Friday, September 2, 2016

BMW M3 30th Anniversary: A Look Back at the Ultimate Ultimate Driving Machine

-The year 2016 marks two important milestones for BMW: the 100th anniversary of the brand and the 30th anniversary of the iconic M3. The M3 was introduced in 1986 as a mildly domesticated racing car for the street, and it quickly established itself as the beating heart of the brand. As highly regarded as the M3 is now, however, it's somewhat ironic that BMW had to be convinced to send M cars to the United States. The M3 was available in Europe for two full years before turning a wheel in the United States.-Back then the 55-mph National Maximum Speed Law, signed by President Richard Nixon in 1974, was still in full effect and had hamstrung the U.S. market for performance models. As a result, BMW's management team couldn't imagine any use for its fastest cars in the United States. Happily, the suits in Munich came to realize they'd completely overlooked the most fundamental aspect of the American psyche—our insatiable desire to possess far more than we'll ever actually need. And so the first M3 landed here in June of 1988 on the heels of a limited run of its larger M5 brother.--Arriving to an avalanche of praise, the BMW M3 has been lauded by our editors ever since. On the occasion of its 30th birthday, let's take a look back at the five generations of the BMW M3.-Engine: 2.3-liter inline-four-Output: 192 horsepower, 170 lb-ft-Base price when new (1988): $34,810-----Engine: 3.0-liter inline-six-Output: 240 horsepower, 225 lb-ft-Base price when new (1995): $36,620--Still somewhat skeptical of our appetite for compact luxury hot rods, BMW made Americans wait until 1995 to get the E30's replacement, even though the E36 had bowed in Germany in 1992. When it did arrive, 42 horsepower had been left on the dock back in Europe.--Turns out, this made the car perfectly suited to American roads and driving styles and the E36 remains the best-selling M3 ever offered in the United States. It was also the first M3 to be offered as a sedan and a convertible in the U.S.--READ OUR ORIGINAL E36 TEST HERE ››-Engine: 3.2-liter inline-six-Output: 333 horsepower, 262 lb-ft-Price when new (2000): $47,407--This time, BMW sent over the M3 unrestricted and we fell in love right away. The bodywork of the E46, though not as flamboyant as the E30's, was decidedly more aggressive than that of the E36. But the best part of all was the engine, delivering 103 horsepower per liter, a 7900-rpm redline—and an atmosphere-shredding metallic snarl under heavy throttle.--E46 coupes (the limited-build CSL version is pictured here) and convertibles combined the sophistication of the E36 with the unalloyed brashness of the E30 to brilliant effect. This is why so many enthusiasts consider the E46 the best M3 ever.--READ OUR E46 LONG-TERM ROAD TEST HERE ››-Engine: 4.0-liter V-8-Output 414 horsepower, 295 lb-ft-Base price when new (2007): $58,625--BMW introduced more civility to the M3 with the E90 series. Despite its more muscular appearance (especially in GTS guise shown here), this version of the M3 was the most livable as a daily driver to date.--The E90 once again upped the horsepower, and it was quick, clocking zero-to-60-mph runs in the low-four-second range in our various tests. It also was the only M3 to use a V-8 engine, the first to use separate chassis codes for the various body styles, the last normally aspirated M3, and the end of the line for coupes and convertibles with M3 badges. The next generation would see those body styles adopt the M4 moniker.--READ OUR ORIGINAL E90 TEST HERE ››-Engine: 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six-Output: 425 horsepower, 406 lb-ft-Base price when new (2014): $62,925--A nomenclature shift applied by BMW in 2014 applied the 3-series designation to sedans (and wagons, of which we get no M variant), while coupes were badged 4-series. This effectively killed M3 coupes, as they are now known as M4s. Thus, today's M3 is a four-door sedan, albeit mechanically identical in practically every respect to the M4 models.-The first turbocharged M3 also is the only M3 to roll off the boat lighter than the model preceding it, by 100 pounds on our scales and in manual-transmission spec. Interestingly though, even though the current car boasts more horsepower and torque than its predecessor, the weight loss doesn't make much difference in terms of performance.---Still, the F80 M3 is every bit the sharply focused driver's machine we've come to expect when we see a tri-colored M3 badge adorning a trunklid. Perhaps too focused, as our long-term test of an F80 found the car to be too hard-core for many, particularly in its suspension tune. --

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发贴者 时间： 12:47 PM

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