW Is Testing An M4 On The Nurburgring With Extreme Aero Tweaks

BMW’s M4 Coupe is the perfect platform for developing multiple variations on the same theme.
BMW M4 prototype with aerodynamic tweaks 24 photos
Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
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Our spy photographers have spotted the German performance model in various guises, and the latest batch of images has revealed a prototype with aerodynamic tweaks. The car in the photo gallery is undivided by camouflage, so BMW thinks it has nothing to hide regarding its design.

BMW might have avoided using a mask because even the thinnest layer of cover would have affected the way the tweaks on this model react to the air that hits them at speed.

Thanks to the "no camouflage thing," we can observe each change that was applied to see if it could make the M4 faster with aerodynamic mods. Evidently, these modifications were already tested in the wind tunnel and computer simulations, but engineers had to give them a run in the real world.

The prototype spotted by our friends at SB-Medien has a front splitter made of carbon fiber, a set of pronounced side skirts, a slightly modified front bumper, and numerous changes to the rear.

The first thing that you observe is a massive rear wing, which appears to be in a fixed position. The engineers are probably tinkering with different settings, but the production model might have an adjustable element.

The trunk lid retains a small carbon fiber spoiler, which might seem like overkill if a tuning company did it, but BMW might be on to something here, as OEMs do not fit useless aerodynamic parts just for impressing others.

The rear bumper has a modified air diffuser, and a close look at the car from underneath (you can do the same in the photo gallery) reveals that BMW has fitted this prototype with aerodynamic elements under its floor.

While some cars have an entirely flat floor for best aerodynamic behavior, some automakers have experimented with guiding the air flow beneath a car in certain directions to achieve carefully calculated results.
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About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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