It is the most focused BMW M product from the last few years, and it's headed for the Creative Rides’ auction on 18 March. We take the very special BMW M4 GTS for a drive around the Cape Peninsula.
Words and images: Wilhelm Lutjeharms
A balanced car is quite an achievement. From the engineering and design perspectives, balance is one of the most difficult goals to accomplish – ask any development engineer. Usually when a car is very good at one thing, it is compromised in another.
That is also the case with the BMW M4 GTS. It is not balanced (I’ll get back to that) and very compromised – but, it is cars like these cars that we will get up for very early for a drive, or whip out our phones to take capture the moment when we see these rare beasts on the road.
South Africans never had the privilege to purchase the rare and rather special E92 V8-engined M3 GTS. However, that thankfully changed with the introduction of the M4 GTS. This was, at the time, the most focused M4 product to date, with its engine delivering 368 kW and 600 Nm. It also tipped the scales at 1 607 kg (fully fueled) and offered numerous aerodynamic improvements over the standard car. The latter is visible even from a distance as you walk up to the car. The (adjustable) front splitter protrudes from the bumper while the (also adjustable) carbon-fibre rear wing features neat carbon-fibre end plates.
The black exterior colour hides some of the most aggressive exterior elements, but when you get inside you are left in no doubt as to the performance agenda of this M. The bronze-gold coloured half cage at the rear, together with a fire extinguisher are pure road racer addenda, while the carbon-fibre seats are comfortable and super supportive.
The Alcantara-clad steering wheel feels comforting in your hands, although some drivers complain about the thickness of these units. There is a Schroth harness that can be used for track excursions, or thankfully just a normal seatbelt for short, everyday journeys.
Heading up Red Hill
Press the starter button and the inline six-cylinder erupts into life with quite a bark. Next to the stubby gearlever (for the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission) are settings for the steering system as well as for the drivetrain.
Owing to that front splitter, the nose of the car is low, so you need to be careful not to scratch it. Once on the road and on the move you can relax (a little). Within the first few hundred metres, I’m reminded again how stiffly sprung this car is. Having spent a number of days and a few hundred kilometres in its company during my time at CAR magazine for that publication's 2017 Performance Shootout, I will admit to having grown fond of this car. But, heading through traffic this time I sense it is yearning for empty roads where the engine can be revved out as often as possible.
I have Red Hill in mind to enjoy it a little more, and for the drive there from Tokai I select the most comfortable settings. Even so, after a few thousand revs into the rev range the exhaust system makes itself heard. It pops and burbs regularly.
Red Hill outside Simon’s Town is not the smoothest piece of asphalt in the Cape area, and that is also the message the GTS relays back to me. The ESP light flashes constantly even without me trying to gain any type of real speed up the hill. The surface does improve a little higher up and I press the ESP button once to activate the MDM mode. This allows some slip from the wheels and axle before the safety systems intrude. Now the GTS is able to unleash more of its torque and exiting some corners I can’t help but smile as the rear wheels often break traction. Combine this with the aggressive barks from the exhaust and the quick shifts from the transmission and it is an experience few other cars can match.
Even at a modest 4 000 to 5 000 rpm the GTS is immensely fast, fun and engaging. The torque on offer pushes the car forward with very little effort, while you then need to hang on and focus ahead if you want the needle to swing all the way to 7 000 rpm, which doesn't happen often during my drive, given the roads in the area. The engine really pulls strongly throughout the rev range and turbo lag is mostly negligible, especially once you are past 5 000 rpm.
The carbon-ceramic brakes feel strong through the pedal and, seeing as the car has just over 7 000 km on the odo, that is no surprise. That is also the case with the rest of the car; it looks and feels like new. It sports some protective, see-through wrapping on certain panels.
Heading down Red Hill the GTS reminds me again that it commands respect at all times. Being bumpy the car tends to hop around, but on a race track or a smooth mountain pass it will really fly and allow you to put the torque down much more effectively.
During CAR magazine’s track test at Killarney International Raceway the GTS achieved a very respectable time of 1:21.60 seconds with ex-racer Deon Joubert behind the wheel. It also achieved an overall second place from the team in the 11-car line up of that year and was voted as the best track toy of the cars present as well as car that stood the best chance of becoming a future classic. I think that has already happened!
Specifications:
BMW M4 (F82) GTS
Weight: 1 585 kg (1 607 kg fully fueled)
Engine: 3.0-litre, inline -six-cylinder, turbopetrol
Power: 368 kW at 6 250 rpm
Torque: 600 Nm between 4 - 5 500 rpm
Top speed: 305 kph
0-100 km/h: 3.8 seconds (4.42 tested)
Gearbox: seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic, RWD
Price: On auction this month