The 2016 BMW M4 GTS will be heading to the U.S. as the first production road car with a water injection system.

The special edition M vehicle clocked a Nurburgring lap time of 7 minutes 28 seconds and will be limited to just 700 units worldwide with 300 of those heading to the U.S. Powering the M4 GTS is the same 3.0-liter turbocharged six-cylinder engine found in the standard M4, but with the addition of water injection technology it produces 493 horsepower, 16 percent more than the standard 425 figure. Peak torque has been upped to 442 pound-feet, allowing the M4 GTS to go 0-60 in 3.7 seconds.

Water injection ensures lower combustion temperates which improves fuel economy along with allowing the engine and turbochargers to run at a higher compression ratio.

 

Enhancing handling performance on the M4 GTS is a set of three-way adjustable coilovers with mechanically adjustable compression and rebound settings allowing for precise adjustment of low- and high-speed compression. The special model comes standard with 19×9.5-inch wheels in the front paired to 265/35/19 Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires while the rear gets 20×10.5-inch sized wheels matched to 285/30/20 rubber.

SEE ALSO: BMW M4 GTS: The Next Era of M Performance

Weight is set at 3,494 pounds as the M4 GTS features a bit of carbon fiber on its body including the roof, hood and adjustable splitter underneath the front apron. The interior exudes an authentic racing feel with different bucket-style M sports seats finished in Alcantara and deleted rear seats. The area in the back is now trimmed in glass-fiber-reinforced plastic with a carbon sandwich bulkhead. Keeping driver and passenger safe is a roll bar constructed from high-strength steel and mounted behind the front seats. Providing a fancy color accent to the interior, the rollbar is finished in Acid Orange, guaranteed to contrast all the other elements found in the cabin.

Pricing for the 2016 BMW M4 GTS was not announced.

“We’ve taken a radical route with the set-up of the BMW M4 GTS to create a sports machine for the race track that delivers top-end dynamics and inspirational performance,” said Frank van meel, CEO of BMW M GmbH. “It allows us to demonstrate what is possible today with a road-legal car. Owners can drive their BMW M4 GTS to circuits such as Spa-Francorchamps, the Nürburgring or Laguna Seca – for clubsport events, for example – and then set lap times there that raise the bar to extremely high levels for road-legal cars.”

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