2019 BMW M4 DTM adopts new 2.0-litre turbo engine

ABU DHABI: There are some changes made in the regulations for the 2019 DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters) season. The changes are specifically concerning the engine department, which has caused all the participants to re-work in order to comply with the new Class 1 rules.

Serving the purpose, BMW has brought a new turbocharged 2.0-litre 4-cylinder engine which would be used for the DTM race spec car. Bruno Spengler has sampled the prototype of the car with downsized capacity at the time of its debut at the BMW plant in Dingolfing.

As per the development of the new engine, it will be a very powerful unit despite being half the capacity of the one that was used earlier. In the previous season, the M4 DTM was powered by a V8 4.0-litre, naturally aspirated engine that made 486 PS and 500 Nm of torque. It was a rear-wheel-drive car and was mated to a 6-speed sequential shift gearbox. The engine was powerful enough to get the car to sprint to 100 kmph from a standstill in just three seconds.

The new engine is significantly powerful because of the improved air inlets and outlets along with a revised system for the intake and exhaust. Hence, with the inclusion of the new compliant engine, the Director of BMW Motorsport, Jens Marquardt has said that the BMW Turbo Power has been successful for around 50 years. The first of the turbo engines was developed in 1969 and was successful at the European touring championship.

Also, taking into account the new Class 1 regulations, the first few kilometres did go very positively. The addition of the downsized engine with a turbocharger brought a wonderful exhaust sound. But besides that, despite being more powerful, it turned out to be more efficient than the predecessor.

Interestingly, this new Class 1 regulation will get DTM on the same page as the Super GT, which took five years to happen. Super GT has a similar 2.0-litre turbocharged engine under its hood since 2014.