notes from Bangkok

[Bruce Nunnally]

This to me is the type of news that the CTS-V is being taken seriously...

The head of BMW's M-division, Ulrich Brunke, indicates that BMW is keen to broaden the appeal of the M3 in the face of increased competition from the likes of the hard-charging Audi RS4, Mecedes-Benz C55 AMG and Cadillac CTS V-spec. The M3 will be launched as a coupe{AAC}, with saloon, cabriolet and estate versions to follow.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/Motoring/19Aug2005_motor04.php

The newly-developed 48-valve 4.0-litre V8 is based around the M5's 500hp 5.0-litre V10. The alloy-block unit has 90-degree cylinder bank angle, electronically actuated throttle valves for each cylinder, third-generation double-VANOS variable valve timing and BMW's latest MS S65 engine management system.

The result are claimed outputs of 406hp and 433Nm of torque. Compared to the existing M3's 3.2-litre in-line six-cylinder engine, that's up by 63hp and 56Nm. With pistons cast from aluminium and other lightweight internal components, the new engine is said to retain the M3's characteristic highly-strung nature, and should be capable of revving to 8,250rpm. This will also be the first time a V8 has been factory-fitted to an M3.

also, perhaps the V10 won't fit in the M3?

[danbuc]

I think the V10 might be a little heavy for the M3. The V8 they will be using should be plenty for the car, and will help keep it lighter, and better balanced. Plus, you can always slap a supercharger on it, if you want more power. One thing you can be sure of, is that it's gonna be a sick car, and quite the contender on the track (and street).

[Bruce Nunnally]

From what i have read the M3 is setup like a sprint car, with tight gearing and rides like a track car.

The M5 is more of a road car / touring car.

That new V10 has 12:1 compression; not gonna slap a supercharger on that puppy I wouldn't think.

[danbuc]

Definitely not on the V10. I've seen M3's with the 333hp Inline6 with a supercharger, and they are really, really fast. I would say, that once they come out, it's only a matter of time before somefind a way to get a supercharger on that engine. The M5 and M5 don't really need it though. I consider the M3 a more tuneable car anyway. I wouldn't want to mess with the V10 in an M5 or M6, especially considering what kind of dmage can occur at 8000+rpm.