BMW M4 GTS special-edition limited to just 700 units

The BMW M4 GTS (with Car DVD) is a truly remarkable machine and BMW will only making 700 of them, with just 50 coming to Canada. If you haven’t already spoken to your dealer, I wouldn’t get your hopes up on landing this hot rod in your driveway.

The M4 GTS is a future collectible. Although that doesn’t make its sticker price of $153,000 – roughly double the cost of a standard M4 – any easier to swallow.

Much of the pricing is undoubtedly driven by the realization that wealthy collectors see cars like this as an investment. It’s also driven by the realization that people will spend whatever it takes to get the ultimate thing—it’s as true in fashion or tech or mansions or Beanie Babies as it is in the automotive realm.

Huge wing? Check. Roll cage? Check. Loud exhaust system made from unobtanium? Check! Orange bits? Well, actually Acid Orange, but yes—check. 

The GTS looks like it was drawn and coloured by an overly excited child. It’s got everything but speed lines coming off the back. But everything you see serves an aerodynamic purpose, even that adjustable front splitter and those large hood vents. 

The car sits slightly lower than an M4, thanks to the fitment of an exotic, mechanically adjustable coilover suspension system. It’s the sort of tech you’d normally find on a race car.

Overall the car looks positively menacing. Absurd? Yes, but also not really, when placed in the context of other factory hot rods like the Shelby GT350, Jaguar F-Type SVR, and Porsche GT3 RS. What about install a BMW GPS navigation?

Interior

The race-spec carbon bucket seats you see in these photos are not the same units we’ll be getting in Canada. They don’t meet our safety regulations, apparently. And that’s a shame because they’re exactly the supportive sort of throne you need when trying to pilot a monster like this.

To save weight, the door cards have been replaced by basic plastic items. Even the beam behind the dashboard – a part you’ll never see – has been replaced by lightweight material in an effort to improve lap times. Speaking of which: BMW claims the M4 GTS will lap the Nordschleife in 7 minutes and 28 seconds. 

The very orange roll-cage in the back replaces the rear seats. Just in case it wasn’t clear yet: this is not a practical car.

Performance

The GTS will live and die in the hearts of enthusiasts based on its performance.

The Circuit de Catalunya is among the best of the old Formula One circuits left. It’s narrower than you think in many places, with blind corners over crests and never-ending turns that require a car to balance just beyond the limit of its tires for what seems like an eternity.

And here, the GTS – for all its macho huffing and puffing – is a ballerina. The car dances, even at my clumsy direction. It’s a very intuitive machine to drive, with a perfectly balanced front-engine, rear-drive layout. Information from the tires is all wired to the driver in 4k clarity. If installing an Android Car Stereo in your car, that would be great!