Check out the 2021 BMW M4 in all its grille-tastic glory

The official debut for the 2021 BMW M4 is coming in September, but BMW is giving us a fairly revealing preview of both the road car and racecar M4 GTE ahead of the world premiere. Not only do we get to see the big grille in all its glory, but we get to see both M4s sitting next to each other on a racetrack.

Horizontal slats like the ones pictured in these shots of the M4 are consistent with what leaks have previously shown. There’s no bulky cladding or especially tricky camouflage to see through anymore. We’re essentially looking at the M4 as it would appear after somebody applied a wild wrap to it for a road rally, complete with BMW “M Power” stickers and banners everywhere. The scalloped hood and aggressive bumper design is totally within view. Its aggressive side skirts, wide rear hips and quad-tipped exhaust are all readily visible to fawn over. It looks like a finished car, and BMW is nearly done with it. All that’s left to do (according to BMW) are some “final intensive tests.”

It’s especially interesting to see the roadgoing M4 lined up next to the racecar. BMW has gone ahead and painted the grille red in this livery, and maybe it’s just us, but the giant grille works a lot better on the racer. The perceived functionality of such a massive opening being necessary could be helping, but the sheer width of the front end does wonders for the proportions of the grille. Seeing the same-sized grille on the road car makes it appear as though it’s out of place and unnaturally large. The M4 GTE’s hood height is also significantly lower than the road car, making it look hunkered down over the road versus the tall and upright production car front end. From the nose, to the stretched headlights and decklid design, the two share a number of styling elements.

In case you were wondering how the next M4 and M3 will drive, we’ve already done that. You can check out our first drive of the prototypes here. This particular photoshoot took place at the Red Bull Ring ahead of the MotoGP race this weekend where the winner will be gifted a new M4 Coupe.

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