2008 BMW M3 Spy Photos

Enthusiasts the world over have been waiting for this car. The 2008 BMW M3 replaces an icon, what some consider to be the pinnacle of automotive engineering, a deft example of the balance between creature comforts and lightweight performance, a car with such grace and finesse that it’s hard to explain what an M3 is without tossing over a set of keys so that the audience can discover the magic for themselves. But time marches on, and here is the future. Spied trolling for chicks (hey, could be) in the Santa Barbara area is a test mule of the 2008 BMW M3, equipped with the first V8 engine to be installed in this, the company’s most prolific performance model. In addition to a larger, more powerful engine, the new M3 will get a full hardware massage from BMW Motorsport – including the brakes, suspension, and steering – to ensure optimum handling. Subtle styling modifications are also part of the package.

*Photo copyright Brenda Priddy & Company

Spy Photo 2

BMW hasn’t confirmed any details about the 2008 BMW M3, which may debut as early as the 2006 in Paris this September. Rumors are swirling, however, about a 4.0-liter V8 engine based on the V-10 under the hoods of the BMW M5 sedan and M6 coupe. Given BMW’s new penchant for turbocharging (the 2007 BMW 3 Series Coupe will offer a blown six in 335Ci trim, pumping out 300 horsepower), the M3’s motor might be a force fed unit. Whatever it turns out to be, it’s clear that extra clearance is required for the new M3’s powertrain based on the bulging hood attached to this test mule, which replaces the concave contouring of the standard 3 Series Coupe. Expectations are that the new 2008 BMW M3 will be making 400 horsepower or more, driving power to the rear wheels through a standard seven-speed Sequential Manual Gearbox (SMG) or an available six-speed manual transmission. Industry observers estimate a 0-60 mph acceleration time of about five seconds, with an electronically limited top end of 155 mph.

*Photo copyright Brenda Priddy & Company

Spy Photo 3

Like every M-powered model, the 2008 BMW M3 gets additional body sculpting with revised front and rear fascias as well as rocker panel skirting. The engine breathes through quad exhaust outlets, seen clearly in this photo. The test mule is wearing staggered-size wheels with P265/40ZR18 Michelin Pilot Sport rubber at the rear, but the flared wheel wells indicate that optional wheels and tires of up to 20 inches in diameter, at least in the back, might be available. Expect the 2008 BMW M3 to come in coupe, convertible, and, for the first time since the E36-based M3, sedan body styles, with prices starting between $50,000 and $55,000. A retractable hardtop is possible for the convertible, but given the added weight such an arrangement dictates, we’d say BMW would be wise to ditch that idea for a fabric roof with a glass rear window. Also of note, if this test mule is any indication: iDrive is not standard on the new M3. Whoo-hoo!

*Photo copyright Brenda Priddy & Company

Current M3

Compare the new 2008 BMW M3 with today’s model and it appears that the new car will be more stylish and, obviously when you compare power and performance estimates, heavier. Highlights of the current M3 include a choice between coupe and convertible with a 333-horsepower inline six capable of accelerating the coupe to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds, according to BMW. If the 2008 BMW M3 cannot match that acceleration, purists might wonder what the point of the V8 is.

Current M3

Prices for the 2006 BMW M3 start at just under $50,000. Shown here is the M3 Coupe equipped with the optional Competition Package. Debuted for 2005, the Competition Package includes a special M Track Mode for the stability control system, compound cross-drilled brakes, 19-inch forged steel wheels with performance tires, and faster steering. It’s not a huge leap of faith to expect that the new 2008 BMW M3 will be equipped with these features as standard equipment or as options.

Audi S4

Today, the Audi S4 is a direct threat to the BMW M3. Offered in convertible, sedan, and wagon body styles, the Audi S4 gets a Quattro all-wheel-drive system connected to a 340-horsepower 4.2-liter V8 engine. If that’s not enough, and once the new 2008 BMW M3 arrives it won’t be, select the new Audi RS 4 sedan, which generates 420 horsepower and acceleration to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds. However, the RS 4’s price tag is prohibitive at a starting point of about $69,000.

Ford Shelby GT500

Yeah right, a live-axle Ford Mustang competes with a BMW M3. Hey, with 500 horsepower and a relative discount in the mid-$40,000 range, it sure does. Supercharged for maximum power and torque, the two-ton Mustang’s 5.4-liter V8 produces blunt-force trauma compared to the surgical incisions likely to be performed by the lighter-weight and more refined 2008 BMW M3, but some people like that kind of thing. The Ford Mustang Shelby Cobra GT500 is available in coupe and convertible formats, each with the same ridiculously long name.

Mercedes CLK63 AMG

Mercedes-Benz relies on big displacement to take on the 2008 BMW M3 Coupe, in the form of a normally-aspirated 6.2-liter V8 engine whipping up 475 horsepower. It needs an engine that big to move the 2007 Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG’s 4,150-pound curb weight to 60 mph in an estimated 4.6 seconds. Offered only as a convertible, the CLK63 AMG actually sits between the new M3 and the larger M6, priced in the mid-$80,000 range. Mercedes offered a less expensive alternative in the C55 AMG sedan for 2006, but that car has been discontinued for 2007 and beyond.

Nissan GT-R

Nissan’s new GT-R is aimed directly at the 2008 BMW M3 Coupe. Expected to debut with a twin-turbo version of the Japanese automaker’s vaunted VQ-series V6 engine boasting an estimated output of about 450 horsepower driven to the ground through an all-wheel-drive system, the Nissan GT-R is likely to give the BMW M3 a run for its money. Nissan’s styling is even more unconventional than the BMW’s, just the thing to attract the attention of a generation raised on the video games that have vaulted the GT-R’s predecessor, the Skyline GT-R, onto a pedestal with young American enthusiasts.

Photos copyright Brenda Priddy & Company and courtesy of the manufacturers