The 91 M5 only had 310 hp and.... (archive)

: To all of you wannabe types who claim that BMW AG, NA, etc. have released ANY official specs on the new M3, YOU'RE F*CKING CRACKED. Don't tell me about Car and Driver, BMW Car, or any "press release" culled from the Frankfurt auto show. These bits of info are _not_ taken from BMW statements.
: To all others who don't claim this, please ignore the following post.
: Spoke w/just about everyone, and while certain salespersons and magazines insist that they know the enigne will be I-6, THERE IS NO OFFICIAL WORD. Some say the car will weigh ~3600Lbs. Others say maybe I6. Hmmm- 270lb-ft/340bhp w/35-3600lbs... yeah, right. Can you say,"slow as molasses in January?"
: If they do release a I6 3500-lb E46 M3, I pity the fool who buys the goddamn dog. That'll mean that BMW just needs to homologate the car/engine for GT, (GT3, maybe GT2) where it'll drop the car's weight to 3000lb or less. Ha-hey! Then, the I6 would be just wonderful.
: Anyway, re: the street version- unless you buy a used E46 M3 race car from PTG (or whoever), you're gonna be pissed at the performance.
: Cornering prowess will SUFFER @ that weight, no matter what engine they use.

: Food for thought,
: Larry

though not as quick as the new M3 needs to be, can hang with an E36 M3 in straightline performance and is better at 80+. This for a car that weighs 3800lbs. Yes, it will not handle like an M3 but 8 years of technology and a stiffer chassis may allow BMW to get the E34 M3 cornering limits beyond that of the E36.

If the new M3 has 340 hp and with the benefit of double-vanos, the car will be quick and should be able to out-perform the E36.

Again, we won't know until it comes out. You sound like one of those guys with a 99 M3 that is hoping and praying you made the right decision--which you did because the E46 won't be here for at least another year.

KJK 91 M5

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