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BMW M6 GTLM already looking mean ahead of Daytona debut

BMW Motorsport is preparing to roll out the new M6 GTLM. And Americans will be the first to see it when it marks its debut during this week's IMSA test session at Daytona International Speedway. After that, two of the new competition machines will be campaigned by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship. Designed to compete at the top levels of sports car racing, the new M6 GTLM will be the successor to the Z4 GTLM and the M3 GT2 before it. And with its introduction, the quasi-works RLL outfit will have been there for all three. The team co-owned by Indy legend Bobby Rahal, talkshow host David Letterman, and industrial crane magnate Mike Lanigan, has won the IndyCar championship three times, the Indy 500 once, and has recorded dozens of race wins, poles, and podium finishes. RLL branched out into sports car racing in the American Le Mans series in 2009 and has won several titles since. The new M6 racer will have some heady competition to deal with in the IMSA's GT Le Mans class next season. Among the new machinery we can expect to see on the grid in the coming year will be the new Ford GT, Porsche 911 RSR, Corvette C7.R, and possibly the new Ferrari 488 GTE, as well. Another version of the BMW entry is being prepared for privateer teams competing in the GT Daytona class, where it will have to contend with the likes of the Audi R8 LMS, Dodge Viper GT3-R, and Lexus RC F GT3. We're looking forward to seeing what the Bavarians will have to throw at 'em when the M6 GTLM debuts at Daytona this week. In the meantime, you can scope the machine out in its primer coat while undergoing a shakedown at Sebring in the gallery above.Related Video: 2016 BMW M6 GTLM to Make US Public Debut at Nov. 17-18 IMSA Daytona Test Woodcliff Lake, N.J. – November 13, 2015... BMW Team RLL will participate in the Nov. 17-18 IMSA test at Daytona International Speedway marking the first public test of BMW's latest endurance racing challenger, the BMW M6 GTLM. As announced during last season's Petit Le Mans weekend, BMW Team RLL is expected to campaign two M6 GTLM race cars in the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The M6 GTLM recently completed its first US test at Sebring International Raceway in late October along with a M6 GT3 machine that will provide the foundation for BMW's worldwide customer racing program.

Ring Taxi BMW M3 chases an Aventador SV and Cayman GT4

On paper, a BMW M3 that's loaded with three passengers probably shouldn't have a chance at keeping up around a track with a Porsche Cayman GT4 and a Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce. In the real world, driver skill and track knowledge can make all the difference, though. And when the M3 is a Nurburgring Taxi with a driver that knows the course incredibly well, we end up getting a fantastic lap like this one. The 'Ring Taxi driver starts by teasing his passengers that they'll see whether the Lambo is fast. Before the two of them get on track, the GT4 cuts in to join the party. What follows is a fascinating lap of the Nordschleife. It's impressive how the BMW driver's skill allows him to keep up with the two other cars and blow past tons of other traffic. During faster sections, the Porsche and Aventador start to pull away, but as soon as the course gets curvy again, the M3 is right back in the action. As the group pulls back into the parking lot, even the Ring Taxi driver sounds impressed with his performance. See the impressive show in the video above. Related Video:

More details emerge on hotter BMW i8S coming next year

The BMW i8 recently won the Autoblog Technology of the Year award, and it's going to get even better. In October, Automobile magazine reported that BMW's i brand is working on an i8S that would be stiffer and more powerful, and celebrate the marque's centenary in 2016. At the time, one of two power unit combinations was suggested, either one of them good for more than 500 horsepower. Car magazine has added more info on the coupe said to be called Project M100, saying that in addition to being a birthday gift for BMW, it will also be a going-away statement to current chairman Norbert Reithofer, who is expected to retire in 2016 or 2017. It will also be so thoroughly reworked that there will be plenty of daylight between it and the standard i8: a more integrated carbon fiber and aluminum chassis, a wider range of materials used in the build, a larger luggage bay due to the omission of rear seats, a more aggressive suspension supporting heartier brakes and wider tires, and - perhaps - a different aero and ground-effects package to be visually different and make the most of the alterations. As for that power unit, Car says that the two options mentioned by Automobile are still under consideration, being either a 2.0-liter twin-turbo four-cylinder with 320 horsepower and a 204-hp electric motor, or a 3.0-liter straight six with 480 hp and an electric motor with 109 hp. Either choice gets an integrated starter motor good for another 27 hp, and a total torque number of roughly 520 pound-feet, 100 additional lb-ft than the current car. Word is that it will be shown for the centenary in 2016 then go on sale by the end of 2017.