In the hands of a novice, BMW‘s track-oriented M4 GTS is an absolute animal but in the hands of a professional racing driver, it’s just about as quick as more exclusive sports cars.
In fact, around the legendary Nurburgring, the hardcore M4 variant set a 7:27 second lap, putting it in the same league as the 911 GT3 RS 4.0 and making it faster than the Ferrari 458 Italia, McLaren 12C and the iconic Porsche Carrera GT.
With its performance credentials in mind, Car and Driver selected the M4 GTS to compete in its Lightning Lap competition at Virginia Internal Raceway and brought along BMW factory driver Bill Auberlen to take the GTS to its limits.
Around the high-speed and flowing circuit, the car is much more capable than the standard car due to its additional downforce. The added 69 hp from the twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder with water-injection also helps.
But is it worth the $134,200 starting price?