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The Competition: new M3/M4

S550Boss

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Read: http://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=892746
(HP and torque not too great... my supercharged G37S makes more than this by far).
HP and torque are preliminary, final numbers are being set as the car nears production (testing/tuning/emissions cert under way until the last moment - just like the S550).

The beemer spies are as active as our own; they just found a production model unmasked and on public roads: . The specs have been revealed, but the public unveiling will be at NAIAS.

As competition to the 2015 Mustang, the new M3/4 makes less power than our entry level V-8 GT, but will at least produce constant torque across a wide band.

However, the kicker is the weight: "under 3306 pounds" (the 2015 Mustang V-8 will be very hard pressed to get under the upper 3400+ range, with minimal options - final figures yet to be revealed).

For comparison:
- the current V-8 M3 is about 3600 pounds
- the previous inline-6 M3 was 3400 pounds.
Power-to-weight ratio: 7.68 lb/hp.

And the rest of the chassis specs: exceptional! Then there is the price: not announced yet, but given the price of the current M3 and trends such as the new M5 price, it's probably going to be in the 70s at a minimum, 80s likely.

Could Ford build this? No, there is too much here technically. But Ford could build a 4-door on the S550 platform, and equip it with the EcoBoost 3.5. Which could be tuned higher. But Ford doesn't have the active differential (which is a very important feature) nor the very nice 7-speed DCT. Would there be a market for it if they built this as a Ford (versus a Lincoln, where it would have a different mission) Good question! It would have to go well beyond just 10-20k sales/year that a handful of enthusiasts would prodyce. There would have to be a pedestrian model to get into the 60-75k volume at least. And even then the financial model is very very tough.
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Diggitydog

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There is also the well known reputation that BMW has been underrating their cars' performance for many years. I can't imagine the S550 will be giving the M4 a super serious run for its money. And speaking of money the BMW will be a lot more in that department. The BMW will be way higher tech and much more refined. Best case scenario is the Mustang is able to "hang" with the M4.
 

nametoshowothers

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Well the last gt equaled the m3 and the boss and shelby destroyed it

Previous BMW owner now owning a shelby

Expect the new m3-4 to be very good, but expect the same from the gt and up

By the way the new m's are light years from the z28 except on looks and interior

Great cars but just because of the badge they are not mythical
 

K.Lysius

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That "under 3306 pounds" can be misleading... that's the unladen weight, so it's a bit apples-to-orange comparison when you compare it to the curb weight for the current V8 M3.

Here's the weights for the new M3/M4:

EU DIN Unladen:1500kg/3306lbs
EU Curb Weight:1575kg/3472lbs

* EU DIN Unladen=all fluids and 90% fuel
* EU Curb Weight=all fluids and 90% fuel + included 68kg driver and 7kg cargo

So we should be comparing 3,472 pounds for the new M3/M4 to the 3,600 pounds of the V8 M3. BMW also didn't list what equipment yields that unladen weight. For example, it could include the much lighter carbon ceramic brakes option which will cost an additional $5-7000.
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