The new BMW M3+1

The new BMW M4 (or as I prefer to call it M3+1), it is revealed. The grand premiere will be at Pebble Beach.

The top version of the new BMW  4-Series is finally here!



 

BMW Says

"The BMW Concept M4 Coupe reflects the BMW M philosophy in ideal form," says M chief Dr Friedrich Nitschke. "It combines motor racing genes and unrestricted everyday suitability in a highly emotional overall concept. For four generations, the BMW M3 has put motor racing on the road, and the BMW Concept M4 Coupe consistently continues to pursue this fundamental idea."

New BMW3+1 Specs

Though BMW is being shy with the tech stuff, we have an idea of what some of the meat will taste like: it'll most probably sport a modified version of the 435i's 3.0-litre turbocharged six-pot engine up front, producing somewhere around 450bhp, together with a DCT gearbox and a limited slip diff. It'll also be lightweight, and it'll be suitably hardcore. There might - might - even be a hardcore CSL version in the works, too, so imagine this on lovelier rims and a revised front apron.

BMW M4 Gallery

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Last BMW M3 Coupe... Production Ended!

 

Last BMW M3 Coupe Rolls Off the Production Line Marking the End of a Naming Era

We guess everything has to come to an end, and that's the case for the BMW M3 E92 Coupe, the very last example of which rolled off the assembly line today at the Bavarian firm's plant in Regensburg, Germany.

While the related E93 M3 Convertible will continue to be manufactured alongside the regular 3 Series Sedan, Coupe and Convertible at the same factory for a few more months until this September, this is the last time we'll see the famed "M3" badge used on a two-door model.

You see, BMW has split its compact executive model's offerings into two different nameplates, with the more family orientated cars keeping the "3-Series" badge, and the sportier looking vehicles like the Coupe and Convertible adopting the brand-new 4-Series moniker. We will see a new M3 in the future, but it will be a four-door sedan model.

The patriarch of the M3 family, the four-cylinder E30 generation model, was introduced in 1986 originally as a coupe (there was also a limited run and now highly collectible convertible version). It was followed up by the six-cylinder E36 M3 in 1993, which is the least desirable (and arguably, the softest) of all M3s, and the E46 generation in 2000, which many consider if not the best M3, certainly second after the original.

Unveiled in 2007, the E9X generation M3 (E90 Sedan, E92 Coupe and E93 Convertible) was the first V8-powered model in the series. The Coupe was by far the most successful, with BMW delivering more than 40,000 examples worldwide. The sedan M3 added close to 10,000 units to the total, while just under 16,000 units of the convertible edition have been built to date.

Over the six years the E9X M3 remained in production, BMW introduced a handful of special edition models including the GTS Coupe, fitted with a bigger and more powerful at 444HP (450PS) 4.4-liter V8, bespoke chassis components and aerodynamic measures, plus a two-seat cockpit, of which only 135 examples were made.

Even rarer is the M3 CRT (Carbon Racing Technology) that joined the fray in 2011 in a limited run of 67 units. The Sedan model was powered by the GTS' 444HP (450PS) 4.4-liter V8 and boasted exclusively manufactured lightweight components.

To celebrate the triple success of the brand's DTM comeback after winning the drivers’, team and manufacturers’ titles, BMW also launched a limited-run M3 DTM Champion Edition. A grand total of 54 cars were made, one for each DTM race victory notched up by BMW between 1987 and 2012.

The story of the M3 Coupe (and Convertible) will continue with the new M4 series that will also mark the return of the straight-six engine to the range, albeit with two, or according to some accounts, three turbochargers.

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[Source: carscoops.com]

Why I hate BMW 4-series coupe

Few Facts about the  BMW 4-Series F32

Last week BMW, after showing the new 3 Series,  revealed officially  the new  4-Series. At first sight the car looks much more like the 3 Series and less like a small 6 Series. Which would be okey if the BMW haven't change the car name and instead calling the car 3 Series Coupe named it 4 Series.  The truth is that the 4 Series got bigger that the 3 Series Coupe E92.  BMW says the wheelbase on the 4 Series is 50mm longer than the old two-door’s, plus the new car is 26mm longer overall, with the track widened by 45mm at the front and 81mm at the rear.  So, BMW is trying it best to convince us that this is a small 6 Series...

Besides that the car is 16mm lower than the E92 3 Series and has the lowest gravity center than any other BMW currently on sale. Which definitely can sharpen the driving abilities of the car. Compared to the 3 Series the car has more aggressively adjust suspension, for more sport feeling there are available M Sport package.

The new 4 Series is available with a standard petrol engine that produce  181 hp 420i and at the top of the range is the 435i with 302hp.  BMW 4 Series is also available with 3 diesel engines.
With starting price around $50.000 (in the UK) it's  $5.000 more than the new 3 Series.  The production of the car will start in July 2013 and first delivers will be made at the end of 2013.

So, Why I hate the 4 Series ?

The top of the range, as mentioned above,  is the 435i - with petrol engine - but us we all know there will available a BMW M division  model, the M4.

Until now, always, the best 2 door medium segment supercar produced by BMW was the M3 The BMW M3 legend began with the incredible E30 M3, followed by the E36, than by the great E46 and the latest E92.

The fact that from now on the M3 will be called M4 is bit disappointing. At least for me is like the next generation of compact (C segment) Volkswagen would be named Tennis, instead Golf.  

I strongly believe that BMW will not wipe out the M3 badge, I expect a new M3 based on the new 3 Series Sedan, but still the idea of a sedan M3 doesn't excite me much. Definitely the M4 and the (possible) new M3 sedan will be great cars, but the magic will be lost.  The magic that have cars such as,  the 911 and until now the M3.

So, lucky you E92 M3 owners for being the last owners of a 2-door Coupe M3.

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