The BMW M8 GTE is an endurance grand tourer (GT) car constructed by the German automobile manufacturer BMW. It was developed in late 2016 and made its competitive début in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship for the 2018 season, and thus marking BMW Motorsport's return to 24 Hours of Le Mans after a six-year hiatus.[5] The M8 GTE, which replaced the ongoing BMW M6 GTLM at the end of the 2017 season, is based on the BMW M8. The car was unveiled on 12 September 2017 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Germany.[6]
 BMW M8 GTE, run by BMW Team MTEK, at the 2018 6 Hours of Silverstone race | |||||||||
| Category | GT Endurance (IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar GTLM and FIA WEC GTE Pro) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | BMW | ||||||||
| Designer(s) | Michael Scully (Head of Design, BMW Motorsport)[1] | ||||||||
| Predecessor | BMW M6 GTLM | ||||||||
| Successor | BMW M4 GT3 | ||||||||
| Technical specifications[2] | |||||||||
| Chassis | Carbon-fibre monocoque with safety roll cage | ||||||||
| Suspension (front) | Pushrod with double wishbones coupled with ZF Sachs dampers | ||||||||
| Suspension (rear) | Same as front | ||||||||
| Length | 4,980 mm (196 in) excluding rear wing | ||||||||
| Width | 2,224 mm (88 in) | ||||||||
| Height | 1,212 mm (48 in) | ||||||||
| Wheelbase | 2,880 mm (113 in) | ||||||||
| Engine | BMW P63/1 3,981 cc (243 cu in) 90° V8 twin-turbocharged, Front-mid engine, rear-wheel-drive, longitudinally mounted | ||||||||
| Transmission | Xtrac[3] 6-speed sequential semi-automatic paddle-shift | ||||||||
| Power | 600 PS (441 kW; 592 hp) at 7,000 rpm (estimated)[3] | ||||||||
| Weight | 1,250 kg (2,756 lb) including driver | ||||||||
| Fuel | Total Excellium Endurance Ethanol E20[4] (FIA WEC, 24 Hours of Le Mans) and VP Racing Fuels (WeatherTech SportsCar Championship) | ||||||||
| Lubricants | Shell Helix Ultra/Pennzoil Ultra | ||||||||
| Brakes | Brembo carbon brake discs with 6-piston calipers and pads | ||||||||
| Tyres | Michelin Pilot Sport | ||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||
| Notable entrants |  BMW Team MTEK BMW Team Rahal Letterman Lanigan | ||||||||
| Notable drivers | |||||||||
| Debut | 2018 24 Hours of Daytona (IMSA SportsCar) 2018 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (FIA WEC) | ||||||||
| First win | 2018 Oak Tree Grand Prix | ||||||||
| Last win | 2020 TireRack.com Grand Prix at Road Atlanta | ||||||||
| Last event | 2021 Petit Le Mans | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Constructors' Championships | 0 (IMSA SportsCar) 0 (FIA WEC) | ||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 0 (IMSA SportsCar) 0 (FIA WEC) | ||||||||
Development edit
BMW began the development, design, and construction of the M8 GTE in mid-2016. The first chassis was assembled in June 2017, with the first vehicle completed in July. The M8 GTE is the first car manufactured by BMW Motorsport from the ground up as a LM GTE homologated vehicle, rather than based on an existing design.
Technical features edit
The BMW M8 GTE programme utilizes several cutting-edge technologies and concepts, such as Additive Manufacturing[7] for rapid prototyping of components, as well as a transaxle, integrating the transmission, driveshaft, and axle assembly into a single unit, balancing mass front to rear.
The M8 GTE is powered by a front-mid mounted BMW n63/1 turbocharged V8 engine, the motorsport variant of the S63 motor found in roadgoing BMW models such as the F90 M5, as well as the BMW 8 Series (G15).
Competition History edit
Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results edit
(key) Races in bold indicates pole position. Races in italics indicates fastest lap.
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results edit
(key) Races in bold indicates pole position. Races in italics indicates fastest lap.
| Year | Entrant | Class | Drivers | No. | Rds. | Rounds | Pts. | Pos. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | ||||||||
| 2018-19 | BMW Team MTEK | LMGTE Pro |  Nicky Catsburg Martin Tomczyk Philipp Eng Alexander Sims | 81 | All All 2,8 6 | SPA 8 | LMS 11 | SIL 5 | FUJ 7 | SHA 9 | SEB 2 | SPA 9 | LMS 13 | 114 | 5th |
 António Félix da Costa Tom Blomqvist Augusto Farfus Alexander Sims Bruno Spengler Jesse Krohn | 82 | All 1, 4-5 2-3, 6-8 2 6 8 | SPA 5 | LMS RET | SIL RET | FUJ 2 | SHA 11 | SEB 7 | SPA 4 | LMS 10 | |||||
| Sources:[8][9] | |||||||||||||||
Gallery edit
References edit
- ^ Boeriu, Horatiu (19 March 2018). "Interview with BMW Motorsport designer Michael Scully on the new BMW M8 GTE: "It's the most elemental, determined race car we have ever built."". BMW. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
- ^ "#MISSION8 - BMW M8 GTE Technical Specifications". bmw-motorsport.com. bmw-motorsport.com. 12 September 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
- ^ a b Schrader, Stef (28 January 2018). "All of The Cool Little Details On The BMW M8 GTE That Debuted At Daytona". Jalopnik. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
- ^ "FIA WEC Secures Five Year Total Deal". sportspromedia.com. sportspromedia.com. 20 April 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
- ^ "BMW to enter WEC from 2018". fiawec.com. fiawec.com. 27 September 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ^ "BMW Unveils M8 GTE at Frankfurt Auto Show". sportscar365.com. sportscar365.com. 12 September 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2017.
- ^ "#MISSION8 | BMW Motorsport". www.bmw-motorsport.com. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
- ^ "Complete Archive of BMW M8 GTE". Racing Sports Cars. pp. 1, 2, 3. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
- ^ "Season 2018-19 Results". FIA World Endurance Championship. Archived from the original on 12 August 2019. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
External links edit
Media related to BMW M8 GTE at Wikimedia Commons