Kiwi
24-02-2008, 06:33 PM
Saved this one as a web page so have pasted in the text and pics in the order from the webpage. Think article is from Road & Track. Really only kept it for the first picture ...
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh183/azumaj/automobile801g.jpg
Ann Arbor -
One Saturday morning in the early spring of 1968, I drove from my home in Brooklyn-Heights to a Winchester gun club near Suffern, New York, for a couple of hours of clay-bird shooting. I was driving a brand-new BMW 2002, and I took a detour on the return trip so that I might extend that athletic little car on the back roads of the nearby Ramapo Mountains. The day, the roads, and the BMW 2002 were equally delightful, and my journey was an unqualified success. I couldn't wait to write something about my newfound love for that car, and it took shape as a road test with the headline: "Turn Your Hymnals to 2002." I could not have predicted that that road test would change the futures of a magazine, a car company, and a very cocky automotive writer, but that's what happened. I am no longer astonished by the high-performance cars from BMW, because I've driven a lot of them, but I'm just as thrilled today as I was on that chilly morning in the Ramapo Mountains.
They do warn us, after all, that they build the Ultimate Driving Machines, and if we have any sense, we'll take them at their word. BMW builds five M cars, plus the Z8 roadster (which is not covered in this test), and it is our guess that no other automotive manufacturer in similar circumstances makes that kind of commitment to high-powered enthusiast driving. Someone with thirty-five years of glorious fun in BMWs might bravely say that no other manufacturer, period, builds five cars like our M-car test fleet, but that might sound like overstatement. Suffice it to say that each of the M-series cars is a gift of endless joy to the enthusiast driver, and five of them being produced simultaneously is an unheard-of commitment to the obsessive end of the automobile business.
Are these special performance models essential to BMW's growing success? Probably not - at least not in terms of specific M sales volumes or M profits. But they may be worth their weight in pearls as rolling advertisements for BMW as the Ultimate Driving Machine. Nothing will focus the mind on BMW's claimed virtues more effectively than a quick shot down a twisty road in an M3, an M5, or an M coupe. A 750iL is mighty impressive, but it won't bring tears to your eyes the way an M3 will. The M in M3 and M5 stands for Motorsport, and the first M-badged car was the mid-engined, 165-mph M1 in 1978. It is appropriate that that first M-badged product was powered by a straight six, because straight sixes have loomed large in the BMW legend for decades.
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh183/azumaj/automobile801b.jpg
In 1994, BMW's North American wing made a strategic decision. Rather than continue to try to sell the European M3 with its very pricey, purpose-built, 321-horsepower M engine, they would go with a modified six-cylinder production powerplant and sell it at a much more attractive price. The idea was a good one, and the less exotic production-based second-generation M3 outsold its more expensive predecessor (the original four-cylinder M3) by a very wide margin. The more seriously deranged BMW enthusiasts i4 August~001 Automobile Magazine grumbled about sellouts and betrayals and longed for easy access to the European version, but the U.S.-spec six-cylinder M3 was a home run in the marketplace and on the P&L statement.
The new M3 is based on the 330Ci. That is to say, it is a 330Ci with all the stuff done to it that you would do if you were a crazed suspension wizard with access to the world's best parts warehouse. In fifteen years, the M cars have become larger, heavier, and more luxurious, but this new M3 is also the fastest ever sold to the American market--fast enough to run with Ferraris and Porsches and Corvettes. The M3 suspension layout is based on that of the 330Ci but modified and upgraded throughout. New hubs, new spindles, new aluminum control arms, new wheels and tires, and new brakes are all part of the package. The track is wider, front and rear, and rear tires are wider than fronts. Basic suspension--struts at the front and BMW's multi-link arrangement at the rear--is common, but everything is stiffened and reinforced. Steering is seven percent quicker than that of the 330Ci. The result is a chassis that seems quicker but busier-one that is pleasantly intuitive on the road but requires some getting used to on the track.
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh183/azumaj/automobile801c.jpg
The 3.2-liter American-market M3 engine is no longer a modified version of the base 3-series powerplant. It is, essentially, the same as the M3 engines in the rest of the world, and the difference is delightful--the most powerful six-cylinder engine BMW has ever offered in a production car. It produces 333 horsepower at 7900 rpm, 103 horsepower per liter, which puts it into very refined company. The valve gear has been lightened and friction reduced dramatically. Valve timing is controlled by BMW's Double VANOS variable valve timing system, which now works on both intake and exhaust tracts. Six individual intake runners contain electronically controlled butterflies managed by a driver-selected dual-mode throttle response switch. There's a very discernible difference between sport and normal settings. It takes a moment to kick in, but research assistant Reilly Brennan describes it as being "like your own little nitrous button." On the exhaust side is a set of elegantly long, sweeping headers fabricated from stainless steel. The engine is very strong and pulls eagerly to its 8000-rpm redline, but it is, at the same time, extremely flexible and will pull smoothly away from a slow comer in any gear. (M3 coupes and convertibles have a six-speed Getrag manual gearbox as standard equipment.) Acceleration is characterized by a sort of electromechanical hornet buzz as peak revs are approached in each gear. Very enjoyable.
The M3 convertible is a worthy partner to the M3 coupe and far more civilized and refined than the M roadster. In truth, the roadster seems to be at least one developmental generation behind. The roadster is cramped and difficult to get into and out of--unless the top is down-and its handling and roadholding feel a bit old-fashioned in a direct comparison. The M3 cabrio is quieter and more comfortable than the roadster, and its structure seems tighter and more rigid. The M3 convertible top itself is a masterpiece, simple to operate, with no penalty paid in either headroom or wind noise, though the luggage compartment is somewhat restricted. The 330Ci-based M3 convertible is the best open car BMW makes and the one that we would choose if we absolutely had to get our heads out in the wind. With all that said, however, the M3 exists to deliver radical performance out there along the edge of the envelope. Max performance is probably best appreciated in a closed car, and a typical convertible customer may well be better served by the 330Ci.
The M coupe is an odd-looking duck but an absolute joy to drive. Its proportions seem wrong, and its roofline is reminiscent of English coupes from the Sixties, about which no one ever reminisces. The M coupe feels far more up to date than the M roadster, with which it shares engine, running gear, and basic architecture, but, being a closed car, it simply hangs together better, in dynamic terms. Neither M coupe nor M roadster is available with the Getrag six-speed, but the standard-equipment five-speed manual transmission reminds us that it is quite possible to travel from point A to point B even though limited to a mere five speeds (plus reverse) in the transmission. The engine that powers the M coupe and roadster is in most ways identical to the one in the M3, but the coupe and the roadster are smaller and more crowded. Under their skins, and they had no room for the complex M3 intake and exhaust systems. For this reason, the coupe and the roadster have less power--315 horsepower and 251 pound-feet of torque, compared with 333 horsepower and 262 pound-feet in the M3. This still represents an increase of 75 horsepower and 15 pound-feet over the engine that's been replaced. Despite this horsepower deficit and despite a published 0-to-60 mph time of 5.0 seconds for the M coupe and the M roadster compared with 4.8 for the M3 coupe--the two seaters often emerge victorious from impromptu drag races, not to mention magazines' official test runs.
It should be noted that the standard BMW six-cylinder engines have aluminum cylinder blocks and heads, but the block of the M-spec six is cast iron. The use of iron was dictated first by the desire for compact dimensions--the liners in an aluminum block take up space, necessitating a longer engine. The second reason was the sheer strength of iron: This engine produces a lot of power for its displacement, and cast iron does a superior job of sustaining the extraordinarily high cylinder pressures and rpm. The driving experience in the M coupe is different from anything else in our portfolio of M cars. You wear it like a driving suit. The two-tone leather interior is truly refreshing in today's universe of gray or beige. Red and black! What a concept! There is just enough room for a driver, a passenger, and some carefully packed luggage. Every single reaction of the car to driver inputs feels sporty. At no time did we find ourselves saying, "Oh, yeah, this is just like the roadster," or, "That's interesting, its behavior through that last series of turns felt just like an M3's." The M coupe is unique among BMWs and unique among sports cars. And there's something else: For all its odd, quirky appearance, it looks beautiful flying from comer to corner on a mountain road. Not only does it become beautiful for the driver when driven hard, but it also takes on a very appealing, very exciting look when pressed hard on a challenging road.
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh183/azumaj/automobile801d.jpg
The M5 is quite different from all the 3-series M cars in that it feels and drives more like the ultimate 5-series than the super-trick, super-entertaining M car that it is. It is so refined and the various performance upgrades have been so harmoniously integrated and blended into the driving experience that an awful lot of passengers could travel a hundred miles in the M5 and never divine its true performance capability. And, it must be said, that capability is astonishing. The M5 is the fastest four-door sedan in the world today, quite capable of staying with a long list of the very highest-performance cars, all the way from zero to its chip-limited top speed of 155 miles per hour. The M5 engine is derived from the production 4.4-liter V-8 of the 540i. Bore and stroke are increased for a new displacement of 4.9 liters. At the heart of the engine is BMW's Double VANOS variable valve timing system, which can alter valve timing through a range of 60 degrees (crankshaft rotation). As in the M3, there is a separate intake runner and throttle plate for each cylinder, and the result is 394 horsepower at 6600 rpm. Also, again as in the M3, the M5 engine features lovely free-flow exhaust manifolds that feed two catalysts and four large tailpipes.
The exhaust note SEQUENTIAL LOGIC
Half of all previous generation M3s were equipped with SMG, which is BMW-speak for Sequential M Gearbox. In spite of impressive customer satisfaction data. BMW's original sequential manual gearbox was slow and rough.
The second-generation SMG, however. which has just gone on sale in Europe, is very different. Starting in August, SMG II will be available for all U.S. spec M3 models. BMW of North America expects the installation rate of the 9700 gearbox to grow from an initial 50 percent to a dominant 95 percent. The key innovation of SMG II is called Drivelogic, which offers eleven different shift patterns. By pushing a button, the driver can dial in the desired shift speed in five steps, from soft-and-slow to hard-and-fast. These adjustments can be made both in manual and in automatic mode. By switching off stability control, you pave the way to stage S6, which cuts the shift time to a record 80 milliseconds--twice as quick as the Ferarri 360 Modena F1 and accordingly brutal.
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh183/azumaj/automobile801e.jpg
Special SMG tricks include a clutch-operated hill hauler, amber shift lights that flash as you are approaching the redline, a gradient sensor that suppresses unwanted gear changes in hilly terrain, and an "acceleration assistant" that allows just enough wheelspin to add a dash of excitement to full-throttle takeoff maneuvers. The SMG transmission activates the clutch via an electromagnetic servo, and it employs electrohydraulic actuators to carry out the gear shift. The drivel- can trigger up- and downshifts either by tapping a steering wheel paddle or by nudging the shift lever forward or back. While Ferrari chose to attack the paddles to the steering column, BMW decided to mate them to the steering wheel. The M3 clearly beats the 360 when it comes to engaging reverse (simply pull the shift lever to the left and then push it up). during rapid downshifts (SMG even double clutches when necessary), and in automatic mode.
Later this year. BMW will offer a less complex (and less expensive) sequential manual transmission dubbed SSG (Sequential Sports Gearbox), which will be available for certain non-M models. --Georg Kacher-
The Magnificent Five is a fanfare for the marriage of art and technology. To quote senior editor Eddie Alterman, "When God said, Let there be automobiles," the BMW M5 is undoubtedly what He had in mind. To my mind, this is the best combination of luxury, aggression, and refinement."
When friends learn that we drove these five cars from Ann Arbor to the Watkins Glen racing circuit in New York's Finger Lakes district, their first question is, "Were they fun? What a stupid question. Of course they were fun. The second question is, "Which one did you like best?" That's a much better question and a much more difficult one to answer. There is no bad car in this group, any more than there's a boring car in this group. But we seem to be unanimous in our passion for the M coupe. It is an odd-looking car to passing pedestrians, but no car is more beautiful when you're buckled into the driver's seat, and the trees are all blurred.
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh183/azumaj/automobile801h.jpg
M STRATEGY
BMW is rethinking its M-engine strategy and, with it, the entire M-model policy. Information gathered within the M division indicates that it intends to double its production output to 50.000 units a year by 2006 and to offer at least four different M cars. Even a six-car lineup is possible. The future M lineup could look like this:
M1. Coupe only, based on the new I-series BMW. Power comes from an all-new 2.2-liter direct-injection four-cylinder engine, producing about 225 hp. Likely launch: 2005.
M roadster and M compact. Both use rear-wheel-drive chassis drawn from the l-series and the next 3-series. The engine is an all-new 3.2-liter direct-injection in-line six. producing about 300 hp. The roadster goes on sale in 2007: the not-for-U.S. M compact has yet to be confirmed.
M3. Coupe, convertible, and sport wagon, based on the next-generation 3-series. Under the hood will lurk a new 4.5 liter direct-injection: V-8. producing about 400 hp. Likely launch in 2006.
M5. Sedan only based on the next 5-series platform. Powered by an all-new 5.0-liter V-l0 engine, good for about 500 hp. On sale in 2004.
If BMW chooses to change the model designation of the 3-series coupe and convertible to 4-series, the M versions would, accordingly wear an M4 badge. The V-10 engine, earmarked for the M5 and a possible M6 coupe, establishes a direct link to BMWs Formula 1 program. The new in-line six is a logical engine for the possible X3M sport-ute, and the V-10 would be suitable for the planned X5/7M. --Georg Kacher
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh183/azumaj/automobile801a.jpg
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh183/azumaj/automobile801i.jpg
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh183/azumaj/automobile801g.jpg
Ann Arbor -
One Saturday morning in the early spring of 1968, I drove from my home in Brooklyn-Heights to a Winchester gun club near Suffern, New York, for a couple of hours of clay-bird shooting. I was driving a brand-new BMW 2002, and I took a detour on the return trip so that I might extend that athletic little car on the back roads of the nearby Ramapo Mountains. The day, the roads, and the BMW 2002 were equally delightful, and my journey was an unqualified success. I couldn't wait to write something about my newfound love for that car, and it took shape as a road test with the headline: "Turn Your Hymnals to 2002." I could not have predicted that that road test would change the futures of a magazine, a car company, and a very cocky automotive writer, but that's what happened. I am no longer astonished by the high-performance cars from BMW, because I've driven a lot of them, but I'm just as thrilled today as I was on that chilly morning in the Ramapo Mountains.
They do warn us, after all, that they build the Ultimate Driving Machines, and if we have any sense, we'll take them at their word. BMW builds five M cars, plus the Z8 roadster (which is not covered in this test), and it is our guess that no other automotive manufacturer in similar circumstances makes that kind of commitment to high-powered enthusiast driving. Someone with thirty-five years of glorious fun in BMWs might bravely say that no other manufacturer, period, builds five cars like our M-car test fleet, but that might sound like overstatement. Suffice it to say that each of the M-series cars is a gift of endless joy to the enthusiast driver, and five of them being produced simultaneously is an unheard-of commitment to the obsessive end of the automobile business.
Are these special performance models essential to BMW's growing success? Probably not - at least not in terms of specific M sales volumes or M profits. But they may be worth their weight in pearls as rolling advertisements for BMW as the Ultimate Driving Machine. Nothing will focus the mind on BMW's claimed virtues more effectively than a quick shot down a twisty road in an M3, an M5, or an M coupe. A 750iL is mighty impressive, but it won't bring tears to your eyes the way an M3 will. The M in M3 and M5 stands for Motorsport, and the first M-badged car was the mid-engined, 165-mph M1 in 1978. It is appropriate that that first M-badged product was powered by a straight six, because straight sixes have loomed large in the BMW legend for decades.
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh183/azumaj/automobile801b.jpg
In 1994, BMW's North American wing made a strategic decision. Rather than continue to try to sell the European M3 with its very pricey, purpose-built, 321-horsepower M engine, they would go with a modified six-cylinder production powerplant and sell it at a much more attractive price. The idea was a good one, and the less exotic production-based second-generation M3 outsold its more expensive predecessor (the original four-cylinder M3) by a very wide margin. The more seriously deranged BMW enthusiasts i4 August~001 Automobile Magazine grumbled about sellouts and betrayals and longed for easy access to the European version, but the U.S.-spec six-cylinder M3 was a home run in the marketplace and on the P&L statement.
The new M3 is based on the 330Ci. That is to say, it is a 330Ci with all the stuff done to it that you would do if you were a crazed suspension wizard with access to the world's best parts warehouse. In fifteen years, the M cars have become larger, heavier, and more luxurious, but this new M3 is also the fastest ever sold to the American market--fast enough to run with Ferraris and Porsches and Corvettes. The M3 suspension layout is based on that of the 330Ci but modified and upgraded throughout. New hubs, new spindles, new aluminum control arms, new wheels and tires, and new brakes are all part of the package. The track is wider, front and rear, and rear tires are wider than fronts. Basic suspension--struts at the front and BMW's multi-link arrangement at the rear--is common, but everything is stiffened and reinforced. Steering is seven percent quicker than that of the 330Ci. The result is a chassis that seems quicker but busier-one that is pleasantly intuitive on the road but requires some getting used to on the track.
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh183/azumaj/automobile801c.jpg
The 3.2-liter American-market M3 engine is no longer a modified version of the base 3-series powerplant. It is, essentially, the same as the M3 engines in the rest of the world, and the difference is delightful--the most powerful six-cylinder engine BMW has ever offered in a production car. It produces 333 horsepower at 7900 rpm, 103 horsepower per liter, which puts it into very refined company. The valve gear has been lightened and friction reduced dramatically. Valve timing is controlled by BMW's Double VANOS variable valve timing system, which now works on both intake and exhaust tracts. Six individual intake runners contain electronically controlled butterflies managed by a driver-selected dual-mode throttle response switch. There's a very discernible difference between sport and normal settings. It takes a moment to kick in, but research assistant Reilly Brennan describes it as being "like your own little nitrous button." On the exhaust side is a set of elegantly long, sweeping headers fabricated from stainless steel. The engine is very strong and pulls eagerly to its 8000-rpm redline, but it is, at the same time, extremely flexible and will pull smoothly away from a slow comer in any gear. (M3 coupes and convertibles have a six-speed Getrag manual gearbox as standard equipment.) Acceleration is characterized by a sort of electromechanical hornet buzz as peak revs are approached in each gear. Very enjoyable.
The M3 convertible is a worthy partner to the M3 coupe and far more civilized and refined than the M roadster. In truth, the roadster seems to be at least one developmental generation behind. The roadster is cramped and difficult to get into and out of--unless the top is down-and its handling and roadholding feel a bit old-fashioned in a direct comparison. The M3 cabrio is quieter and more comfortable than the roadster, and its structure seems tighter and more rigid. The M3 convertible top itself is a masterpiece, simple to operate, with no penalty paid in either headroom or wind noise, though the luggage compartment is somewhat restricted. The 330Ci-based M3 convertible is the best open car BMW makes and the one that we would choose if we absolutely had to get our heads out in the wind. With all that said, however, the M3 exists to deliver radical performance out there along the edge of the envelope. Max performance is probably best appreciated in a closed car, and a typical convertible customer may well be better served by the 330Ci.
The M coupe is an odd-looking duck but an absolute joy to drive. Its proportions seem wrong, and its roofline is reminiscent of English coupes from the Sixties, about which no one ever reminisces. The M coupe feels far more up to date than the M roadster, with which it shares engine, running gear, and basic architecture, but, being a closed car, it simply hangs together better, in dynamic terms. Neither M coupe nor M roadster is available with the Getrag six-speed, but the standard-equipment five-speed manual transmission reminds us that it is quite possible to travel from point A to point B even though limited to a mere five speeds (plus reverse) in the transmission. The engine that powers the M coupe and roadster is in most ways identical to the one in the M3, but the coupe and the roadster are smaller and more crowded. Under their skins, and they had no room for the complex M3 intake and exhaust systems. For this reason, the coupe and the roadster have less power--315 horsepower and 251 pound-feet of torque, compared with 333 horsepower and 262 pound-feet in the M3. This still represents an increase of 75 horsepower and 15 pound-feet over the engine that's been replaced. Despite this horsepower deficit and despite a published 0-to-60 mph time of 5.0 seconds for the M coupe and the M roadster compared with 4.8 for the M3 coupe--the two seaters often emerge victorious from impromptu drag races, not to mention magazines' official test runs.
It should be noted that the standard BMW six-cylinder engines have aluminum cylinder blocks and heads, but the block of the M-spec six is cast iron. The use of iron was dictated first by the desire for compact dimensions--the liners in an aluminum block take up space, necessitating a longer engine. The second reason was the sheer strength of iron: This engine produces a lot of power for its displacement, and cast iron does a superior job of sustaining the extraordinarily high cylinder pressures and rpm. The driving experience in the M coupe is different from anything else in our portfolio of M cars. You wear it like a driving suit. The two-tone leather interior is truly refreshing in today's universe of gray or beige. Red and black! What a concept! There is just enough room for a driver, a passenger, and some carefully packed luggage. Every single reaction of the car to driver inputs feels sporty. At no time did we find ourselves saying, "Oh, yeah, this is just like the roadster," or, "That's interesting, its behavior through that last series of turns felt just like an M3's." The M coupe is unique among BMWs and unique among sports cars. And there's something else: For all its odd, quirky appearance, it looks beautiful flying from comer to corner on a mountain road. Not only does it become beautiful for the driver when driven hard, but it also takes on a very appealing, very exciting look when pressed hard on a challenging road.
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh183/azumaj/automobile801d.jpg
The M5 is quite different from all the 3-series M cars in that it feels and drives more like the ultimate 5-series than the super-trick, super-entertaining M car that it is. It is so refined and the various performance upgrades have been so harmoniously integrated and blended into the driving experience that an awful lot of passengers could travel a hundred miles in the M5 and never divine its true performance capability. And, it must be said, that capability is astonishing. The M5 is the fastest four-door sedan in the world today, quite capable of staying with a long list of the very highest-performance cars, all the way from zero to its chip-limited top speed of 155 miles per hour. The M5 engine is derived from the production 4.4-liter V-8 of the 540i. Bore and stroke are increased for a new displacement of 4.9 liters. At the heart of the engine is BMW's Double VANOS variable valve timing system, which can alter valve timing through a range of 60 degrees (crankshaft rotation). As in the M3, there is a separate intake runner and throttle plate for each cylinder, and the result is 394 horsepower at 6600 rpm. Also, again as in the M3, the M5 engine features lovely free-flow exhaust manifolds that feed two catalysts and four large tailpipes.
The exhaust note SEQUENTIAL LOGIC
Half of all previous generation M3s were equipped with SMG, which is BMW-speak for Sequential M Gearbox. In spite of impressive customer satisfaction data. BMW's original sequential manual gearbox was slow and rough.
The second-generation SMG, however. which has just gone on sale in Europe, is very different. Starting in August, SMG II will be available for all U.S. spec M3 models. BMW of North America expects the installation rate of the 9700 gearbox to grow from an initial 50 percent to a dominant 95 percent. The key innovation of SMG II is called Drivelogic, which offers eleven different shift patterns. By pushing a button, the driver can dial in the desired shift speed in five steps, from soft-and-slow to hard-and-fast. These adjustments can be made both in manual and in automatic mode. By switching off stability control, you pave the way to stage S6, which cuts the shift time to a record 80 milliseconds--twice as quick as the Ferarri 360 Modena F1 and accordingly brutal.
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh183/azumaj/automobile801e.jpg
Special SMG tricks include a clutch-operated hill hauler, amber shift lights that flash as you are approaching the redline, a gradient sensor that suppresses unwanted gear changes in hilly terrain, and an "acceleration assistant" that allows just enough wheelspin to add a dash of excitement to full-throttle takeoff maneuvers. The SMG transmission activates the clutch via an electromagnetic servo, and it employs electrohydraulic actuators to carry out the gear shift. The drivel- can trigger up- and downshifts either by tapping a steering wheel paddle or by nudging the shift lever forward or back. While Ferrari chose to attack the paddles to the steering column, BMW decided to mate them to the steering wheel. The M3 clearly beats the 360 when it comes to engaging reverse (simply pull the shift lever to the left and then push it up). during rapid downshifts (SMG even double clutches when necessary), and in automatic mode.
Later this year. BMW will offer a less complex (and less expensive) sequential manual transmission dubbed SSG (Sequential Sports Gearbox), which will be available for certain non-M models. --Georg Kacher-
The Magnificent Five is a fanfare for the marriage of art and technology. To quote senior editor Eddie Alterman, "When God said, Let there be automobiles," the BMW M5 is undoubtedly what He had in mind. To my mind, this is the best combination of luxury, aggression, and refinement."
When friends learn that we drove these five cars from Ann Arbor to the Watkins Glen racing circuit in New York's Finger Lakes district, their first question is, "Were they fun? What a stupid question. Of course they were fun. The second question is, "Which one did you like best?" That's a much better question and a much more difficult one to answer. There is no bad car in this group, any more than there's a boring car in this group. But we seem to be unanimous in our passion for the M coupe. It is an odd-looking car to passing pedestrians, but no car is more beautiful when you're buckled into the driver's seat, and the trees are all blurred.
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh183/azumaj/automobile801h.jpg
M STRATEGY
BMW is rethinking its M-engine strategy and, with it, the entire M-model policy. Information gathered within the M division indicates that it intends to double its production output to 50.000 units a year by 2006 and to offer at least four different M cars. Even a six-car lineup is possible. The future M lineup could look like this:
M1. Coupe only, based on the new I-series BMW. Power comes from an all-new 2.2-liter direct-injection four-cylinder engine, producing about 225 hp. Likely launch: 2005.
M roadster and M compact. Both use rear-wheel-drive chassis drawn from the l-series and the next 3-series. The engine is an all-new 3.2-liter direct-injection in-line six. producing about 300 hp. The roadster goes on sale in 2007: the not-for-U.S. M compact has yet to be confirmed.
M3. Coupe, convertible, and sport wagon, based on the next-generation 3-series. Under the hood will lurk a new 4.5 liter direct-injection: V-8. producing about 400 hp. Likely launch in 2006.
M5. Sedan only based on the next 5-series platform. Powered by an all-new 5.0-liter V-l0 engine, good for about 500 hp. On sale in 2004.
If BMW chooses to change the model designation of the 3-series coupe and convertible to 4-series, the M versions would, accordingly wear an M4 badge. The V-10 engine, earmarked for the M5 and a possible M6 coupe, establishes a direct link to BMWs Formula 1 program. The new in-line six is a logical engine for the possible X3M sport-ute, and the V-10 would be suitable for the planned X5/7M. --Georg Kacher
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh183/azumaj/automobile801a.jpg
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh183/azumaj/automobile801i.jpg