BMW decided to step up its game with their DTM safety car gig this year, dispatching a special and limited edition model for the job. It’s the BMW M4 GTS that will be pacing the DTM monsters during the 2016 season, one of only 700 production units.

BMW M4 GTS DTM Safety Car does not differ from the road-going version, except for a radio, a lights bar, flashers and some stickers on the body signifying the car’s authority. Otherwise, it is the same car you can buy from the showrooms, meaning it’s got a  3.0-litre straight-six turbo engine with innovative water injection technology developing a cool 500 hp and 600 Nm of torque. The GTS is also lighter and comes with revised suspension, brakes, and new wheels and tires.

The job of driving the 2016 BMW M4 GTS DTM Safety Car is given to Jürgen Kastenholz, the official DTM pace car driver since 2010. He commented: “The BMW M4 excels through neutral handling, fantastic response and enormous power delivery starting at low engine speeds for optimum acceleration out of tight corners,” says the 48-year old. “The new BMW M4 GTS will be even better. So I will have complete trust in the car from the word go – and this is absolutely essential to be able to lead a pack of 24 DTM racing cars quickly around the circuit during the caution periods.”