Road and Track delivers an exciting and unique comparison between two BMW icons: E92 M3 and the track-focused M3 GT.

Here is an excerpt from the great review:

“With right foot firmly planted on the accelerator, Tommy Milner exits Turn 14 and uses the full width of the available tarmac to free up his M3 for a long blast down Miller’s lengthy front straight, the longest on the ALMS schedule. Without lifting, Milner upshifts via paddles at redline, the screaming 4.0-liter V-8 pushing the BMW through the thin mountain air and deep into triple digits.

At the braking point for Turn 1, the tall 22-year-old proves his worth, slowing the car at nearly 1g while simultaneously calling for two perfect-blip downshifts and steering the car on the edge of adhesion right down to the apex, setting himself up for a full-throttle exit that puts the car on just the right path for the rhythm section that follows, which is oh-so-critical to another fast lap at Miller.

Just another day in his office—the cockpit of a Rahal Letterman BMW M3 GT?

Easily could have been. But Tommy’s actually at the wheel of a production BMW M3, a Melbourne Red Metallic road car equipped with the $2500 Competition Package, the $2500 Technology Package and the $2900 M double-clutch gearbox. And best of all, I’m seated right next to him.”

Full review at Road and Track

In August 1985, a rumour surfaced in motor magazine Auto-Deutschlandwhich emanated from a new sports car. An A Group Car from BMW that was a thoroughbred racing car according to the rules but was also to be produced in a version licensed to drive on open roads for everyday use. Speculation about this dream car that could take to normal roads and was intended for the “Most dynamic among BMW 3 Series drivers” was right on target. But the pundits missed the mark about the motor-sport car by a mile on one prediction: They were convinced that anyone who “wants to be a key player in the A Team needs to be turbocharged under the bonnet”. Not true. The BMW M3 had a naturally aspirated engine. And it became the most successful touring car in the history of BMW.

The M3 project was launched just a few months earlier. Production of the M1 mid-engine sports car had already been discontinued for some time and BMW CEO Eberhard Kuenheim commissioned a design for a successor, almost as an aside, according to legend. After one of his regular visits to Motorsport GmbH in Munich’s Preußenstraße he said, almost as he was leaving: “Mr. Rosche, we need a sporty engine for the 3 Series.” His aspiration was in good hands. Motorsport GmbH with its managing director of technical development Paul Rosche had demonstrated its expertise with the legendary 5 Series saloons driven by M engines as well as developing the Formula 1 turbo engine that powered Brazilian Nelson Piquet to win the World Championship in the Brabham BMW in 1983.

Power source: a four-cylinder engine with 2.3 litres displacement and four-valve engineering.

The new 3 Series engine had something in common with this: the crankcase. It originated from volume production and actually formed the basis for the two-litre engine with four cylinders. Four cylinders meant less weight and high torque, an ideal platform for a sports engine in the projected displacement class.  Naturally enough, the series four-cylinder engine was much too tame for a sports engine. A comprehensive power boost was called for in order to turn the plucky daily workhorse into an athletic and sporty power unit. The BMW design engineers increased the displacement to 2.3 litres and applied a formulation that had already achieved significant successes over a period of many years: four-valve engineering. There was also another reason for the decision to opt for a four-cylinder engine and not adopt the six-cylinder engine introduced in the BMW 3 Series. The longer crankshaft in the big engine started to vibrate much earlier than the shorter four-cylinder shaft. The design engineers therefore designed the crankshaft drive of the BMW M3 with sufficient torsional stability to achieve 10,000 revolutions a minute and more. By comparison with the four-cylinder engine installed in the series vehicles, this represented an increase of more than 60 percent.

Paul Rosche recalls: “We started work immediately. One advantage was that the big six-cylinder engine originally had the same cylinder gap as the four-cylinder engine. We therefore cut two combustion chambers off the four-cylinder head of the M88 and bolted a panel over the hole on the rear side.” This meant that the new four-cylinder engine had a second forebear. The six-cylinder engine that had initially created a sensation in the M1 and had meanwhile transformed the M635CSi into one of the fastest coupés in the world. Paul Rosche: “Whether you believe it or not – we had created an outstanding four-cylinder engine for the 3 Series within the space of two weeks. Under the development name S14, this engine was to generate headlines in sport and in volume production over the years to come. One Sunday, I drove to von Kuenheim’s flat and gave him the car for a test drive. When he came back he said: ‘Good, I like it.’ And that’s how the M3 came into being.”

Contrary to the situation with the mid-engine sports car, the BMW M3 was not going to be crafted by hand in small batches. This car was to be produced as a mass-production automobile on an assembly line. It was destined to compete in near-production touring car motor sport, or more precisely as a Group A racing car, defined as a “production car”, of which at least 5,000 units have to be built within the space of twelve consecutive months in accordance with Annex J of the international automobile sport regulations.

300 hp for competitive racing.

However, many of them immediately disappeared again into garages and workshops to be given a new outfit. After all, the M3 had been designed as a racing car, and this was the time to prove that it really could “race”. A World Touring Car Championship was held for the first time in 1987. And that was exactly what the M3 had been built for. But not quite in the guise in which it was seen on the streets. Instead of 200 hp, the 2.3 litre engine delivered up to 300 hp at 8,200 rpm in the racing version. This put it on a par with the BMW M635CSi. BMW didn’t line up on the starting grid with its own team but supported a number of famous racing outfits like Schnitzer, Linder, Zackspeed and Bigazzi. Drivers like Markus Oestreich, Christian Danner, Roberto Ravaglia and Wilfried Vogt took the wheel, and Annette Meeuvissen and Mercedes Stermitz were the first women drivers.

Roberto Ravaglia in the M3: first World Touring Car Champion.

The first race for the 1987 World Touring Car Championship started in Monza on 22 March 1987 – and ended with a sensation. All the M3 cars were excluded from the placings. The vehicles were checked under chaotic conditions and disqualified because of sheet-metal thicknesses that were allegedly contrary to the regulations. BMW appealed but the sports tribunal decided that the appeal had been lodged too late. There was no longer any talk of infringements of the rules. All the brouhaha naturally didn’t have any effect on the result of the championship. At the end of the season, Roberto Ravaglia was standing on the podium as the first World Touring Car Champion. But that was only the pinnacle of the success list. Wilfried Vogt took the title of European Champion. Altfried Heger came in second – both driving a BMW M3. In 1987, the German Touring Car Championship (DTM) also went to the new BMW M3, with Eric van de Poele behind the wheel. Moreover, the most sporty 3 Series car was also winning competitions off the race track. An M3 crossed the finishing line in first place in the Corsica Rally and secured a victory for BMW after a gap of 14 years in a race for the World Rally Championship.

24 Hour Race: M3 one-two victory on the Nürburgring.

In 1988, the BMW M3 continued the success story and took the national titles in France, England and Spain. In the following year came another victory in the German Touring Car Championship (DTM), this time with Roberto Ravaglia in the driver’s seat, alongside wins at the national championships in Belgium, Holland, France, Italy, Finland, Spain, Sweden and Yugoslavia. Meanwhile, the displacement had been increased to 320 hp and the BMW M3 drove the competition into the ground. Belgian driver Marc Duez battled his way through the Monte Carlo Rally with an M3 and took eighth place as best driver in a car without a four-wheel drive.  The sensational one-two victory in the 24-hour classic on the Nürburgring crowned this series of successes in 1989 with the driver combinations Pirro/Ravaglia/Giroix and Heger/Grohs/Manthey.

Playing with displacement: the right engine for each race.

The M3 had a commanding presence on the international touring car racing scene for five years. It became the most successful touring car of all times by winning the two champion’s titles in the European Touring Car Championship and twice in the German Touring Car Championship. There were also numerous further victories and championship wins at international level. Depending on the competition rules, the four-valve engine had to be adapted to national regulations. For example, the capacity for England was limited to 2 litres while for Germany and France it was raised to 2.5 litres with effect from 1990. This enabled the four-cylinder to deliver up to 355 hp. In the version with the biggest capacity, the engineers of BMW M GmbH went up against the limits of what was feasible. In order to make full use of the 2.5 litre limit, they not only increased the stroke of the 2.3 litre unit from 84 to 87 millimetres, but also increased the cylinder bore from 94 millimetres to 95.5 millimetres. This reduced the width between the cylinders to just 4.5 millimetres. But success proved the development engineers right. The engines withstood the stresses and strains of touring-car racing even at maximum output without any problem.

1992: the first BMW M3 with a six-cylinder engine.

The year 1992 saw the birth of a completely new M3, this time with an advanced six-cylinder engine. Once again, Motorsport GmbH developed a version for competition in record time.  In April 1993, the new M3 was due to line up at the start of the first race for the German Touring Car Championship (DTM). But due to discrepancies in the new regulations, BMW changed its strategy and instead set up a BMW M3 GTR in the striking design of a starting flag and entered the Warsteiner ADAC GT Cup organised by the German Automobile Association. The six-cylinder now generated 325 hp, the car weighed 1300 kilos in accordance with the regulations. A strong BMW team lined up at the start with Johnny Cecotto and Kris Nissen, and Cecotto ended up taking the championship at the end of the season. However, this was the end of the motor-sport chapter for this M3 GTR for the time being. Changes in the regulations meant that the potent 3 Series had no realistic changes of victory any more.

The BMW M3 GTR: the most powerful M3 ever.

BMW only returned to motor sport as a works team with a BMW M3 seven years later. In 2001, the first starting flag came down for the new BMW M3 GTR powered by a 450 hp V8 engine. The most powerful M3 ever set benchmarks in the GT class of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) with its four-litre engine and raced in a quartet: Team BMW Motorsport entered two cars under the management of Charly Lamm and two other cars were raced by the American BMW Team PTG run by Tom Milner, who hailed originally from Germany. The coupé took seven victories in ten races, six of them were from pole positions. BMW works driver Jörg Müller won the driver’s championship in the GT Class, BMW Motorsport won the team placings, and BMW became constructors’ champion in the company’s most important export market.

But the advanced BMW M3 GTR also caused a sensation in Europe. Two each of these eight-cylinder racing cars lined up at the start of the 24 Hour Race at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium and on the Nürburgring in 2004 and 2005.The result: In both years, BWM took a one-two victory on the Nürburgring, and class victory went to BMW in Spa in 2004.

In 2009, the next generation of the M3 started in the American Le Mans Series. The V8 engine was beefed up to 485 hp and entered the Twelve Hour Race at Sebring for the first time.  The successes meant that the M3 was also raced in Europe in the following year. It lined up at the start of the 24 Hour Race on the Nürburgring, in Le Mans and in Spa-Francorchamps. The result: outright victory on the Nürburgring – for the 19th time – and class victory in Spa.

And the next winner will soon be on the starting line in 2012. BMW will be back at the German Touring Car Masters (DTM) with three teams and the new BMW M3 DTM.

Source: BMW

Today’s Super Bild belongs to Ashley Jones, one of our readers. I became friends with Ashley while living in Charlotte, NC and have always admired his beautiful 2009 Le Mans Blue Metallic E90 M3 6MT (the year of the lci facelift). I currently live in the Detroit suburbs, but I have fond memories of going on several drives with Ashley and fellow car enthusiasts in the Carolina area. Ashley and his family reside Columbia, SC which is surrounded by wonderful weather, and near some of the best driving roads in the country. He took delivery of his M3 at the BMW Performance Center in Spartanburg, SC – another perk of living in the area.

Since picking up his M3, Ashley has added tasteful cosmetic and performance touches, and participated in several track days at Carolina MotorSports Park and VIR. The M3 stands out to driving enthusiasts because of its motorsport genes, balanced chassis, one of the most technological advanced naturally-aspirated engines in the world, athletic yet sophisticated styling, and luxurious amenities for everyday comfort.

Here is a track day video of his M3 at VIR. The sound of the engine paired with the oem M Performance Exhaust is quite amazing!

Click here to view the embedded video.

The fourth generation M3 debuted at the 2008 Frankfurt Auto show, and went on sale in North America in the Spring of 2008. At the heart of the M3 is a lightweight high-revving 4.0-liter V8 (S65B40) that produces 414 hp at 8,300 rpm and 295 lb-ft of torque at 3,900 rpm with 85 percent of the maximum torque available consistently through 6,500 rpm . The 3540 lb sedan sprints from 0-62 in 4.9 seconds. M GmbH engineers redesigned 70 percent of the standard 3 Series components with features such: as M Drive, M Differential Lock, Electronic Damping Control, adjustable hydraulic Servotronic steering, aluminum suspension components, and optional dual clutch transmission to offer even greater control and responsiveness in the M3. Each of the M3s over the last 26 years has been developed and perfected on the grueling Nurburgring circuit.

The lowered E90 M3 has a sleek sporty stance with its power dome hood, wide fenders and an aggressively sculpted front fascia. The rear of car has a deeper rear bumper with an aero diffuser, quad tailpipes, and subtle trunk spoiler to set it apart.

Some purists conclude the M3 should only be built in coupé form. However, I am one who prefers the saloon for its dynamic proportions and versatility. In fact, it’s my favorite modern BMW, and one I would probably choose over any other car in the world. You can drive it to work with business colleagues, go to the track or twisty back roads on the weekend, and take the family on road trip. I would love to park the next generation M3 Sedan (F80) in my garage. BMWBlog salutes Ashley for representing the BMW community and today’s Super Bild with his well kept Le Mans Blue E90 M3. He has plans to purchase a new F10 M5 – we’ll have to check back once he takes delivery!

Continue to send your Super Bild recommendations and photos to manny@m50d.com

And be sure to join the #BMWSuperBild discussion on Twitter with @bmwblog @m5manny @135Misha

Enjoy the photo gallery as includes a variety of oem and aftermarket wheels Ashley has had over the years.

Current modifications: 30% Tint – Color Match Painted Reflectors – Gloss Black Grills - ESS Tune – BMW M Performance Exhaust – StopTech Trophy Brake Kit – KW Clubsport Coilover Kit – BBS CHR (Street)/Volk TE37SL (track).

]]> http://m50d.com/bmw-super-bild-of-the-day-le-mans-blue-e90-m3/feed/ 0 http://m50d.com/g-power-tunes-the-e46-bmw-m3-to-444-horsepower/ http://m50d.com/g-power-tunes-the-e46-bmw-m3-to-444-horsepower/#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 03:22:38 +0000 admin http://m50d.com/g-power-tunes-the-e46-bmw-m3-to-444-horsepower/ Continue reading →]]>

G-Power reveals a new power upgrade for an M product, but surprisingly, this time around it’s a classic: the E46 BMW M3.

Powered by a 3.2 liter six-cylinder engine producing in standard form 338 horsepower, the E46 M3 gets equipped with a ASA T1-518 centrifugal supercharger that increases the power output to 450 PS (331 kW / 444 hp) at 7000 rpm and 460 Nm (339 lb-ft) of torque at 5500 rp – an increase of 107 PS (79 kW / 106 hp) and 95 Nm (70 lb-ft).

With the new power boost, the BMW fans’ favorite E46 M3 reaches a top speed of 300 km/h (186 mph). This enables the M3 to accelerate from 0-200 km/h in 14.7 seconds. To cope with the extra boost, G-Power fitted the M3 with an upgraded braking system with six-piston calipers, 370 mm discs at the front and 342 mm disks for the rear.

The E46 M3 has been equipped with an adjustable coil-over suspension, a sports exhaust system, high performance brakes and 20-inch alloy wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport tires.

Here is a breakdown of the costs:

• Performance upgrades (€7,000),
• Wheels and tires (€4,422/)
• Braking system (€5,800 for the front and €3,860 for the rear)

The Tuner Challenge Shootout is a tuner-only time attack series that has been in place since 2010 at Las Vegas Speedway during MFest VI. EAS was one of the chosen teams to receive an invitation to compete at the event in their 2011 BMW VF620 Supercharged M3 and driver Jordan Yost.

The EAS crew headed out to Las Vegas Speedway for the third time this year, where Yost and the EAS VF620 Supercharged M3 were able to take victory.

1. Mandatory transponders to all participating sponsors
2. Vehicles are grid according to times from earlier morning runs
3. Shoot out will be up for 10 laps – winner take all
4. Sponsors can choose their own driver for their car.
5. Sponsors can choose which car (or cars) they want to run
6. Vehicles that pit for any reason during the course of the shoot out are disqualified

The MFest Tuner Shootout pits drivers and cars against the clock to see who can run the fastest lap time according to runtimes from earlier sessions. The event catered only to tuner based vehicles and the event saw a stacked field with ESS-Supercharged M3s, Supercharged CTS-Vs, GTR, and even a Murcielago. Making the 300+ mile drive from their HQ in Anaheim, the EAS VF620 Supercharged M3 ran their fastest lap of the shootout on Yokohama AD08 street tires in the sweltering 107F Vegas heat.

Special thanks to:
- VF Engineering
- Macht Schnell
- Akrapovic Exhaust systems
- Vorsteiner
- APR Performance
- Recaro NA
- Rays Engineering
- Yokohama Tire

For more information please contact: info@europeanautosource.com

At the 2012 MFest, California-based tuner EuropeanAutoSource revealed their latest project: Alpine WhiteVF620 E92 M3. The 700 horsepower M3 joined the Las Vegas Speedway race track and offered ridealongs to all the participants, one of them, yours truly.

Needless to say, the ride is nothing short of spectacular and the super-tuned M3 is as fast as it can get, without sacrificing its balance and dynamics. The list of mods and upgrades is fairly long and it includes, among others, the VF Engineering VF620 Supercharger System, Akrapovic Exhaust System, BMW Performance parts and KW Clubsport Coilover System.

For those of you interested in the full list of mods added to the EAS VF692, have a look below.

List of Modifications
Akrapovic Evolution Titanium Exhaust System
Akrapovic Delete-R Check Engine Light Suppressor
AP Racing Big Brake Kit (6-piston 368mm front, 4-piston 356mm)
APR Performance Adjustable Wing
BMW Performance Alcantara Steering Wheel
IND Pre-painted Reflectors
Lamin-X Yellow Headlight Film
KW Clubsport Coilover System
Macht Schnell Steel Side Mounts
Macht Schnell Ashtray Gauge Panel
Macht Schnell Clip-In Harness Receptacles
Macht Schnell Competition Liteweight Floor Mounts
Macht Schnell EDC Emulation Module
Macht Schnell TPMS Emulation Module
Matte Black Kidney Grills and Fender Gills
Recaro Pole Position Seats
Schroth Profi II ASM Harnesses
Stack Gauges (Boost, AFR, DCT temp)
Turner Motorsports Red Nylon Tow Strap
VF Engineering VF620 Supercharger System
Volk Racing G12 Wheels (Matte black, 19

An exclusive new BMW M3 Coupe Frozen Silver Edition model has been announced as part of BMW M GmbH’s 40th anniversary year. Just 100 of the high performance coupes will be sold in the UK and the model features unique content to make it a truly collectable item.

* Electronically limited. M DCT transmission is standard.

The new BMW M3 Coupé Frozen Silver Edition features BMW’s class-leading 420hp V8 engine with power transferred to the road via the standard seven-speed M DCT transmission and variable M differential. The car comes with a 10mm lowered suspension featuring a three-stage Electronic Damper Control, 19-inch light alloy wheels and a revised DSC+ system.

But it is the bespoke combination of Frozen Silver metallic paint, not seen before on any BMW, matt black alloy wheels, Dark Chrome exhaust, side gills and kidney surrounds, and Jet Black bonnet intakes that set the car apart. A High-gloss Shadowline exterior trim completes the exterior look.

Inside and the high standard specification includes Black Novillo leather with contrast stitching and Palladium leather armrests and inserts,. The steering wheel is sheathed in Alcantara and comes complete with an M3 chequered flag motif, while the door sills feature a similar logo. Carbon fibre is liberally applied to the interior to underscore the sporting credentials, the handbrake has M Power stitched onto it and there is a plaque to highlight the limited edition nature of the car.

The new BMW M3 Coupé Frozen Silver Edition adds nearly £9,000 of equipment to a standard M3, but all for an on-cost of just £4,000. The car goes on sale in the UK on 1 June, 2012.

News of the latest M car to be offered in the UK comes as the country remains an important market for BMW M products. Despite the tough economic climate BMW UK sold 789 M3 Coupés in 2011, a 10 per cent increase over the previous year.

Our friends and sponsors at European Auto Source are sharing with us their latest project. Dubbed VF620 Supercharged, the tuned up M3 Sedan comes with a special paint: Matte Estoril Blue. The M3 Sedan comes equipped with the VF620 Supercharger System with a Vortech V3Si Compressor and 6.0-7.0psi manifold boost pressure that brings the total power output to 700 horsepower.

The car will make its way to the annual M Fest that takes place from April 20-22 in the beautiful Las Vegas.

Here are some of the mods applied to the car:

- VF Engineering VF620 Supercharger System
- Custom Matte Estoril Blue Paint by C&C Collision
- RPI X-Pipe/Exhaust System
- Vorsteiner Carbon Fiber GTS3 Front Bumper
- Vorsteiner Carbon Fiber Aero Boot Lid
- Vorsteiner Aero Rear Diffuser
- Vorsteiner Carbon Fiber Roof
- Matte Black Kidney Grilles
- Matte Black Fender Gills
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