Much to BMW fans’ chagrin, BMW is stopping production of the fourth generation M3 coupe and will seize production of the M3 convertible in September. To date, 40,000 coupes have rolled out of the factory. The cars are going out on a high note though: the M3 coupe won big at German Touring Car Masters last year.
The M3 Coupe debuted in 2007 and BMW also introduced an M3 sedan with a run of 10,000 units. An additional 16,000 units of the BMW M3 convertible have been built to date.
A key shared feature of the three body variants is the powertrain and chassis technology, which is derived directly from the motorsport car. The 4.0-litre V-8 engine, developed exclusively for the BMW M3, has cylinder banks positioned at a 90-degree angle to one another. It produces up to 309 kW/420 hp, generates peak torque of 400 Nm (295 lb.-ft.) and revs to a maximum 8,400 rpm.
The BMW M3’s engine won the 3.0 to 4.0-litre class of the International Engine of the Year Award five times in a row. The BMW M3 features a high-performance compound braking system and could also be specified as an option with the three-mode Electronic Damper Control system.
During the BMW M3 production cycle, the U.S., Great Britain and Germany markets were the biggest for the company. In 2010, the coupe was transformed into the BMW M3 GT2 endurance racer by U.S. artist Jeff Koons and joined the BMW Art Car series. Koons’ creation was unveiled in early June 2010 at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and lined up in the Le Mans 24-hour race two weeks later.
The fourth-generation BMW M3 was produced at the BMW plant in Regensburg alongside the BMW 3 Series sedan, coupe and convertible. Its V-8 engine was supplied by the BMW engine factory in Munich.
Photo Credit: BMW
