Filed under: Coupes, Etc., BMW, Driving

BMW is serious about its M3 coupe, so much so that the German automaker is willing to invest big bucks to show potential buyers just how great the M driving experience is. To give you control of the M3, BMW created a video game where you get to dance around the Nürburgring. The file is a mega-load at 345 MB, and BMW suggests having a steering controller for the PC to get the best possible experience. We didn’t have the wheel, so we stuck with the keyboard controls. The interface seems like it was designed by the architects of iDrive, and trying to exit the game almost crashed our fortified quad-core gamer machine, but the graphics were pretty sweet. That said, if the M3 handles as poorly as it did for us in this video game, most of us would rather have a Crown Victoria rolling on DUBs (Readers, be advised: “Most of us” refers to Chris and the other voices in his head. Just a clarification. - Ed). It took us 20 minutes to get to the point where we could keep the virtual 414 HP on the track, and steering was too sensitive on pavement and flat-lined on anything else. Let us know how you do if you take the time to try it. Heck, it’s a time waster, but it’s free.

[Source: BMW]

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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, LA Auto Show, Convertibles, Coupes, BMW

The expansion of BMW’s M3 lineup is expected to take place sooner than we anticipated, and a new version of the Bavarian bomber will finally put the oft-maligned sequential gearbox to rest. According to Auto Telegraaf, BMW will be debuting the M3 sedan at a major Stateside auto show, likely L.A. or Detroit, and along with an extra set of doors, it’ll be sporting the automaker’s new dual-clutch gearbox. Rumored to be dubbed “M DCT,” the new ‘box will get seven forward gears that can be controlled by either a new shift lever, much like the one found in the new X5, or steering-wheel mounted paddles shifters. BMW also plans to offer a traditional six-speed manual for those who prefer to row their own gears.

The regularly spied convertible version of the M3 is also on its way, which is proving to be an engineering challenge for the M-division due to the extra tonnage the retractable hardtop tacks onto the curb weight. We’ve heard that a track-bred CSL is also under development, and that its debut is likely to take place some time in 2009.

[Source: Auto Telegraaf via Motor Authority]

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

UPDATE: Truth be told, these could be photoshops. At first glance they looked like brochure shots to us, but we’ll let you decide.

click above image to both pics of the BMW M3 sedan

var digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/design/Official_shots_of_BMW_M3_sedan_leaked_PICS’; God bless forums, you have to love them. The occasional flame war aside (who are we to talk?), they’re often the repository of choice material like this, what appears to be the first official images of the BMW M3 sedan scanned from a brochure. The main shot is large enough to appreciate how well the M3 style plays with the proportions of the 3-Series sedan, while the tiny pic gives us a profile comparison between the M3 coupe and sedan. What do you need to know about the M3 sedan that’s different from the M3 coupe. Well, it’s got two extra doors, but aside from that the same 420 HP V8 will be powering the rear wheels, which is all that’s important to us. Any more details will have to wait until BMW officially takes the wraps off of its super sedan, which is expected to happen at an upcoming auto show, hopefully the L.A. Auto Show in mid-November.

Thanks for the tip, Mark!

[Source: M3post.com]

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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: Sedans/Saloons, Tokyo Motor Show, BMW

Click the above image for more pictures of the BMW M3 Sedan

There hasn’t been a BMW M3 sedan since the E36 generation, but that doesn’t mean BMW has forgotten how to build a fast saloon car. The M3 Sedan takes everything good about the M3 coupe and adds two doors to the mix, allowing you to better justify the purchase with your significant other. BMW has thrown out the standard headlights on the sedan and replaced them with the lights found on the coupe, giving it a more sporting design in the process.The basic specs are all the same as the coupe, but you should check out our previous post on the M3 Sedan to find out more.

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Filed under: Aftermarket, Tuners, Coupes, BMW, Misc. Auto Shows

The Essen Motor Show in Germany has become one of the major outlets for Europe’s aftermarket tuners to show their wares to a dedicated fan base. Among the many models set to make their modified debut in the land of schnitzel and spatzel is the AC Schnitzer BMW E92 M3.

Details are scarce on what’s been done to the suspension and under the hood, but if the exterior enhancements are any indication, we’d expect the folks at AC to bring their trademark blend of functionality and style into a comprehensive whole. Carbon fiber adorns the front splitter and side skirts, and we’d suspect that a C.F. rear diffuser is mounted out back - all of which ties in nicely to the exposed weave on the roof. The larger rolling stock (20s?) is typical Schnitzer style and the lowered ride height is likely a coilover system derived from their standard E92 setup.

As soon as AC Schnitzer releases its official details, we’ll have more.

[Source: Motor Authority]

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Filed under: Aftermarket, Tuners, Coupes, BMW

We gave you a preview of AC Schnitzer’s version of the M3 earlier this month, and now we have the official details of the ACS3 Sport as well as more photos for your viewing enjoyment. The 4.0-liter V8 has been left untouched, but moving through the gears can be done more quickly with a short throw shifter, and a new exhaust system has been installed with dual “figure eight” tail pipes. A race-tuned suspension refined on the Nurburgring helps increase the handling limit of the car, and it drops the car pretty tightly over the new 20-inch 5-spoke wheels. AC Schnitzer has made a few tweaks to the exterior with a carbon fiber rear diffuser and front splitter, new side skirts, and a subtle roof spoiler that do a good job of not spoiling the original design of the car. AC Schnitzer didn’t ignore the interior, and has a carbon fiber trim kit, sport steering wheel, and various aluminum accent pieces available. The full details can be viewed in the press release after the jump, and check out the gallery below.

[Source: AC Schnitzer]

Continue reading Essen 2007: Details on AC Schnitzer’s E92 M3

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Filed under: Coupes, Sedans/Saloons, Videos, Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz

Top Gear drives Germany’s three small super saloons… well, in the M3’s case, it’s a coupe, but you get the picture The cars go against each other, as well as Emerson Fittipaldi’s Lotus F1 racer that won the 1972 World Championship, and has the same horsepower as the sedans. There’s also the Stig, a Stig-ette in a white bikini and helmet, Clarkson dining on an apple run over at the apex of a turn, a measurement device that we can’t mention here, and lots of unkind things said of M3 drivers. But it’s just in time for Christmas, and it’s in three parts, which means you can make Top Gear Christmas cheer can last all day. Especially if you have a new M3 on order.

[Source: You Tube]

Continue reading VIDEO: Top Gear drives the M3, C63, and RS4

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Filed under: Convertibles, Coupes, Sedans/Saloons, Tech, BMW

click above for more high-res images of the BMW M3 Convertible

Honestly, we could care less about BMW’s recent introduction of the M3 convertible. What did get our attention is the long-awaited addition of a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox on every vehicle donning an M3 badge.

The M DKG setup uses two clutches with 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th (plus reverse) on one shaft and 2nd, 4th and 6th on the other. Both clutches are oil-cooled and, like the systems offered by other manufacturers, the dual-clutch setup offers both quicker shifts and better fuel economy.

In typical BMW fashion, you’ll have the option to select several different drive settings both in automatic and manual mode. Five shift programs can be selected when running around in the standard work-a-day auto setting, while six shifting selections can be made in manual, including the always entertaining launch control setting.

There’s no doubt that all of this will be an improvement over BMW’s SMG transmission, but we’ll have to wait until next month to see how the DKG setup handles the rigors of track duty, the daily grind and performance tests.

BMW’s full press release is posted after the jump.

Continue reading Getting greasy with BMW’s M Dual Clutch transmission

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Filed under: Convertibles, Sports/GTs, Videos, BMW

Click the image above to view the M3 Convertible in action

var digg_url = ‘http://www.digg.com/autos/Video_of_the_new_2009_BMW_M3_Convertible’; BMW’s new M3 Convertible was supposed to be unveiled in March, but several leaked photos led to a flood of official photos and information straight from BMW. Now we are getting video footage as well, with a good mix of driving and detail shots along with the wonderful sound of that 420 horsepower V8. Enough talking - the video is after the jump.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading VIDEO: The sights and sounds of the new BMW M3 Convertible

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