I Drove The Big M8 Race Car

Normal people aren’t allowed to drive cars like this. The teams and owners of modern, top-level race cars, under most conditions, would never consider letting someone without years of training and proven skill drive their seven-figure cars flat-out. It just doesn’t happen.

Yet here I am, a lowly car writer, strapping into a real, actual BMW M8 GTE, about to be sent out onto the road course of Homestead-Miami Speedway. It’s moments like these, when fantasy and reality intersect. 

The big takeaway, apart from a life-affirming memory, is a sense for how much pro drivers lean on technology to set lap times. 

The M8 GTE is relatively famous, as far as race cars go. Early on it earned the nickname “big M8” thanks to its size, spawning memes which emphasized the car’s massive footprint on track relative to its competitors. 

Beyond the memes, the M8 was also successful, taking five wins in IMSA’s GTLM class over four years in competition, including two marquee victories at the 24 Hours of Daytona.

BMW retired the M8 GTE from competition at the end of the 2021 season. Of the five chassis owned by BMW North America, the company plans to keep two for display and historical racing purposes, including the #25 car that won Daytona in 2019. The #24 Daytona winner has already been sold, while the remaining two cars will be sold at auction. The M8 I drove, chassis 1810, is one of those cars.

Chassis 1810 raced as the #25 car for the 2021 season with drivers Connor De Phillippi, Philipp Eng, and Bruno Spengler at the wheel. It only competed in three events: Sebring, where it finished 2nd, Watkins Glen, where it finished 3rd, and Road Atlanta, where it finished 5th. The car still wears its bright red Motul livery, and though it’s been cleaned up and mechanically refreshed, still shows a fair number of battle scars.

Before it can be auctioned, BMW needs to make sure chassis 1810 works correctly. And a quick drive around the office parking lot won’t cut it. Every February the company and its motorsport partners at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing bring a collection of historic race cars to Homestead-Miami for a yearly shakedown, prepping the cars for an upcoming year of various events, such