Development of the BMW’s 2018 FIA World Endurance
Championship contender, the M8 GTE, is “on target”, as per BMW motorsport boss
Jens Marquardt. The V8-powered model, which celebrated its world debut at the
Frankfurt motor show in traditional BMW Motorsport colours earlier this month,
is now in testing.
The BMW M8 GTE previews the BMW 8 Series Coupe due
next year. The motorsport-oriented variant will compete on the track next
season before the latter goes on sale. The M8 GTE and 8 Series Coupe are
closely linked to each other. BMW will incorporate the learning from the races
in the FIA WEC and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC) in North
America in the development of the 8 Series Coupe. Both projects are running in
parallel.
The BMW M8 GTE is 4,980 mm long and 2,046 mm wide
and 2,224 mm. Its wheelbase spans a length of 2,880 mm. The car tips the scales
at just 1,220 kg. It closely previews the design of the BMW 8 Series and the
BMW M8, particularly of their roof line, headlights (featuring OSRAM LED
lighting) and tail lights.
Power comes from a 5.0-litre BMW TwinPower Turbo V8
engine that has a base output of more than 500 hp. A 6-speed motorsport gearbox
is on duty for power delivery. A limited-slip differential to provide the higher
amount of traction required during high-speed cornering. The BMW M8 GTE is
hand-made at BMW Group Plant Dingolfing, the same place from where the BMW 8
Series will roll out.
