Drive BMW's new M4 today

If you’ve been enjoying Gran Turismo 6 since its release on PlayStation 3 last week, now is your opportunity to enhance the game with a car yet to be released to the real world.

BMW’s all-new M4 Coupe was revealed for the first time only yesterday, but thanks to a collaboration with BMW M GmbH, Polyphony Digital – developers of the game -- enjoyed unprecedented early access to the car during its development phase in order to meticulously recreate the BMW M4 Coupe for Gran Turismo 6.

A camouflaged version of the real BMW M4 Coupe was a mystery guest at the recent spectacular Gran Turismo 6 launch event at Ronda in southern Spain. Kazunori Yamauchi, legendary creator of the Gran Turismo franchise, enjoyed the privilege of a couple of laps of the Ascari Race Resort in the all-new car.

Owners of Gran Turismo 6 now have the opportunity to experience a virtual version of the high-revving twin-turbo inline six that powers the M4, which outputs 317kW and 550Nm, weighs less than 1500kg and can hit 100km/h in just 4.1 seconds.

With Gran Turismo 6’s new physics simulator, new aerodynamics, suspension and tyre models, and incredibly high-definition rendering, the virtual BMW M4 Coupe looks and drives just like the real thing.

As well as completing this month’s special Nürburgring Superlap event, GT6 owners are able to take the new car for a spin at more than 37 locations – including Ascari -- with over 100 layouts to choose from.

“It is very exciting to virtually ‘launch’ the BMW M4 Coupe in Gran Turismo 6,” said Dr Friedrich Nitschke, President of BMW M GmbH.

“The BMW M4 Coupe takes motorsport technology from the race track to the road, and thousands of laps of the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife – the world’s most demanding race track – have readied the new model for that transition. I am very much looking forward to seeing how it looks and feels in Gran Turismo on the same circuit.”

The partnership is also a source of pride for president of Polyphony Digital, Kazunori Yamauchi.

“It is always wonderful to be able to bring to life a brand-new car and I would like to thank BMW for trusting us with all of the data we needed to create the BMW M4 Coupe at such an early stage,” he said.

“The car is fantastic. I felt very privileged to have a few laps around Ascari during the Gran Turismo 6 launch event and I am sure that Gran Turismo fans will now enjoy the same experience as well as the novelty of being among the first in the world to try the BMW M4 Coupe.”

To celebrate the release of the M4, a two-week seasonal in-game event will run until December 26. The BMW M4 Coupe Superlap Challenge will take place on the Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit, giving players the chance to experience the new M4 in the virtual world before it’s launched here in mid-2014.

New BMW M3 and M4 photo gallery at www.motoring.com.au

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