It’s time to find out if the super special BMW M4 is fast enough to teach the Porsche 911 GT3 a trick or two around a track.
M division specials have always been amazing, but the M4 GTS wants to take things a bit further. The turbocharged straight-six now produces 493hp and 442 lb-ft of peak torque thanks to a water injection system, the weight figure is reduced by 80kg, the chassis has been completely reworked with a three-way coilover suspension, an updated steering, stickier tires, a beefed-up rear diff and a a roll bar among others.
On the other hand, Porsche has the 911 GT3, one of the most revered performance cars on the planet, building on and improving the same recipe for years. This is one of the very few cars in this price bracket that still uses a naturally aspirated flat six, good enough for 468hp and 324 lb-ft in a chassis tuned by the best in the business.
Sport Auto took the two track-focused models for a track battle on the short Hockenheim, with Christian Gebhardt driving them back to back and against the clock. With the Porsche 911 GT3 said to have lapped the Nurburgring in 7:25 and the BMW M4 GTS in 7:28, you can’t really predict which one would win.
With Gebhardt at the wheel the BMW M4 GTS posted a 1.09,6 min lap time with the Porsche 911 GT3 stopping the clocks at 1.09,2 min, just 0.4 sec ahead of the fastest BMW ever made.
But the real interest is to see how these two really special cars behave under flat-out track driving and how their configurations dictate their handling characters. The answer lies right below.