BMW M10 Concept

The legend we had always known was that BMW and Mercedes-Benz had a gentleman's agreement in place not to go after the Porsche 911. For whatever reasons, building a proper two-seat sports car was out of the question, though both build heavier and more accomodating grand touring machines that manage to skirt around the 911's segment.

Then came the Audi R8. Being stuck in third place of a three-man race has forced Audi to branch out into new segments, and the R8 is a bold statement that might make someone shopping a 911 think twice. Audi's bite of the forbidden fruit has apparently opened the door enough for BMW to consider a proper two-seat sports car. Sure, the M6 is plenty powerful with its 500-horse V10, more powerful than the R8 actually, but it's a pretty porker that can carry four people.

German outlet Auto Zeitung is reporting that BMW has begun work on an R8/911 competitor. To be called the M10, this front-engine, rear-wheel-drive coupe would be the spiritual successor to the M1 and Z8. Though BMW has dabbled with carbon fiber in some of its recent designs, the M10 would likely be almost completely covered in the material to keep weight around 3,000 lbs. Power for the M10 could come from either the M3's 420-hp, 4.2L V8 or the corporate 5.0L V10 producing around 550 horsepower. We would expect both engines to be offered so that BMW could square off the M10 against the R8 and RS8, as well as the 911 and 911 Turbo.

If BMW is working on such a car, development is going on behind many closed doors and any official info is far off. Regardless, such a car makes sense for the brand that purports to build ultimate driving machines.

2008 BMW M3 V8

BMW has revealed the production version of the 2008/2009 M3 coupe. The unveiling comes only weeks after the automaker revealed the M3 Concept at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland. Like the concept, the production car features a high-revving V8 powerplant, tuned suspension, a six-speed manual transmission, a carbon fiber roof, and all the exterior modifications typical of an "M" car.

Due to go on sale in North American in mid-2008 as a 2009 model, the M3 will target the Lexus IS-F, Audi RS5, and Mercedes CLK63 AMG. Convertible and sedan variants are expected to follow later in 2008.

The M3's V8 powerplant has two more cylinders than its predecessor, delivering 420 hp from 4.0 litters and maximum torque of 295 lb-ft at 3,900 rpm. In keeping with BMW's high-revving "M" tradition, maximum engine speed is 8,300 rpm. The engine is the lightest V8 in the world, weighing less than the previous M3's inline-six.

Reminiscent of the carbon fiber roof panel used on the M6 coupe, the M3's CFRP roof cuts unnecessary weight, and lowers the car's center of gravity. It also lets the roof edge appear flatter and thus lowers the perceived body height.

The production M3 is pictured with 18-inch wheels, though BMW is also expected to offer 19-inch alloys similar to the Y-spoke ones featured on the M3 concept.

2007 BMW M6

More extreme? Than the BMW M5? Which, after all, is a luxury automobile packing a Formula 1-inspired, 500-horsepower V-10 engine that revs like a dentist's drill; a seven-speed, paddle-shift, sequential manual gearbox that Mark Webber might think got stolen from his BMW Williams; and an aluminum suspension so sophisticated you could drive over a newspaper and practically read it. More extreme than that?

Yes. Performance-wise, the BMW M6 is all the BMW M5 is and more. And less, too, in a few key areas where less is in fact more.


The powertrains in the two Ms are identical: that astounding V-10 coupled to the shift-without-a-clutch-pedal seven-speed SMG. Output and gear ratios are the same, too. The BMW M6 edges ahead, then, not with extra muscle but with reduced mass. Up top is a roof made of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFP), a material BMW first employed on the noggin of the BMW limited-edition M3 CSL. Compared with the conventional steel roof on the 645Ci, the BMW M6's carbon top is 55 percent lighter. Perhaps more important, it also lowers the car's center of gravity by nearly half an inch.

The Jenny Craig treatment doesn't end there. Specially developed, 19-inch forged-aluminum wheels, with spokes as thin as the plot of a Steven Seagal movie, save nearly four pounds per corner over comparable rims, BMW says. The BMW M6 also wears side panels and a rear deck made of lightweight fiberglass-reinforced plastic. And in a move sure to keep M6 owners awake at night with parallel-parking catastrophes dancing in their heads, the bumpers are made of the same exotic CFP as the roof, reducing weight over conventional designs, BMW claims, by 20 percent up front and 40 percent in back--but probably also nudging repair costs up into "we're gonna need a deposit first, sir" territory.