BMW M3: the lowdown
It’s only the first week of 2007 and we’ve already landed the scoop of the year: the new BMW M3. CAR’s spies have obtained design documents leaking the look of BMW’s new super-saloon – several months ahead of its launch this summer. We used the blueprints to produce a series of four stunning computer-enhanced images revealing exactly how the Three range-topper will look. A sculpted front spoiler punctured by two deep air intakes and a reprofiled bonnet paint a menacing face; elsewhere, the M3 is distinguished by trademark M side gills, 19in alloys and a redesigned rear apron with the licence plate nestled low down in the back bumper. Under the bonnet lies a V8 of between 4.0 and 4.2 litres’ capacity. For full technical details, read the story in the latest CAR Magazine: we’ve got the full monty, from power outputs to redline details; 0-60mph times and transmission spec. To read the full story on the M3, buy the new February 2007 issue of CAR magazine, on sale now.
An M3 for every pocket
To celebrate our exclusive scoop of the 2007 M3, CAR collected the key cars from the M3 back catalogue: we gathered an E30 Sport Evo, an E36 Evo saloon and the outgoing M3, the E46 CSL, to witness the transformation from four-cylinder homologation special to definitive sports saloon. There’s also CAR’s definitive M3 family tree, tracing the ancestry of BMW’s baby hot saloon from its 1986 origins all the way to the farewell edition CS of 2005. It’s unmissable reading for any M-enthusiast. To read the full M3 drive story and family tree, buy the new February 2007 issue of CAR magazine, on sale now.