[8] 2008 Bmw M3 0 60 In This Year Gossip

Hard to believe, but it really has been a quarter-century since the first BMW M3 dropped like a 2000-pound bomb on the unwitting European public. As the legendary M3 celebrates its silver anniversary, we've delved into the Motor Trend archives to bring you a bit of insight on the four generations of the car that has become a performance icon.

It all started innocently enough. BMW, you see, wanted to go racing, and in the finest automotive tradition, a consumer-oriented race car was born for homologation purposes. Though factory-backed racing moves in ebbs and flows, the road-going M3 has endured and built a near cult-like following of performance enthusiasts, car lovers and magazine writers, not to mention a few status symbol-seekers.

Most remarkable about the M3 is its careful, calculated progression over the past 25 years. Engines and equipment have changed, but today's car follows the same basic formula: front-engine, rear-wheel drive, MacPherson Strut front and multi-link rear suspension, stratospheric redlines and an absolute emphasis on handling. Performance has increased, as has curb weight. Fuel economy took a hit when the new, 414-horsepwer V-8 debuted for the latest generation (E90) model.

To really appreciate the M3 phenomenon though, simply follow the quotes from the MT staff over the years on the following pages. Our reviewers are writing nearly the same things about the M3 today our predecessors did five, ten and twenty years ago. Any vehicle that can stay so true to its mission through 25 years of revision and redesign is certainly worth a second look.

1987 BMW M3 (E30)
Though it celebrates its 25th birthday this year, U.S. enthusiasts will have to wait two more years to celebrate their car's silver anniversary. The first shipment of M3s didn't land in the U.S. until 1987, after the car had caught on in Europe as well as World Touring Car Championship Group A racing. When it did finally reach our shores, BMW bet big and sent nearly half of the 5000 copies produced that year to the U.S.

And what a curious thing it was. In the U.S., BMW had just transitioned to all inline six-cylinder engines in 1986, and yet here was this "high performance" 3 Series with an inline four-cylinder engine. BMW Motorsports, now known simply as the M division, had pulled on the fenders a bit and played with running gear, then slapped a $35,000 price tag on it -- hefty fare in a day when a base Corvette cost only $28,000 and came with a big honkin' V-8. But oh, it was worth it.

"The M3 is so well-balanced and sensitive to input that it's like tuning a fine instrument," road test editor Michael Brockman wrote in our December 1987 issue.

It wasn't even an especially exotic formula for the day, either. The 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine put out an unusually high 192 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque, but it was mated to a standard five-speed manual transmission driving the rear wheels. Handling was dispatched by everyday MacPherson Struts up front and a multi-link setup in the rear. Its most advanced safety feature was likely the anti-lock brakes (airbags, what airbags?), it seated four and it didn't look all that much different than a regular 3 Series Coupe. Somewhere in that seemingly-innocuous hardware, though, BMW implanted the tuning magic that would make the car a legend.

"Pity that so few will experience this car the way it was meant to be driven," Brockman wrote, "but even those instants on back roads at eight-tenths will be moments to remember. True, the M3 is not perfect, and true, it's expensive, but given its parameters, the new M3 is a great combination of looks, performance, handling and comfort. For those fortunate enough to own one, they'll certainly enjoy the fruits of their labor."

1987 BMW M3Base price$35,000Price as tested$35,000Vehicle layoutFront engine, RWD, 4-pass, 2-door coupeEngine2.3L/192-hp/170-lb-ft DOHC 16-valve I-4Transmission5-speed manualCurb weight2735 lbWeight dist., f/r53/47%Wheelbase101.1 inLength x width x height171.1 x 66.1 x 53.9 in0-60 mph8.1 secQuarter mile16.07 sec @ 88.3 mphBraking, 60-0 mph130 ftLateral accel.0.82 g (avg)EPA city/hwy fuel econ17/29 mpg

1995 BMW M3 (E36)
As with the original, America had to wait for the second-generation M3. Debuting as a 1995 model (Europe had it in 1992), the new M3 was bigger and better than the outgoing car in just about every objective measurement.

"In every parameter, the new M3 beats the britches off not only the 325is Coupe and previous M3, but also the six-cylinder M6, which cost almost $60,000 a half-dozen years ago," senior road test editor Mac DeMere wrote in our September 1994 issue.

And we do mean bigger. By no means a large car, the second-gen M3 was still quite a bit bigger than its featherweight predecessor. Now a five-seater with airbags, curb weight climbed by more than 300 pounds, but so too did output. Now sporting a 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine that would become BMW's calling card, the new M3 took the hopped-up 3 Series idea to new heights.

Take the motor from a 325is, bore it out, increase the stroke, give it new cams and variable valve timing and you have a recipe for 51 more horsepower while only giving up 10 pound-feet of torque. The result was 240 horsepower and 225 pound-feet of torque, a healthy increase from the first generation car.

Keep the five-speed manual, tune up the suspension, improve the weight distribution to a solid 50/50 and increase the brake diameter by over an inch on all four corners and you've got a car that will take nearly two seconds off the first-generation's zero-to-60 and quarter-mile times. It also pulled a higher average g on the skidpad and still got better fuel economy, all for less than $4000 over the price of a 325is and only $800 over the first-generation at a paltry $35,800.

"The BMW inspires confidence and offers a feeling of security even when sitting still: Better visibility, supportive seats, and a sensuous, leather-wrapped steering wheel are a few of the many pluses," DeMere wrote in a comparison test against a naturally-aspirated Toyota Supra, a test that the BMW won hands-down. "Underway, precise feedback from the throttle, steering and shift lever only heighten the feeling that the M3 will do anything you request."

1995 BMW M3Base price$35,800Price as tested$37,845Vehicle layoutFront engine, RWD, 5-pass, 2-door coupe or 4-door sedanEngine3.0L/240-hp/225-lb-ft DOHC 24-valve I-6Transmission5-speed manualCurb weight3180 lbWeight dist., f/r50/50%Wheelbase106.3 inLength x width x height174.5 x 67.3 x 52.6 in (coupe)0-60 mph6.2 secQuarter mile14.6 sec @ 97.0 mphBraking, 60-0 mph114 ftLateral accel.0.92 g (avg)Slalom67.9 mphEPA city/hwy fuel econ19/27 mpg

2001 BMW M3 (E46)
A funny thing happened on the way from the E36 M3 to the E46 M3: the same thing that happened the first time BMW tried to improve on the M3. Again, the M3 got both bigger and better in nearly every way.

"The fact is that the previous E36 platform M3 gets flat-out trounced in just about every way by the new E46-based design," wrote senior photographer and senior feature editor John Kiewicz in our December 2000 issue after our first drive of the new model.

Now sporting a 333-horsepower 3.2-liter inline-six with 262 pound-feet of torque, performance again leapt ahead of its predecessor, thanks in no small part to a new six-speed manual transmission. Another second-and-a-half came off the zero-to-60 time, as did eight-tenths in the quarter-mile.

"That BMW's engineers could coax 333 horsepower out of a normally-aspirated 3.2-liter engine (in a $45,000 car!) should make them eligible for some sort of Nobel Prize," wrote editor-in-chief C. Van Tune and senior editor Matt Stone in a comparison test that pitted the M3 against a Porsche Boxster and a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 in our August 2001 issue, which the BMW won.

Braking distance got even shorter thanks to even larger brakes and slalom speeds increased, all despite a curb weight that had ballooned by another 250 pounds (but with double the airbags). Though weight distribution remained at a perfect 50/50 split, limit handling fell off slightly to 0.89 g average. Pricing also failed to match the old car, ballooning to $45,400.

"BMW's limited-edition M3 offers the look, feel, fit, finish, hardware and performance to make it one of the greatest performance cars of all time," Van Tune and Stone wrote.

2001 BMW M3Base price$45,400Price as tested$49,395Vehicle layoutFront engine, RWD, 5-pass, 2-door coupeEngine3.2L/333-hp/262-lb-ft DOHC 24-valve I-6Transmission6-speed manualCurb weight3415 lbWeight dist., f/r50/50%Wheelbase106.3 inLength x width x height174.5 x 67.3 x 52.6 in0-60 mph4.6 secQuarter mile13.8 sec @ 106.2 mphBraking, 60-0 mph111 ftLateral accel0.89 g (avg)Slalom68.99 mphEPA city/hwy fuel econ16/24 mpg

2008 BMW M3 (E90)
And then it happened a third time. Closely mimicking the previous transition from E36 to E46, the new E90 M3 was again bigger and better in every way, which by this point has become an increasingly difficult feat to accomplish.

It also helps to explain why the performance gaps have in turn shrunk between each generation. Again undergoing a fundamental hardware change, the M3 now sports a 414-horsepower 4.0-liter V-8 with 295 pound-feet of torque that'll rocket the car to 60 mph in as little as 4.3 seconds when equipped with a six-speed manual transmission. Equip it with a race-ready seven-speed Dual-Clutch Transmission and the performance gets even better with 60 mph coming in just 4.1 seconds.

"The M3 is a race car with four doors," opined senior editor Ed Loh in our May 2008 issue of the M3 sedan (which returned after a decade-plus long hiatus), where the M3 once again came out on top after staring down the Lexus IS F and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG.

Everything else has grown, too. Brakes have grown another inch, reducing the stopping distance to just 104 feet, 26 feet shorter than the first-gen car despite weighing 200 pounds more than the last generation M3 and 900 pounds more than the original. Fuel economy, on the other hand, has suffered -- although it's a tradeoff we're guessing most M3 buyers aren't going to worry much about. All these years later, the M3 still runs with MacPherson struts up front and a multi-link design in the rear, but the addition of a suite of new electronic aids fitted to car help it pull hair-straightening 0.97 g average on the skid pad, 0.15 g greater than the original car. Of course, it also costs a lot more. Not only does it sticker for almost $10,000 more than the last M3, at roughly $56,000 to start, the E90 is some $20,000 more than the original M3.

"BMW's magnificent M3 is the newest in a 20-plus-year line and is the best one yet," executive editor Matt Stone wrote in the same test. "A performer by any measure, and its best-in-test times on the racetrack and through our figure-eight test demonstrate that its various aspects work together better than the others. The BMW is lithe and athletic yet never punishing, and it comes in a package you can use and enjoy every day. The fact that it's also offered in a coupe and upcoming convertible, and soon with a choice of two enthusiast-minded transmissions, means 'M3' is a driving philosophy, not just a single model."

2008 BMW M3Base price$56,500Price as tested$72,795Vehicle layoutFront engine, RWD, 5-pass, 2-door coupe or four-door sedanEngine4.0L/414-hp/270-lb-ft DOHC 32-valve V-8Transmission6-speed manual, 7-speed dual-clutch automaticCurb weight3678 lbWeight dist., f/r51/49%Wheelbase108.7 inLength x width x height181.8 x 71.0 x 55.8 in (coupe)0-60 mph4.1 sec (DCT)Quarter mile12.6 sec @ 113.2 mph (DCT)Braking, 60-0 mph104 ftLateral accel0.94 g (avg)MT figure eight24.4 sec @ 0.77 g (avg)EPA city/hwy fuel econ14/20 mpg

The Future (F?)
It's hard to predict just when the next M3 will grace our pages, as both the 3 Series itself and the high-performance M3 follow irregular product cycles. 3 Series platforms have stayed on the road for seven to 12 years, while M3 models usually debut at least two years after new 3 Series models and seem to hang around anywhere from five to eight years, plus the aforementioned multi-year break between models.

Whenever we see the next M3, though, we expect it to have evolved significantly yet again. The realities of the CAFE world mean that the high-revving V-8 likely won't stick around. Dr. Kay Segler, the new head of the M division, confirmed to Motor Trend that the next M3 will feature the nameplate's first turbocharger as well as a smaller engine. Strong money says the M3 will revert to its legendary inline-six, though suitably updated for the new car.

"If you are dogmatic in your technical answers, you are wrong," Segler told MT. "When turbo is the right answer, then you do it."

Acknowledging the fact that not even BMW can continue to wring more and more power out of an engine without compromising longevity, Segler is also turning his attention the car's weight. Though the next M3 may or may not be as powerful as the current car, BMW plans to make up for any deficiency with a corresponding loss in weight to not just maintain but actually improve the car's power-to-weight ratio from an already-impressive 8.9 pounds per horsepower.

"Downsizing doesn't mean downgrading," said Segler. A smaller, lighter M3 sounds like a fantastic way to celebrate the car's 30th birthday.