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. 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.
Development 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 The BMW M8 GTE programme utilizes several cutting-edge technologies and concepts, such as Additive Manufacturing 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 P63/1 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 Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results (key) Races in bold indicates pole position. Races in italics indicates fastest lap.
+Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results Year Entrant Class Drivers Rounds 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 2018 BMW Team RLL GTLM John Edwards Jesse Krohn Nick Catsburg Augusto Farfus Tom Blomqvist Chaz Mostert24AllAll1-21612 DAY SEB LBH MOH WGL MOS LIM ELK VIR LGA ATL2788th Connor De Phillippi Alexander Sims Bill Auberlen Philipp Eng25AllAll1-2, 6, 121 DAY SEB LBH MOH WGL MOS LIM ELK VIR LGA ATL3046th 2019 BMW Team RLL GTLM John Edwards Jesse Krohn Chaz Mostert Alex Zanardi Philipp Eng24AllAll112, 12 DAY SEB LBH MOH WGL MOS LIM ELK VIR LGA ATL2797th Connor De Phillippi Colton Herta Philipp Eng Augusto Farfus Tom Blomqvist25All1-2, 12112-4, 6-12 DAY SEB LBH MOH WGL MOS LIM ELK VIR LGA ATL2936th 2020 BMW Team RLL GTLM John Edwards Jesse Krohn Augusto Farfus Chaz Mostert24AllAll1, 9, 111 DAY 1 DAY 2 SEB 1 ELK VIR ATL 1 MOH CLT ATL 2 LGA SEB 2 319 2nd Connor De Phillippi Bruno Spengler Colton Herta Philipp Eng25AllAll1, 9, 111 DAY 1 DAY 2 SEB 1 ELK VIR ATL 1 MOH CLT ATL 2 LGA SEB 23134th 2021 BMW Team RLL GTLM John Edwards Augusto Farfus Jesse Krohn Marco Wittmann241-2, 5, 121-2, 5, 121, 9, 111 DAY 1 DAY 2 SEBBEL WGL 1WGL 2LIMELKLGALBHVIR ATL13364th Connor De Phillippi Philipp Eng Bruno Spengler Timo Glock251-2, 5, 121-2, 5, 121, 9, 111 DAY 1 DAY 2 SEBBEL WGL 1WGL 2LIMELKLGALBHVIR ATL12515thSources:
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results (key) Races in bold indicates pole position. Races in italics indicates fastest lap. +Complete FIA World Endurance Championship resultsYearEntrantClassDriversRounds123456782018–19 BMW Team MTEKLMGTE Pro Nicky Catsburg Martin Tomczyk Philipp Eng Alexander Sims81AllAll2,86SPA8LMS11SIL5FUJ7SHA9SEB2SPA9LMS131145th António Félix da Costa Tom Blomqvist Augusto Farfus Alexander Sims Bruno Spengler Jesse Krohn82All1, 4-52-3, 6-8268SPA5LMSRETSILRETFUJ2SHA11SEB7SPA4LMS10Sources: Gallery
References
External links
BMW M8 GTE profile on bmw-motorsport.com