BMW->ke178 has a rich history of building safety cars for some of the world's biggest racing series. This year, the M4 Coupe has joined Beamer's safety car family when it made its debut at the start of the 2014 DTM season.

The M4 Coupe joins the 1 Series M Coupe, the M3, the M5, and the M6 Gran Coupe in that list of BMWs that have been commissioned for safety car duties. That's an impressive list, and to help celebrate the occasion, the M4 Coupe DTM Safety Car was given all the bells and whistles to successfully serve its purpose.

Obviously, the M4 Coupe DTM Safety Car is based on the road-going model. That being said, a lot of the usual components of the road version have been taken out in favor of installing the necessary safety equipment as required by FIA regulations.

It's a comprehensive modification that clearly was done for a specific purpose, just like the past BMW models that have been lucky enough to see duty as safety cars at one time or another.

The development of the M4 Coupe DTM Safety Car was also a case of good timing for BMW. There's no better way to usher in the era of the M4 Coupe DTM Race Car than having one of its own in front of the pack – one that's responsible for a lot more than just winning races and making podiums.

Click past the jump to read more about the BMW M4 Coupe DTM Safety Car

2014 BMW M4 Coupe DTM Safety Car

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2014 BMW M4 Coupe DTM Safety Car
  • Engine/Motor: inline-6
  • Horsepower: 430
  • Torque: 406
  • Transmission: six-speed manual
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array

BMW M4 Coupe DTM Safety Car In Detail

When we heard that BMW was turning the M4 Coupe into a safety car, we didn't know what racing series it was going to be used on. What we did know was that somehow, BMW was going to find a way to install its M Performance Parts into the car.

Imagine our surprise then when BMW did just that, decking the M4 Coupe with a cadre of new M Performance components. As such, carbon fiber is now a common material on the safety car, thanks to the addition of a carbon fiber front splitter, carbon fiber mirror caps, a carbon fiber rear spoiler and a carbon fiber rear diffuser. Aerodynamic side skirts were also added, as well as a new titanium exhaust system, DTM livery, a new KW coilover suspension, and the obligatory emergency lights on the roof.

Inside, BMW replaced the stock seats of the M4 Coupe with Recaro racing seats. Likewise, the old seatbelts were also taken out in favor of Schroth harnesses. At the back, the rear seats are now gone and in their place is a new roll cage.

Unfortunately, the BMW M4 DTM Safety Car won't have any performance upgrades. What it does have is the same 3.0-liter TwinPower Turbo six-cylinder engine that develops 430 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque, enough power to handily accelerate from 0-60 mph in just 4.1 seconds to go with a top speed of around 155 mph.