M3 history question

[tallwingedgoat]

What year did the first E36 M3 CONVERTIBLE come out?

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Hallo tallwingedgoat,

 

kennst du schon M3 history question (Anzeige)? Dort ist vieles zu finden.

 

BMW M Ersatzteile (Anzeige) | BMW M Tuning (Anzeige) | BMW M Uhren (Anzeige)

[thepolarfoxqx]

1994 in europe.

[LateNightCable]

1997 in the U.S.

[thepolarfoxqx]

both the japanese and euorpeans screw us by not letting us have the good stuff till they already rolled all over in it.

Too bad they don't buy our cars.

[tallwingedgoat]

Thanks for the information guys.

BTW I heard 2005 will be the swong song for M3. After that BMW will replace it with the M4, a V8 GT based on the 3-series. The M4 will also look significantly different from the saloon, just as the M6 is to the 5-series.

The inline-six will remain only for the 3-series sedans and roadsters. No more M-powered 6 pots.

[LateNightCable]

Thats' pretty sad. Won't there ever be another storming little Bimmer with a six that just won't quit? Things are just getting way too complicated, I long for the simple and the pure.

[thepolarfoxqx]

god will damn BMW to hell for all of eternity for getting rid of the ///M Inline Six. The killer inline six was the greatest engine ever concieved. I don't like them making the new M cars drastically different looking their non M counterparts. Half the fun of an M3 is smoking someone who expected easy victory.

I fail to see the reason for a V8, their six has plenty left in it. retune it, push it a bit harder, bore to 3.5L, you could get that thing to spew 400hp.

i hope it isn't the swan song for the M3 or M straight six. It would kill me.

I swear, i'd never buy another BMW again. Ever.

[m3 fanatic]

But times are changing!

I dont want to get smoked by a teenager in a jap car.

S4 with V-8 and 350 hp

RS6 with 430+ hp

E55 with almost 500 hp and ft. lbs.

STI WRX with 300 hp

Evo's with 280 hp

New C55!!

Enjoy the horsepower wars. Free gas for everyone.

"Sadly" I'll have to keep my 2 vehicles for at least 2-3 more years.

[LateNightCable]

The Sub WRX and Evo are both four-bangers, and they smoke. Proof that the ///M Inline-6 is still valide.

Instead of more cylinders, I really believe BMW should focus their attention on weight reduction. That would improve alot of things that more cylinders could never help, except add more weight. At over 3,400 pounds, the M3 is getting pretty hefty. Weight reduction and continued evolution of the six is the key to staying competitive - and true to ///M roots.

[thepolarfoxqx]

no teenager in a jap car is taking down the current M3. there is room left in the inline six. As I said, if you bored it to 3.5L, it would only be a minor stretch of tuning to produce 400lbs. The E60 M5 is over 300lbs lighter than the E39 M5 due to weight savings and aluminum intensive contstruction, if they could do that for E46 M3, they'd have a rocket damn near nothing could touch.

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Hallo tallwingedgoat,

 

schau doch mal hier zum Thema BMW M (Anzeige)? Eventuell gibt es dort etwas Passendes.

 

Der V16 Motor zum Selberbauen (Anzeige) ist auch genial.

[LateNightCable]

If BMW constructed the M3 almost entirely out of aluminum and carbon fiber, mostly aluminum. I can see the weight going down into the high 2000s', combine that with a 3.5 displacement six and the S4, RS6, and E55 would have nothing to do except wave bye bye to your pretty tail lights.

To give it a bit of luxury appeal, separate options into " stages ". The standard M3 would be a stripped out model, the cheapest and the fastest. ( Which makes alot of sense considering that real car enthusiasts don't always have the cash laying around that rich showoffs have. ) You know how you ad on options? Well in this case, the options would be such things as actual rear seats, a stereo, power seats and windows, and sound insulation. All that stuff could be added on in about 3 or 4 stages. M3 Stage II, Stage III, etc.

From " stripper " on up to fully optioned M3 like what is available now. A V8 is really not neccesary, just greater flexibility of things like options.

[thepolarfoxqx]

stick to the straight sixes. That is the spirit of the M car.

if you got 400hp to 3,000lbs of car, you'd have something violent fast.

Nothing in the segment could keep up, that's for sure.

Instead of stages, just make the base model a stripper, fewer features etc., just the screamer motor. Offer a premium package adding things like a fancied up stereo and more computer BS, better climate control and prettier upholstry. Go to the luxury package for heavy fancy comfort seats and the like.

[LateNightCable]

Thats' what I just said, the base would be stripped out to its' simplest, and options could be added on in stages. 2 or 3 Stages, or " packages " if you want to call it that, because thats' probably how it would work in mass production to simplify things.

A base model stripped out M3 with 350 - 400 h.p would rock!

[tallwingedgoat]

Basically you're talking about the pony car concept. I'm not sure the German mind will appreciate this very American tradition.

[LateNightCable]

I wouldn't say that a stripped out car is a very American tradition, every car that races in the European Touring Car races is stripped out. Thats' the nature of a race car no matter where it comes from. I think everyone would appreciate it.

And if not, you've always got those " stages " of options to add on.

[cstavaru]

I think it would be a big marketing problem with that: The cheapest M3 would be the fastest ! The most expensive equiped would be the slowest...how would BMW market that ?

[LateNightCable]

Simple, the difference between the slowest and fastest would be marginal, like say a half second to 60 between the two, both would be faster than an M3 is now. It actually makes alot of sense, because most people who are out for luxury options would not be as concerned about ultimate speed.

I think a somewhat faster, cheaper model would compliment a more expensive and " civilized " model very well. They both would appeal to different groups.

Like the Corvette hardtop was supposed to be the cheaper fast one, although that one wasn't a whole lot cheaper in the long run.

[tallwingedgoat]

Maybe they can add an semi roll cage to the base M3, ala AC Schnitzer and make them all weigh the same. 8)

[thepolarfoxqx]

roll cage? i'm sure that'l stay after market. The average M3 buyer probably doesn't want a roll cage stock. If they offered it as a dealer installed option, that would be cool (if you bought it for track use).