This racing focus was what spurred BMW to make the M3 different from the standard 3-series, adopting a more aerodynamic body and a wider track for increased stability. Most of the subsequent changes to the M3 have mostly been to keep the car up-to-date with the year to year changes in the homologation rules. As a result, the M3 has won more road-races than any other model in history.
Despite its distinguished pedigree, the E36 M3 BMW for sale GT special edition, which was released in 1994 specifically as a race-car, has rarely been raced in competitive circuits outside of the BMW CCA club racing circuit. In 1995, the E36 series added a six cylinder engine, along with a more powerful engine and a six-speed gearbox.
BMW M3 Rear View
There is a sports car that doesn’t look like a sports car. And that’s the M3 BMW for sale which has too many seats, and one body style has too many doors. It has a usable trunk. You could drive it to Kansas in complete comfort. And yet the 2011 M3 BMW for sale has a 414-horsepower V8. It goes from zero to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds. It stops from 60 so quickly your eyes may find themselves on an outbound journey from their sockets, and it sticks in corners with the tenacity of super glue. The M3 truly is the sports car for people who still need the practicality of a regular old sedan, coupe or convertible.
Of course this wolf in sheep’s clothing nature is not new to the M3, which has been kicking other sports cars in the teeth since the 1980s. The car’s free-revving engines have always been a big part of that, and this latest M3 is the first (and likely the last) to feature a normally aspirated V8. Essentially the M5′s V10 with two cylinders removed, this manic 4.0-liter eight-cylinder sings a glorious wail at full throttle all the way up to its sky-high redline of 8,400 rpm. The M3 BMW for sale series is a high-performance version of the classic BMW 3-series. The first reproduction of the M3 series was based on the 1986 E30 3-series. This early reproduction of the M3 series was notable because BMW marketed it primarily as a racing vehicle. The M3 was adapted into a road car specifically because of its racing focus. BMW sought to break into the touring car racing market to compete with Mercedes-Benz.
Shining BMW E46 M3
The fourth generation M3 BMW for sale was announced on the 2007 Geneva Auto Show (Switzerland, March 6-18th, 2007) with the BMW M3 concept. As was the case with the E46 M3 Concept and E60 M5 Concept, the M3 Concept hid almost nothing of the looks of the production version, that had its world premiere on the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show IAA (Germany, September 13 to 23rd). It was originally set to be called M4 along with 3 Series coupes and convertibles which were to become the 4 Series, but due to the interest in retaining the M3 bloodline, this was scrapped and the lineup continued as it is.
Just as the previous M3 generations all introduced a completely new engine, the fourth generation M3 did the same: the BMW S65 engine was introduced. This S65B40 is a naturally aspirated, high revving 4-litre V8 (based on the S85B50 5-litre V10 that powers the E60/E61 M5 and the E63/E64 M6 to date), delivering 414 bhp (309 kW; 420 PS) at 8,300 rpm, with peak torque at 400 Nm (300 lb.ft) at 3,900 rpm, which represents a power increase of 22% over the E46 M3. The engine weighs 15 kg (33 lb) less than the outgoing six cylinders for a total weight of 202 kg (450 lb). A six-speed manual transmission is standard.
Image Credits: www.webwombat.com.au, www.insixthgear.com
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