As BMWNA prepares for Monday’s relaunch of four cylinder motors in the US we wonder how the mainstream press and consumers will react.
You have to go back to mid-nineties ill received 318ti to find a four cylinder that made it across the Atlantic. By the time the 318ti came to market the US was in a state of relative prosperity and consumers wanted more. More refinement, more power and more luxury.
Our friends at Axis of Oversteer have one helluva a ride for the One Lap this year:
These guys were asked to produce a lightweight BMW Z3 M Coupe with 600 hp from a bulletproof engine while still maintaining street drivability, a comfortable interior, and the original exterior design elements…an M Coupe perfectly suited for One Lap of America, the descendant of the legendary Cannonball Rally and the most grueling week of racing in America.
In 1994 the first 3 Series BMW came off the line at BMW’s first US production facility located in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. BMW Spartanburg has built a variety of cars since then but its time building the 3er was short lived. The Z3, E86 Z4, and X5 were built and assembled at the factory with many locally sourced components.
The Z4 is being built in Germany now but newest generation X3, which just coincidentally shares many of its underlying bits with the next generation 3 series has made the move to Spartanburg from its previous contract build location in Austria. This new X3 is going to open the door for the US buyer to be able to customize their car in more ways than has ever been offered stateside, but that is not the whole story.
Recently Car magazine had a brief post about the discontinuation of the inline six that powered everything from the E36 through the E46 and E86. And that got us thinking about that engine, the cars it powered and how they stacked up against all the other M offerings through the years.
There are countless opinions about what an M car should be and what truly is the best yet. In my mind there are a handful of cars that exemplify the qualities of the Motorsports division. First and foremost there’s the original E30 M3. Created with incredible pedigree and highly successful motorsport history the E30 M3 in some ways is the pinnacle of the brand. That would probably be out pick for the ultimate ///M car across the entire range.
But what modern M car deserves this title? While we love the last two generations of the M3 they’re simply too heavy a car in our minds. And as much as we love the E39 and E60 M5s, it’s hard to argue that they haven’t become bloated as compared to the original E34 example. The modern M6 also exemplifies this all too well.
With that rational the Z3 M and Z4 M seem start to seem like obvious choices. But the convertible tops do way too much in limiting ultimate performance. Decreased torsional rigidity make these less than ideal choices for attacking mountain roads let alone track days. They are inherently flawed as any gorgeous classically proportioned roadster is.
The coupes are the natural answer then. The Z3 coupe was brutal and (in my mind at least) a gorgeous yet almost vulgar looking car. But it’s the Z4 M Coupe that is both looks and performs the part of the ultimate modern M car. It’s mechanical sounding inline 6 will never be equalled in it’s character or purity now that we’re in the V8 and forced induction era at the M Division.
BimmerFile is dedicated to bringing you the most interesting news, links and reviews related to the BMW brand and it's vehicles.
We believe in the old school BMW ownership experience. We believe in garage nights with a six pack and some friends. We believe in 2002s, in E30 M3s and E34 540s with the 6 speed. We believe in progress in both design and engineering but we haven't lost sight of what made the brand and its products great all those years ago. And yes, we believe in the manual transmission.
We long for the days of the wave and for the days of roll-up windows. Yet we love the gadgets on the inside and the xenons on the outside.
In short, we can't get enough of BMWs. This is BimmerFile.
Sections: E36/E37 Z3 Roadster/Coupe, E89 Z4 Roadster, EfficientDynamics, Opinion Apr 16th, 2011 9 Comments 
