Photo: BMW
Last year BMW announced that it will be replacing the current BMW Z4 GT3 car with a bigger, meaner and possibly more potent model, the M6 GT3. Since then we’ve seen the car out testing several times and the Germans themselves published photos of tit wearing the usual camo.
Yesterday, ahead of today’s 24-Hour Nurburgring endurance race, the Motorsport division presented the car in front of a live audience, still wearing camo. The racer was brought out by Jorg Muller, a BMW Works Driver, and introduced by Jens Marquardt, the BMW Motorsport Director and Frank van Meel, the new head of the M division.
“The BMW M6 Coupé obviously provided us with a sensational base, on which to develop the new car,” said BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt. “That makes it twice as much fun for our engineers, working hand in hand with their colleagues at BMW M, to transform it into a car for the racetrack. We are hugely looking forward to the first race outing of the BMW M6 GT3 in 2016. I am sure we will continue to add chapters to our motorsport success story with this car.”
The hardcore M racer that will take the center stage starting next year will have the same 4.4-liter V8 under the bonnet from the standard M6 Coupe, but it will be modified so that it complies with FIA regulations.
For example, it will only be making 500 HP instead of the 560 HP we get on the road-legal car but it will be over half a ton lighter, tipping the scale at 1.3 tons. Dry sump lubrication, a transaxle drive concept, six-speed sequential gearbox and the tuned chassis will transform the GT3 car.
Of course, until we actually get to see the new M6 GT3 out racing on a proper track, we have some waiting to do. This weekend, during the traditional 24-hour race held on the Nurburgring, the BMW teams are kicking off from the pole position thanks to Augusto Farfus. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!
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