2018 BMW M5 reports for MotoGP safety car duty

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Wears artsy livery and all sorts of cool gadgets

The next MotoGP season will see BMW’s brand-new 2018 M5 taking the safety car responsibility. In doing so, the go-fast German sedan will go through a complete transformation.

Under the heavy-kitted body lies the same mechanical assembly as in the factory-spec BMW M5, including the M xDrive all-wheel drive setup BMW developed for the new M5.

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Following the same rule, under the hood sits a 4.4-liter V8 twin-turbocharged powerplant making 441 kW (600 hp) and 750 Nm.

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BMW says its M Manufaktur division kitted the BMW M5 MotoGP Safety Car through “painstaking manual work” with M Performance parts and extra carbon fiber bits and bobs, a titanium exhaust system and a one-off front splitter.

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The hood features racing-style latches and the bucket seats were donated by the BMW M4 GTS. Oh, and we’re pretty sure you’ve already spotted the artsy livery which was inspired by the BMW M8 GTE race car.

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Care to see how the 2018 BMW M5 fares against the 2018 Mercedes-AMG E 63? Here’s our static comparison of the two power saloons.