Last week, spy photos of a heavily modified BMW M4 started making the rounds on the internet. A lot of websites have tried to figure out what this could possibly be while the answer seemed pretty obvious. What we’re looking at in the video attached below is the BMW M4 GT4 version that will start racing in various competitions next year.

The car will be aiming to replace the BMW M3 GT4 in a host of races around the world and will be used by private racing teams starting next year. As you can probably tell, BMW is currently testing the aerodynamics of the car using a stock M4 with more aggressive bits and pieces all around to get a baseline reading. The end product will most likely drop a lot of weight by using carbon fiber wherever possible and removing any sort of commodity feature from inside the car.

Capture 31 750x395

Under the hood you’ll find the same 3-liter straight six engine with its two turbochargers attached to it. However, the power output is likely to change, to comply with the FIA rules that demand GT4 cars to have certain power/weight ratios. For now, we don’t have an exact figure but as soon as the car will be done, we’ll know exactly how many horses are lurking under the bonnet.

“The GT4 category is currently experiencing a boom. It offers affordable motorsport with cars of technical high-quality and, therefore, attracts a wide target audience. We see enormous potential around the world for privateer BMW teams for whom the BMW M4 GT4 is an option,” said BMW Motorsport Director Jens Marquardt about the car back in 2015. “The BMW M4 GT4 is designed perfectly for simple use by privateer teams.”

Development and research done for this new racer should be finished by January 1, 2017. At that time we’ll also learn all about its specs and, most importantly, price tag. Since the BMW M6 GT3 costs around $400,000, the M4 GT4 should be a considerably cheaper alternative.