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      09-29-2010, 09:42 PM   #75
ENINTY
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Drives: 2006 325i Sport
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Virginia

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Quote:
Originally Posted by HBspeed View Post
I agree with everything you are saying, and like you I am one of the lucky few to buy the Z4M Coupe.

I loved that car for a year and a half but after it was totaled I replaced it with an E46 M3 ZCP w/ no sunroof. The problem with the Z4M was that while it was probably the best car BMW could have made at the time with the available platforms/engines, it was still not enough to compete with the competition. The car was too heavy for something so small and cramped, weighing in around 3250-3300 lbs. It was a unique experience to own and I loved every second of it, but it was not a rational purchase in any way. I only bought it because of the $10,000 off like many others.

It makes little rational sense to use the S54 engine in such a small car in 2006 when its the S54's power output is so poor in relation to its huge size and weight. While the S54 is a legend for its characteristics, everyone knows the iron block is not the pinnacle of power/weight for an engine. It seems to me to better suit the character of the E46 M3 and the time period it came from. Therefore I came to the conclusion that the S54 was an odd choice for what was supposedly one of the most focused BMW sports car ever.

The problem is BMW has never been all that great at 2 seaters, and I don't think they have any desire to actually compete with the likes of Porsche or even Chevy in this arena. What they are legendary for are their 2 door sedans. The 2002 and E30 M3 are really the essence of BMW, and define what they do better than anyone else. The spiritual successors in the E36 M3 and E46 M3 have become like you have said Hack, increasingly about luxury and catering to the majority of their consumer base.

BMW has basically admitted that the E92 3 series is so far from the spirit of the 2002 and E30 M3 that they had to create an entire new series. The 1 series has inherited this legacy, the 3 series is now just another Lexus wannabe. We can only hope that some version of the 1 series will be able recapture the purity of BMW's old self.
I find this quite interesting. Many on this forum, when discussing the 2011 Ford Mustang GT chastise Ford for continuing to build (what they think) is a POS '60's muscle car wannabe. They think it is still just a straight line-go-fast-doesn't-corner-worth-shit solid axle '60's lookalike. In their minds Ford has made no advancement in performance nor design. But oh God, show them that it matches the performance of an M3, and the fanboyism pours out even more.

Then we have this type of post where BMW is chastised for NOT keeping to it's small, lightweight, good handling sports sedan formula, and it has just turned the 3 Series into an overweight luxury Lexus wannabe. However, Car and Driver just tests all M3's from the E30 on up, and low and behold the E90/92 M3 roasts the E30 around the track. It's called progress. The current M3 is 25 years advanced in engineering and performance. It is bigger, handles better, stops better, is way safer, and gets better or at least comparable fuel mileage to the 4-cylinder E30 M3. If it gets around the track faster but has more luxury than the E30 version, who really cares? If you want the rawness and less luxury of the E30 M3, then get the ’11 Mustang GT.
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