Fantastic Voyage

2008 BMW M3 Sedan & Coupe

Just a tad over two decades past, the engineers at BMW had a simple goal: entry to the 1986 German Touring Car Championship. No small milestone, the occasion demanded an innovation unlike anything the classic tinkerers had managed before—thus, the M3 was born. Their accidental genius was rewarded, and the auto-crazed clamored for each and every new issue of comfort, speed and luxury they rendered. In 1988, the M3 came to America’s shores with a capacity of 192 hp in a 2.3 liter four-cylinder engine.

In 1995, the m3 graduated to a 3.0 liter engine with 240 hp and then in the same year, again with 3.2 liter heart. Then there was the sedan in 1997, followed by the smart and snappy convertible in the same year. Yet another delightful run began in 2001, when believers could enjoy a six-cylinder in coupe or convertible stylings equipped with a smashing 333 hp from its 3.2 liters. This wonder, which was the maker’s first use of the sequential manual gearbox in America, would enjoy circulation until the advent of the 2008 M3 Sedan and M3 Coupe. The first v8 in a series-production M3, this machine has driver-adjustable settings for steering, damping and stability—and for those who would want to store their settings, a wheel-mountable MDrive button is available.

Under the hood, each of the new M3’s eight cylinders has its own throttle butterfly, making for feline-quick responses to the gas pedal every time—an innovation that will not be lost on the power-hungry or speed-starved. Furthermore, this model also enjoys a variable double-vanos camshaft management for quick and responsive valve timing and a positive influence on fuel economy and emission management. Despite its increased muscle, the new M3 is 33 pounds lighter than its predecessor.

This is truly more than a comeback.