A pair of thinly disguised examples of BMW’s iconic M3 has been sighted outside Munich. After all the various artist impressions, and duct-tape disguises of previous “sightings”, it’s great to see that the new M3 has the looks to match its 309 kW 4,0-litre V8.
By Gareth Dean
The new BMW M3 is, without a doubt, the most eagerly awaited car since Henry Ford poked his head from around his garage door and said: “I might have something to replace that ox wagon of yours.” No other car is capable of generating more grainy spy videos of a heavily duct-taped coupé doing screaming laps in the rain or airbrushed trickery to a photo of a standard 3 Series BMW.
This will be the first 3 Series BMW to carry a V8; a 4,0-litre powerplant derived from the V10 doing service in the company’s M5 saloon and M6 coupé. It has been speculated that this unit will generate around 309 kW and be capable of powering the newcomer from standstill to 100 km/h in about five seconds on the way to an electronically-governed 250 km/h top whack. Although hard figures are thin on the ground at present, it has been rumoured that the new V8 will actually be more compact than the straight-six it replaces.
A six-speed manual gearbox or optional seven-speed SMG transmission can be mated with the new engine. In SMG guise, the gearbox will probably offer the Drivelogic system already seen in the M5. This system places eleven program options at the driver’s disposal, enabling them to tailor the shift characteristics of the SMG gearbox to suit the driving situation. Six of these programs feature in the S-mode (sequential gearshift) and will determine the speed and style of the shifts. In D-mode (Drive) the program selected will determine the best shifting characteristics by taking cues from the driving scenario, the position of the accelerator pedal and road speed.
Pictures of a pair of thinly disguised M3’s being tested on the autobahn near Munich show the styling of the new car to be a fairly subtle affair; understandable given the already aggressive appearance of the standard 3 Series coupé.
Flared wheel arches housing ‘M’ double spoke 19-inch alloys and some aggressive air dam treatment to the front spoiler just about sum up the less subtle side of the M3’s styling. The rest of the visual treatments are more discrete such as subtle decals and the merest hint of a boot spoiler.
The rear has a muscular look that fits in neatly with the deeply sculpted flanks. Along with a quartet of exhausts emerging from the rear á la M5/6, the rear features a diffuser with air channeling flaps on either side. Along with the dinky spoiler and flat underbody the diffuser will improve airflow under the car to reduce lift forces at high speed.
The front panels of the new car will be produced from aluminium and emphasized side sills will help to channel more air under the body. The makeshift bonnets of the photographed cars look scarcely able to contain the pumping engine beneath and will probably be hewn from lightweight materials.
The black car in the picture is a cabriolet with a removable hard roof; the new M3 is thought not to feature a folding steel roof. The silver car (the fixed roof M3 Coupé) should be due for launch at the Geneva Motor Show in March. Local sources say the car will be launched in South Africa around September next year.
Click here to watch footage of (what appears to be) a M3 prototype tearing up the asphalt in Germany.
