For real. As an example, the weight difference between an E30 M3 and an E46 M3, is greater than that between an E46 M3 and a Cadillac Deville.
E30 M3 ............... 2,724 lbs.
E46 M3 ............... 3,415 lbs.
Cadillac Deville ... 3,978 lbs.
__________________
" I've been to the edge. And there I stood and looked down. You know I've lost a lot of friends there baby. I got no time to mess around ..." - VanHalen
The M cars should not have the most features of the entire line. the idea is elegant bare essentials, and performance being priorities one, two, and three, and everything else fitting in in what was left over.
__________________
"The car is the closest we will ever come to creating something that is truly alive"
I think they feel an obligation to load the M-Cars up with all the goodies to justify the price. It's what the average buyer would expect, when the true enthusiast knows that he's really paying for the performance engineering.
Like I've said before, they should just offer two or three feature packages, from stripped to deluxed.
__________________
" I've been to the edge. And there I stood and looked down. You know I've lost a lot of friends there baby. I got no time to mess around ..." - VanHalen
but that would drive the price overall far more. The stripped down could cost what the one model now costs, and it would only go up from there. The more similar you can makes things, the cheaper they get. That's why an M5 can perform as well as smaller, more expensive cars, it parts shares with the 5, less development, fewer unique parts to manufacture
__________________
"The car is the closest we will ever come to creating something that is truly alive"
That is all true about costs, but it's really just about leaving certain things out during production, as opposed to putting them in. And devising manual componants in place of power features and the like, and grouping them into option packages, which of course is common place. Packages are a part of keeping costs down. Plus, were talking M-cars here, not higher volume standard models. A factory stripped car in the end couldn't help but be cheaper.
With all the parts sharing, it's really no more expensive than making room on the 5-Series assembly line for a V10 and the M5's various differences.
__________________
" I've been to the edge. And there I stood and looked down. You know I've lost a lot of friends there baby. I got no time to mess around ..." - VanHalen
E46 is the best for me, especially in 2-door version. Then I'd put e36 which was really great when just appeared and still is now. As for others... hard choice because none of the rest I really like. Strangely enough but I'd put e60 on 3 place, it had somehow grown on me, at least M5 e60... Then e38 - a little boring, but what a nice back! Then - e39. It's style is absolutely perfect and perfectly boring. To me, e39 marked the end of the genuine BMW style which was totally different from all others in 1970s. The e39 looked like Audi, Mercedes or anyone else, just with BMW kidneys. The last one - e65. Ugly thing! I could get used to it's bulky proportions, even to its funny duck tail, but it's face... seems like its been drawn by a 3-year old kid who took a pencil for the first time.
E39 is absolutely perfect, and perfectly boring. Interesting observation.
Personally, the E38 represents to me the last old style BMW, with it's more angular achitecture. The E39 was introduced a couple years after the E38 so it took on the softer lines of the cars we have now.
__________________
" I've been to the edge. And there I stood and looked down. You know I've lost a lot of friends there baby. I got no time to mess around ..." - VanHalen
Linear Mode
