VIDEO: BMW M8 GTE heads out for first official test

BMW has released a new teaser video featuring the upcoming M8 GTE, which will race at Le Mans 24 Hours in the LMGTE class from 2018. The video comes a few days after an official sketch was posted by the carmaker’s motorsport division, and shows the car undergoing its first round of testing at the Lausitzring race track.

Throughout the 53-second clip, we not only get to catch a few glimpses of the race car, but also listen to its engine at full throttle. Martin Tomczyk and Maxime Martin are the men responsible for driving duties in the cockpit of the M8 GTE, providing the necessary feedback in the development of BMW Motorsport’s challenger for the 2018 FIA World Endurance Championship.

Even though race cars tend to come with a substantial amount of bodywork modifications, certain design elements from the M8 GTE can also be found on the road-going M8 prototype (previewed by the Concept 8 Series). This includes the two-section side window, slim headlights and slightly concaved boot lid.

Elsewhere however, the M8 GTE race car features a new front valence, bonnet intakes, a lowered ride height, new side mirrors, wider tyres, flared wheel arches, a large rear diffuser and rear wing.

GALLERY: BMW M8 prototype

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