What's the news?
BMW is readying the M8 GTE for competition and it's particularly proud of the high-performance lights on its racer - a crucial part of the success story of any machine that has to take part in events which run through the night.
Some of the drivers who are going to be using these powerful lights are purring about them already, such as Austrian Philipp Eng, who says: "The new light technology is outstanding. It takes many different factors to make a good light on a racing car. In the case of the BMW M8 GTE, the engineers have done everything right."
Feedback from the drivers has been used on the M8's lights, following extensive tests and intensive development. The BMW Motorsport team created the light system for the M8 GTE from scratch, consistently designing it for use in motor racing. Metal Additive Manufacturing was used in the production process, specifically for the cooling elements in the light system on the GTE, which were made using this 3D printing procedure.
In terms of looks, the lights are based on the twin circular headlamps that are BMW's signature, with two LED rings forming the shapes. The rear lights take their inspiration from the design on the next-generation BMW 8 Series, which is due to hit the world markets this year.
And an endurance test in Le Castellet, France, proved the effectiveness of the M8's lights, with Martin Tomcyzk (GER) commenting: "You can run through various light scenarios at Paul Ricard, ranging from the circuit being partially lit to fully lit. We were all impressed by the lights on the BMW M8 GTE. Good visibility is incredibly important for us drivers at night. We had precisely that."
Anything else?
Motorsport fans will get their first chance to check out the M8 GTE's lights, as well as its racing performance (obviously...), when it competes for the first time in anger at Daytona international Speedway at the end of January.