The previous generation M5 remains one of my favourite cars of all time. That was until the new M3 showed up. Now, instead of a single four-door super sedan, BMW offers a range of V8-powered M3s, starting with a four-door sedan, followed up by a two-door coupe, and topped off with a convertible, featuring a retractable hardtop no less. Yes, odd isn't it? Then again, why BMW feels it's necessary to build a coupe when its retractable hardtop convertible offers coupe-like protection and refinement when the top is up and open-air enjoyment when it's down, speaks volumes about the premium brand's priorities. Instead the M3 Coupe sports a carbon fibre roof to shave pounds off of the regular metal roof, whereas the complexity of the retractable hardtop's multiple roof panels and additional mechanicals adds 200 kilos (440 lbs), not good, high above the car's centre of gravity, even worse, which is ok for poseurs but hardly acceptable for M3 purists.
And BMW has plenty of those. The first M3 came on the scene as a 1986 model, based on the old E30 3-Series, and compared to today's version was a radical departure from its donor car, with deep ground effects, coke bottle wheel flares and a tall rear wing, not to mention a highly-stressed, specially-tuned four-cylinder engine. How times have changed, from the E30 to the E36 (I drove the more powerful Euro-version that didn't go to the US but was available in very limited supply here in Canada), the E46 version that followed, with its glorious inline-six, and then E90/E92/E93 (sedan/coupe/convertible) models currently in production. I've driven all of these cars, except for the original E30-base M3, on numerous occasions, and each delivered serious performance for its day, so much so that the M3 has acquired a loyal following of performance-oriented owners that Porsche might even envy.
I bring up the storied German sports car maker only because its 911 is probably the closest competitor to an M3 Coupe. All of the more direct M3 competitors are sedans, starting with Audi's RS4, and continuing on with Cadillac's CTS-V, Lexus' IS F, and Mercedes' C63 AMG. BMW already makes an M3 sedan to go up against these wannabes, but until Cadillac's CTS-V Coupe hits the scene, or Audi decides to finally officially announce an RS5, the 911 is about as close to a rival as we're likely to see.
The rivalry has gone on for decades, really, although Porsche would never admit to it. Most people would likely consider Porsche as being a notch higher on the desirability meter, and the 911 is a fabulous car that deserves heaps of praise, but the very fact that a "lowly" BMW coupe gets mentioned in the same breath as the iconic Porsche must make the engineers in BMW's M division feel quite proud. And they really deserve credit.
The M3 Coupe is as good a performance machine as four-seat cars get, something that I set out to remind myself of one balmy night a few weeks ago. There's a particularly nice set of unpopulated rural roads not too far from my new condo, and at night, in the dark, with no cars on the road and trees surrounding, everything feels twice as fast as it really is, and believe me, the M3 is very, very fast. The sound of the high-revving 415hp 4.0-litre V8 is intoxicating, a mechanical whirr that feels like it'll spin forever as power keeps building and building up to its 8,500 rpm redline, the flick of fingers engaging the next of seven gears faster than the mind can conjure the thought, so quick is the paddle-shift actuated double-clutch sequential manual gearbox, brakes so strong that the seatbelt wages war with my chest, an indelibly stamped diagonal from shoulder to hip, and a flick with the left fingers downshifts, revs blipping to match perfectly with the targeted gear.
Giggle inducing corners turned into hysterical fits of laughter as the coupe danced from one bend to another, from punishingly jarring undulation to sharp crested rise, biting into the pavement with its meaty 245/40R18 front and 265/40R18 rear tires and never relenting, never even hinting at losing its line. It's a car that a skilled driver can make slalom like Bode Miller on Atomics (or Fischers, Rossignols or Heads), it reacts exactly to every input, kicks its rear wheels sideways just enough to get the adrenal glands pumping before catching itself and shooting forward as opposite lock is applied to the steering and the front wheels point their way out of harm's way. What a brilliant ride!
Pulling into my parking garage it rumbles to a stop, exhaust barking out its final few blats and a calmness overtaking the last remaining reverberations echoing between the concrete walls. To look around the cabin, my example covered in classic BMW red leather and a carbon fibre-like weave trim, dark gray high-grade plastic with aluminum fittings, it's a real site to behold. Nothing over the top with luxury or particularly contemporary in design, but purposeful in execution and pleasant on the eyes. The M3 is well stocked too, with a three-spoke multifunction M steering wheel, M-specific instrument dials, CD/MP3 audio with Logic7 and auxiliary input, Bluetooth hands-free connectivity, BMW Assist, dual-zone automatic climate control, heated eight-way sport seats that hug so perfectly, driver's memory, anthracite roof liner, rain-sensing wipers with heated washer jets, a self-charging proximity sensing keyless entry fob plus push-button ignition, 60/40 split-folding rear seatbacks with pass-through and ski bag, and the usual power features expected in this class. Safety features include a full assortment of airbags, performance-tuned traction and stability control, a torque-sensitive variable M differential lock, automatic adaptive bi-xenon headlamps with washers, adaptive brake lights, a tire pressure warning system, and an alarm system with interior motion sensor. Performance-oriented goodies include a standard six-speed manual gearbox (the 7-speed dual-clutch unit on this car is optional), 18-inch alloy rims, vented and cross-drilled front and rear rotors, and an M3-specific sport calibrated suspension, while the M body kit looks fabulous.
Stepping away from the door, it's impossible not to look back. Its white paint shimmering under the lights, chrome embellishment glistening, carbon roof a dark contrast but nevertheless a shining example of the effort BMW goes to in order to make its M cars better than anything else money can buy, and the M3 Coupe really is in a class of few.
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