After months of testing and some camo
paint in the process, the BMW M8 GTE was officially revealed
in an event of the manufacturer at Frankfurt as they start the
Mission 8 project, which brings a new era for the 8 series.
The new LMGTE challenger follows
the V8 tradition that BMW has in the class, but is the second car to
feature a turbo engine like the M6 GTLM, although the displacement
was reduced to the maximum 4.0 liter to be in accordance with the
class regulations. While not as powerful as the M6 GTLM, with the M8
GTE engine going somewhere over 500 hp, the characteristics of the
purpose-built car will overcome the deficit under the hood compared
to the GT3-based GTE relative.
To prove that the idea was efficiency,
the ultra-light CFRP Body and some more parts left the M8 GTE with
1220 kg of weight, and with an improved CFD software helped in the
aero development of the car, with the fairly prominent diffuser and
the new aero wheels. Some cool things were also added to add in those
specific details that appear in endurance racing, like LED lighting
for the headlights and a rear view camera with object detector, which
are features that are present in a good number of top class racecars
today.
The M8 GTE will still start its
campaign next year, with the ROLEX 24 being the initial point and the
progressing into programs in FIA WEC and IMSA, while
the road car will only come in 2019. As for teams and drivers
selected, there's no information outside the announcement that former
DTM outfit MTEK will race a pair of cars in FIA WEC.
PHOTOS: BMW Motorsport
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