BMW M4 DTM Champion Edition confirmed for Australia

BMW's new road-going racer has been confirmed for Australia, with 10 examples of the M4 DTM Championship Edition to touch down in the first half of 2017.

Following the sell-out success of the M4 GTS, BMW has once again dialled up the mental with its M4 DTM Championship Edition, promising a blistering zero-to-100km/h sprint of just 3.8 seconds and a flying top speed of more than 300km/h.

Limited to just 200 cars worldwide - and just 10 here - BMW promises its M4 DTM Championship Edition will deliver the best of track technology to a public road near you.

Powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six that sends a staggering 368kW and 600Nm - up 51kW and 50Nm on the standard M4 - to what must be the hardest working rear tyres in the business, the Championship Edition will clip 100km/h 3.8 seconds, 0.3 seconds quicker than the standard M4 and on-par with the GTS special edition. Like the GTS, top speed is rated at 305km/h.

The engine is paired with a race-tuned, seven-speed, dual-clutch gearbox, with fuel use rated at a claimed/combined 8.5L/100km and emissions pegged at 199g/km Co2 - a set of numbers you are about as likely to achieve as next week's lottery win.

Built to honour German wheel man Marco Wittmann, who piloted his M4 race car to the German DTM Driver's Championship in both 2014 and 2016, the Championship Edition pours genuine racing technology into the existing M4, including the clever water injection system from the GTS that sprays a mist into the intake manifold, dropping the temperature and significantly bumping up power and torque figures.

Colour choice is limited to Alpine White, all the better to show off the DTM-inspired livery and M-branded body striping.

The M4 DTM Championship Edition has also been put on a radical diet, with BMW's engineers using carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) for the front splitter, mirror caps, side skirts, diffuser and spoiler, as well as the entire bonnet. The quad-tipped exhaust is shaped from titanium, while inside the two-seater, you'll find "thin-shelled" Alcantara-and-leather racing seats, a lightweight roll cage - complete with six-point harnesses and a fire extinguisher - and an Alcantara-trimmed dash and steering wheel.

Power meets the tarmac via a set of 19-inch (front) and 20-inch (rear) alloys, wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres that are understandably fatter at the rear. BMW's M carbon ceramic brakes also arrive as standard kit, as is the three-way manually adjustable coilover suspension set up. Colour choice is limited to Alpine White, all the better to show off the DTM-inspired livery and M-branded body striping.

But if all of that sounds pretty tempting, be warned: cheap thrills this ain't. The BMW M4 DTM Championship Edition will wear a $295,000 price tag when it touches down here in the first half of 2017.

"Securing five per cent of the M4 DTM Champion Edition’s global allocation is an honour for BMW in this country," said BMW's Australian CEO, Marc Werner.

"It once again proves the popularity of M Division product 'Down Under.'

"On the back of the sold-out M4 GTS, the M4 DTM Champion Edition offers similar racetrack-inspired performance with further exclusivity, and is a fitting tribute to Marco’s achievements."

Would you spend $290k to become a member of this exclusive BMW M4 club? Tell us what you think in the comments below.