BMW M8 GTE revealed ‑ bringing the fight to Aston, Ford and Porsche

The wraps came off the M8 GTE, resplendent in the traditional – and fabulous – BMW Motorsport colours, during the Frankfurt Motorshow in Germany. 

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

Marquardt is referring, of course, to Aston Martin, Chevrolet, Ferrari, Ford and Porsche – the five marques against which BMW will compete in what is a hugely competitive and popular class of sportscar racing.

“For us,” Marquardt added, “the presentation of the uncamouflaged car at the IAA [Frankfurt] 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 is powered by a 4-litre turbocharged V8 engine, mated to a six-speed gearbox, with ‘virtual development’ of the electronics – including the traction control being tweaked with the help of artificial intelligence – helping to ramp up the sophistication.

Computing power has also played a crucial part in what the firm hopes will be perfect aerodynamic performance for the M8 GTE. Formula 1-style computational fluid dynamic science is applied before wind tunnel figures are assessed. And that’s incredible when you remember that GTE-class racers are simply modified versions of their production-car donors.

BMW’s global motorsport fan base will be eager to see how the car performs against rivals, particularly in sportscar racing’s biggest test: the Le Mans 24 Hours. The 2018 edition of the French endurance classic will mark BMW’s first attempt at conquering the race since 2011 with the M3 GT2.

To beat prestigious-brand rivals on the global stage that is the World Endurance Championship and is as famous a race as Le Mans is BMW’s aim and if the M8 GTE goes as well as it looks, the team will certainly be fighting at the front.

Let’s all hope that the M8 GTE then graces us with its presence at the 2018 Festival of Speed.