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BMW Will Replace the GTLM Z4 with the M6 - Report

Not even two full years passed since BMW replaced the M3 in the US motorsport competitions that talk about a new model is already surfacing. According to Autosport, the North American branch of the company is going to replace the current Z4 GTLM model with the M6, in a different package.
BMW Z4 GTLM 1 photo
Photo: BMW
For now, it would seem like the Z4 is safe, plans including it for competitions next year under the same colors, the ones of the team led by Bobby Rahal. However, starting with 2016, things might be different.

Such a move wouldn’t make too much sense, though, in any scenario. The Z4 will still be in production in 2016 which is set to be its last year into the factories of BMW worldwide. Furthermore, the M6 is too big to be used in such competitions, even with the special aerodynamic and weight measures the teams usually apply to their cars before setting them out onto the track.

Of course, a new GT3 and then GTE car will be necessary once the Z4 will be retired but using a big car like the M6 doesn’t really make sense. The problem is that the M4 is already being used in the DTM championship and running it on the other side of the ocean wouldn’t allowed by the management.

Using the upcoming M2 would make much more sense, though. The car is set to enter production next fall. That means the Motorsport teams will have plenty of time to set it up for the 2016 season.

The move to a new model would make sense considering that the Z4 will be retired in 2017. Of course, that would imply a new racer starting with that year but considering that the M6 will also go out of production in 2019, using it as the new GT3/GTE car for just two years wouldn’t be very practical.
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