Something Behind Glass At Le Mans Looks A Lot Like BMW’s Electric M3

It’s only been just over a couple of months since BMW pulled the wraps off the all-electric i3, and the company is already inching toward revealing the M version. The long-awaited performance model could break cover at this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, or at least be teased there by a motorsport-flavored concept.

Photos from the Le Mans paddock this week show BMW has built a dedicated fanzone at the circuit, and tucked inside it sits a large box with glass doors. An image circulating online offers a preview of what’s behind the glass, and it appears to be the electric M3, rumored to wear the iM3 badge.

Read: A 1,000 HP Electric M3 And A 552 HP Gas M3 Will Have The Same Price Tag

A handful of images claiming to show this car leaked a couple of months back, and what’s sitting at Le Mans looks awfully familiar. Like the regular i3, it wears BMW’s Neue Klasse front fascia, but the track is noticeably wider here, with a pair of squared-off LED daytime running lights flanking each side.

The wing mirrors are particularly interesting, as shown in these photos from the German Car Forums. They don’t look like those on any current BMW M production car; instead, they look more like the mirrors we’d expect to see on a race car. This has prompted some to suggest the vehicle previewed won’t be the production-spec iM3, but rather a concept that previews its design.

A Track-Focused Beast

The vehicle’s presence at Le Mans will come just a few days after BMW released the latest episode in its multi-part documentary detailing the development of the electric M3 sedan. This episode focuses on the car’s brutal testing regime at the Nurburgring Nordschleife, where it’s covered more than 4,970 miles (8,000 km).

While many details about the car remain under wraps, we know it will have a quad-motor setup with an electric motor at each wheel and individual gearboxes. This will enable BMW to precisely control torque distribution. In this clip, BMW says, “this new technology allows us to push the boundaries of vehicle dynamics even further.”

“This allows us to send more power to the wheels that can use it most effectively,” BMW adds. “You can get back on the throttle much earlier, exactly to the slippage area of a wheel, so you can step on the throttle very, very early. The car doesn’t push outwards but is pulled and pushed through the corner, without any understeer or oversteer.”

So, while moving to electric power will no doubt upset some purists, it’s clear BMW is committed to making the iM3 as intoxicating to drive as possible.