The G82 BMW M4 Competition was tested by the Germans at Sport Auto magazine at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. It managed a 7:30.79 time, which is a significant improvement from its predecessor, the F82 M4, which needed 7:52 to lap the most demanding track in the world.
The new M4 Competition was driven by test driver Christian Gebhardt on the Nordschleife with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, which can come with the car straight from the factory if the owner specs them, as they are optional equipment.
The resulting time is impressive, to say the least, if you consider the level of power provided by the M4 Competition and the other cars it managed to beat in stock form. Gebhardt managed to beat his former time with the Audi R8 V10 Plus of 2015, which had the same type of tire, as well as beating cars like the Porsche Carrera GT, Pagani Zonda F, Koenigsegg CCX and CCR, Lexus LF-A with the Nürburgring package, the F90 BMW M5 Competition, the McLaren 650S Spider, the 2016 Honda NSX, and many more.
While the M4 Competition manages to punch above its weight, it is not the fastest M4 ever recorded on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The GTS version of the F82 M4 managed to set a 7:28 time, while the CS variant of the same generation got a 7:38 time when it was tested. Once this generation gets one of those versions, it should be able to beat them. It will be interesting to see it in all-wheel-drive form, as BMW plans to launch later this year.
Without question, Gebhardt is one of the best drivers to consider for a Nürburgring Nordschleife record, as he was first in the ADAC Total 24 hours of Nürburgring in the SP3T class in 2021, 1st in the 24h Nürburgring race in the SP8T class in 2018, as well as 1st in the SP-X class in 2016, and first in the SP8T class in 2015, all mentioned endurance races happening across 24-hours on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
Since 2015, Christian Gebhardt has replaced Horst von Saurma as the test pilot for Sport Auto's Supertest Nürburgring Nordschleife lap challenge. Christian Gebhardt's best Nürburgring Nordschleife time in a road car, 6:58.28, was set on April 17th, 2018, for a Sport Auto test with the Porsche 911 GT2 RS of the 991.2 generation.
The resulting time is impressive, to say the least, if you consider the level of power provided by the M4 Competition and the other cars it managed to beat in stock form. Gebhardt managed to beat his former time with the Audi R8 V10 Plus of 2015, which had the same type of tire, as well as beating cars like the Porsche Carrera GT, Pagani Zonda F, Koenigsegg CCX and CCR, Lexus LF-A with the Nürburgring package, the F90 BMW M5 Competition, the McLaren 650S Spider, the 2016 Honda NSX, and many more.
While the M4 Competition manages to punch above its weight, it is not the fastest M4 ever recorded on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The GTS version of the F82 M4 managed to set a 7:28 time, while the CS variant of the same generation got a 7:38 time when it was tested. Once this generation gets one of those versions, it should be able to beat them. It will be interesting to see it in all-wheel-drive form, as BMW plans to launch later this year.
Without question, Gebhardt is one of the best drivers to consider for a Nürburgring Nordschleife record, as he was first in the ADAC Total 24 hours of Nürburgring in the SP3T class in 2021, 1st in the 24h Nürburgring race in the SP8T class in 2018, as well as 1st in the SP-X class in 2016, and first in the SP8T class in 2015, all mentioned endurance races happening across 24-hours on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
Since 2015, Christian Gebhardt has replaced Horst von Saurma as the test pilot for Sport Auto's Supertest Nürburgring Nordschleife lap challenge. Christian Gebhardt's best Nürburgring Nordschleife time in a road car, 6:58.28, was set on April 17th, 2018, for a Sport Auto test with the Porsche 911 GT2 RS of the 991.2 generation.