Filed under: LA Auto Show, Sedans/Saloons, BMW

click above image to view 28 pics of the 2008 BMW M3 Sedan

var digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/design/Officially_Official_2008_BMW_M3_Sedan_unveiled_PICS’; We’ve been waiting a long time for BMW to snap out of its haze and bring us a four-door version of the venerable M3 coupe. That time has officially come. And it turns out the leaked photo from earlier today was probably from BMW itself, as even though it wasn’t included in the official batch of images released tonight, it’s the same car you’re looking at here.

On the outside, the M3 sedan gets plenty of work done to its front and rear fascias, leaving everything between the A-pillar and C-pillar intact from the base 3-Series sedan (sorry, no carbon fiber roof for the sedan). The front end is a complete carryover from the M3 coupe, with wide fenders, a dramatic front clip, bulging hood and vented quarter panels. Out back, a small lip spoiler sits atop the trunk, while M-specific quad pipes let Bimmer cognoscenti know that they’re behind something special.

Naturally, the M3 sedan benefits from BMW’s new 414 (SAE) HP 4.0L V8, allowing the 3,531-pound four-door to reach 60 MPH in 4.9 seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 155 MPH. In a move that should make family-oriented speed freaks burst into tears, BMW will only be offering a six-speed manual version at launch. Although, according to previous reports, BMW’s dual-clutch M-DCT gearbox should be available at a later date. The chassis, suspension and interior also benefit from a host of upgrades, all available to read about in the press release after the jump and view in our gallery below. Look for the M3 sedan to debut in Los Angeles next month.

[Source: BMW via Motive]

Continue reading 2008 BMW M3 Sedan unveiled!

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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Sports/GTs, BMW

click on any image to view high-res gallery of 2008 BMW M3 Sedan

In our haste to bring you news of the 2008 BMW M3 sedan being unveiled, we showed you the best official pics we could find at the time, which were only 800 pixels wide. We don’t know many people with 800 pixel-wide monitors, so we updated our gallery with high-resolution pics straight from BMW. They’re 1,280 pixels wide, which should cover most screens corner to corner.

We noticed a couple of things about BMW’s new M sedan this time around that we missed before. Take a closer look at the steering wheel, which features red and blue stitching that mimics the M colors. Also notice two shots of the M3 Sedan’s trunk at the end of the gallery. One shows a parcel shelf that slides out from underneath the trunk’s ceiling, while the other shows how much cargo room is available with the back seats folded forward. We thought these pics particularly interesting because they illustrate the entire point in BMW making an M3 sedan: more utility. The M3 Coupe is great, but not nearly as practical as the M3 Sedan will be.

To download the larger pics, just browse the gallery and right click on your favorite pics. Save the images to your computer, and the 1,280 pixel-wide version will be downloaded regardless of what size pic you’re looking at.

[Source: BMW]

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Filed under: Coupes, Sedans/Saloons, Videos, BMW

click above image to view VIDEO of the BMW M3 Sedan

There are plenty of BMW M3 coupes driving around the web, but the newly announced sedan is a much rarer bird, indeed. The four-door M3 is mechanically the same as its coupe sibling, with its 4.0L V8 engine and six speed manual transmission. And from the A-pillar forward, the two Ms are nearly identical. The pair of souped-up 3-Series also have a lot of differences, starting with the door count and ending with the sedan’s steel rather than carbon fiber roof, the latter of which helps the four-door tip the scales at over 3,500 lbs.

Judging from the video posted after the jump, the M3 Sedan’s extra tonnage doesn’t seem to affect its road performance. While the M3 sedan was put through the paces in front of the cameras, the subdued speeds and the absence of an F1-style soundtrack leads us to believe the marketing folks were behind the wheel. Regardless, the BMW M3 is gorgeous, and the scenery and roads picked for the video shoot are just as hot. Check out nearly four minutes of the M3 Sedan riding through the mountains after the jump.

[Source: Motor Authority]

Continue reading VIDEO: BMW M3 Sedan doing its thang

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