BMW M4 DTM Champion Edition and M760Li - First Drive Impression

It’s a chilly May morning in Johannesburg and I’m up well before the sun in order to make it to the airport on time. It may be a break from my regular routine, not that such a thing really exists, but it does promise to be worth it. You see, I have this mantra that reads, “A bad day at the track, beats a good day in the office.” And I’m off to Port Elizabeth, and more importantly, the hallowed tarmac surface of Aldo Scribante Raceway to go and sample some rather special BMWs.

There’s a string of high-performance BMW models parked on the apron, overshadowed by the backdrop that consists of the iconic BMW M1 (which I feel privileged enough to have driven) and the rather special Winfield BMW 745i production car from the 1980s. There’s another Winfield 745i on the apron and both cars look as good as they did, if not better than, when they first took to the track to take on the likes of the Alfa Romeo GTV6 3.0 and Ford Sierra XR8 all those years ago.

The correlation with the circuit cars is simple; the BMW M4 Champion Edition is a limited production run version of, well, the BMW M4 GTS. It’s being built to celebrate the 2016 DTM Championship win by BMW Motorsport Works driver, Marco Wittmann. Only 200 examples of this model will be made, with only 15 making their way to our shores.

The M4 DTM

With only one of each of the launch vehicles available, and several eager motoring journalists all chomping at the bit to have a go, there is some time to kill. Fortunately for those waiting in line, there are a few other M Performance offerings to sample and I whiz around the track in an M140i with its easy driving habits and nimble turn in, an M3 Competition Pack that walks the fine line of being too strong for daily consumption and an M4; to serve as a fresh basis of comparison before getting to sample the DTM.

The M4 DTM Champion Edition has a familiar interior. The DTM share much of its concept with the M4 GTS that I drove last year  with only the slightest of trim and setup changes. You'd be hard pressed to tell the two apart in a blindfold test. It's minimalist with two M Carbon bucket seats, Alcantara trimmings all over, lightweight door cards with pull-straps for handles and of course, the elephant in the room, the gleaming while half-roll cage.

As a result, it's a little noisier and comfort is not high on the priority list. The noise emitted from the titanium performance exhaust is rambunctious, punctuated by a rasp as I select the following gear.

Thanks to water injection, the 3.0-litre straight-six TwinPower turbo engine produces 51kW more than in the regular M4, coming in at 368kW with the torque bumped 50Nm to give you 600Nm. You don't dare turn off the traction control, just let that little light burn – it's used to it.

The M4 DTM will sprint to 100km/h in only 3.8-seconds and will do a top speed of 305km/h, which is where it is limited. Sadly, I don't get a chance to venture that high into the digits as the straight at Aldo Scribante isn't all that long and just to err on the safe side, the instructors have placed a chicane down the straight to keep the greedy journalists in check.

The weight reduction is comfortably felt and while the carbon-ceramic brakes lack a little feel, the certainly to the job I ask of them, reeling in the speed and getting the nose to squat. Front end grip is impressive too. While I remember being suitably impressed with the GTS' turn in, I'm reminded of it here again, even if the surface of Aldo Scribante isn't as pristine as that of the recently refurbished Kyalami.

It's a car that is easy to drive fast, if you leave the nanny aids on, which I have been requested to do and have no problem complying with. I certainly don't want to pick up the tab for this one. All 15 of the South African bound M4 DTM Champion Editions have been spoken for and those owners forked over a cool R2.3-mil for this desirable piece of kit. And they all look the same – all in Alpine White with DTM striping and smatterings of carbon fibre for the roof, wing, front splitter, skirt attachments and canards.

It's a little pointless for the road, but for the weekend breakfast run or special occasion (read: track day) it's a thrill a minute.

BMW M760Li

The primary reason why I'm ducking for cover from the harsh sun, beating down on Port Elizabeth, is to sample the latest addition to the 7 Series line up; the large and seemingly ungainly M760Li.

Those that know their nomenclature will identify that this is an M Performance (M) 7 series (7) with a V12 under the hood (60). The last two letters tell us that it is a long-wheelbase model (L) and that it has fuel injection (I). BMW could very well have added an X in there too, as the new M760Li is equipped with xDrive, BMWs all-wheel drive system, making this the first sedan to offered locally with power sent to all four.

It's still just as stately as the 7 Series I tested. and just as packed with technology and convenience, more than I have have the space, or you have the time for. Opulent leather seats and aluminium trimmings caress your hands and body. So far, it's all standard fare with a few extra inches and some M logos thrown in for good measure.

But down by my hand is a V12 symbol, a subtle reminder that under this hood lurks a 6.6-litre TwinPower turbo V12. It's not even that evident when I push the start button and the engine fire up to life. Quiet... refined.

Heading out onto the track, the Executive Drive Pro suspension system levels out the car and irons out the creases in the tarmac. You can feel some of the 2180kg, but not all of it. It most certainly isn't as agile as the M4 I just drove, but they never pretended that it would be.

The xDrive is rear biased, sending more power to the rear wheels and splitting the power up between the front and rear when needed. As such, I am warned that it will push the nose if I get carried away on the corners. Still, they claim it will sprint to 100km/h in only 3.7-seconds, 0.1-seconds faster than the M4 DTM. Tickle me intrigued.

Curiosity gets the better of me and I hoof it coming out of the corner. The M760Li take a minute to select the appropriate gear (of which there are eight forward ones to choose from) before showing me what it has. I can only liken it to a gentlemanly duel where your opponent takes a moment to remove his white glove before socking you in the jaw with an iron-fisted Tyson-like hook. Good grief!

This is like an elephant with a Saturn 5 rocket strapped to its back!

It's a behemoth with a temper and while it may not change direction all too well, it most certainly makes up for it on the straightaways. It's never going to blitz the lap record at the Nurburgring, it's far too heavy for that, but off the line and on an open stretch of road, you'll need to be in something equally as special in order to keep the M760Li in sight. Woe betides the unsuspecting hot hatch driver that thinks he'll give the Beemer a run. You need to pack a little more than that. Try a Panamera Turbo S perhaps...

The BMW M760Li xDrive pricing starts at R2 699 900.