Design for champions: BMW Motorsport reinterprets traditional BMW M colours for the 2018 season

Tradition meets the modern day: The classic BMW M colours will once again be represented in the 2018 DTM – albeit in a completely new BMW M Motorsport design. The BMW Driving Experience M4 DTM will be driven by two-time DTM champion Marco Wittmann (GER) this season.

Light blue, dark blue and red have always been intrinsically associated with BMW on the motorsport scene. As far back as the 1970s, BMW racing cars tasted success on the international stage with the characteristic striped design. Today, the new BMW M8 GTE is just one of the cars that races with the traditional colours in the new design.

Bold, modern shapes are derived from the three bars of the BMW M logo with abstracted, high contrast application for maximum visibility at speed. The livery is linked to architectural elements of the car, such as the C pillar’s Hofmeister Knick, lending a visual logic and structure to the impactful, expressive design. The faceted flag motif graphically celebrates the spirit of competition and embodies the essential dynamics of motorsports.

A functionally inspired asymmetry extends the iconic theme of driver orientation from BMW interior design to the exterior of the car with an anti-reflective matte black driver’s side hood element. The wedge-shaped lower subdivision sets a forward inclination. Fundamental design elements like these are shared by all the new liveries for the BMW M4 DTM for the 2018 season, and are features of all BMW M Motorsport car designs.

BMW Team RMG driver Wittmann will take to the track in the new BMW M Motorsport design this week, at the DTM tests at Vallelunga (ITA) on Friday and Saturday (2nd and 3rd March). “When I saw the new design of my car for the first time, I was blown away,” said Wittmann. “It is an honour for me to appear in the classic colours and to represent BMW M Motorsport on the track with this new design. Light blue, red and dark blue – for me, these three colours have been iconic since the 80s and 90s, and they are synonymous with the successful history of BMW in motor racing. I will do my best to add to this history in the 2018 DTM season.”

The two-day test at Vallelunga represents BMW Motorsport’s first opportunity to evaluate the modifications made to the 2018 version of the BMW M4 DTM out on the track. The car has been revised for the new season, in accordance with regulations. Among other things, changes to the aerodynamics have significantly reduced downforce. The new season gets underway on 5th May at Hockenheim (GER).