The BMW M3 DTM excited tens of thousands of fans at the DTM season finale at Hockenheim (DE). Dirk Werner (DE) completed two laps on the Hockenheim track in the “BMW M Performance Accessories M3 DTM”, one immediately before the DTM race and one immediately afterwards, together with one Audi and one Mercedes-Benz. The three premium constructors that are involved in the series in future gave the fans on the grandstands and in front of their televisions a first taste of the coming year.
The next generation M3, internally known as F80 and based on the recently revealed all new 3 Series sedan has begun its shakedown at the Nordschleife. While still early in development, the car is further along than it seems. With a launch planned for within the next 18 months M has been hard at work testing the car internally at the rolling wind tunnel and at night to get it to the stage we see here. Heavy cladding prevents us from getting a better view of the final product but we know a bit about what is being evaluated now.
Just your typical day in Munich, visiting the Welt- when my ears heard the scream of a V8. There was a “demo” of the racing prowess of the BMW M3 GT4 taking place in the middle of the the BMW Welt. Really it was a car control demonstration with tire spinning, power slides and a drift here and there (depending on where you were standing). They made a few announcements in a variety of languages for parents to hold their kids and to stand back from the main thoroughfare before the engine music and “demo” began.
In an unfortunate series of events, the official BMW M3 Ring Taxi and 7 other vehicles collided on the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring at 2pm local time yesterday.
Official Release: BMW has written another chapter in motorsport history in the USA at the finale of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), the 1000-mile Petit Le Mans, at Road Atlanta, in Braselton, Georgia. BMW Team RLL won a second consecutive manufacturers’ championship in the GT class to complete a 2011 hat-trick of titles. The drivers’ and team championships had already been secured two weeks ago with one race still to go. The last time BMW achieved this feat was in 2001 with the BMW M3 GTR. BMW only returned to the ALMS with the BMW M3 GT in 2009.
Could M do the unthinkable and ditch BMW’s famed inline configuration for a V? It’s been rumored for several years now but we had no hard evidence of the move. Until now. The video after the break is the first we’ve seen of the new F80 M3 four door in action on the road. And we’ll be damned if that exhaust note doesn’t sound a lot like a highly tuned V6 rather than the smoother sounding inline 6.
Official Release: The past two days have seen BMW Motorsport continue its preparations for the coming DTM season at the Hungaroring (HU). As at the EuroSpeedway Lausitz (DE), this test was held together with the other two manufacturers represented in the DTM. Once again, three BMW M3 DTM cars were in action, run by the three teams BMW Team Schnitzer, BMW Team RBM and BMW Team RMG. The tests focussed on tyre tests, general set-up work and long runs.
As well as Andy Priaulx (GB) and Augusto Farfus (BR), the freshly-crowned American Le Mans Series champion Dirk Müller (DE, day 1) and Dirk Werner (DE, day 2) also saw action at the wheel of the third BMW M3 DTM. Both Andy and Augusto have already been confirmed by BMW Motorsport as regular drivers for the coming season.
For years we’ve been secret admirers of P-cars. We’re not afraid to admit the 911 and Boxster can be pretty compelling products when specced appropriately. Now with the Cayman added to the mix, Porsche has an even more compelling product for enthusiast that’s led to more than a few BMW owners going over to the ‘other side’. It wasn’t until recently that the Boxster and Cayman became particularly interesting to us. For 2011, Porsche released two hardcore models based on its entry-level cars; the Cayman R and the Boxster Spyder. We drove both recently (and briefly), outside of Chicago, at the Autobahn Country Club to see how these Porsche’s would stack-up to the two smallest M cars – the 1M and M3.
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Sections: //M3\\, DTM, Official News Oct 23rd, 2011 No Comments 
