BMW Reveals M8 GTE

By: James Robinson, Unique Cars magazine

Date: 13.09.2017

Let’s hope the 8 Series looks this good

BMW has unveiled its new, and quite frankly stunning, M8 GTE race car at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt.

The M8 GTE will now represent the pinnacle of the Munich firm’s presence in international GT racing.

The sleek racer will also mark the return of Bavarian Motor Works to the gruelling 24-hour race of Le Mans, which it will take compete in next year as part of the 2018 FIA WEC.

It will be the first time a BMW has competed in the prolific endurance race since 2011, when BMW entered the venerable M3 GT2.

Power will come from a 4.0lt, turbocharged V8 motor that can produce more than 373kW (500hp), depending on the classification.

The blown bent-eight donk will utilise the same cylinder block and cylinder head that is used in the road-going production version, and drive will be sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed sequential box and a limited-slip diff.

According to BMW, the knowledge gained from the GTE’s participation next year in both the FIA WEC and North America’s IMSA WetherTech SprotsCar Championship will be directly implemented into the development of the road-going 8 Series.

"The BMW M8 GTE is our new GT flagship and will go head to head with the strong opposition in this sector," said BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt.

"For us, the presentation of the uncamouflaged car at the IAA is the next important step on the road to our first race outing, which we plan to be the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2018. The FIA WEC and the IMSA series in North America are a top competitive environment for our new challenger. With the BMW M8 GTE, we are bringing cutting-edge technology to the top international class of GT racing, whilst at the same time tying in with our tradition at Le Mans. The development of the BMW M8 GTE is on schedule, and we can hardly wait to see the car challenging for victories in 2018."

The M8 GTE also shows hints as to what the regular production version of the 8 Series and M8 will look like, with BMW saying that the race car shares the same roofline and design of the front and rear lights. 

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