For the European market only comes a highly modified version of BMW’s excellent M3 Coupe. Meant for Clubsport events, the new M3 GTS Coupe has significant changes included that many owners would likely do themselves if they planned on attending motorsport events, Autocross, or track days.

The M3 GTS starts out by dropping some weight to the tune of 400 lbs, now down to 3300 lbs. This was done by swapping out the center console, door linings, and silencers with lightweight versions, and completely removing the rear seats, automatic A/C, and audio system. The body also comes equipped with mounting points for a rollcage and six-point seatbelts for racing. Aerodynamics were improved in the M3 GTS by adding a race-spec front air dam and giant adjustable rear wing. Continue Reading…

German tuners Manhart Racing got tired of BMW not offering the M3 as a Touring model (wagon,) so they decided to create one themselves. They took the standard 3-series wagon (not available in the States,) and added their own body work, consisting of a front apron, front side panels, side skirts, and the “powerdome” hood from the M3 sedan, then designed their own M3-style rear apron and widened the rear wheel-arches.

Naturally, the standard 4.0-liter, 420 horsepower V8 engine wasn’t good enough, so they upgraded it to the 5.0-liter powerplant from the M5 that produces 500 hp. Still not satisfied, Manhart tuned the ECU and exhaust so the V10 would produce an impressive 550 hp. That power is kept in check by a 7-speed SMG gearbox, also taken from the M5. Continue Reading…

Manhart Racing, yet another German tuning firm, found that the current iteration of BMW’s M3 just wasn’t good enough, so they decided to upgrade it. OK, fair enough. That’s what tuning firms are there to do, but to the guys at Manhart Racing the concept of “enough” meant cramming a 5 liter V10 into the M3.

If German tuning firms keep going at this rate, by sometime in 2012, we’ll see the biggest AMG blown V12 crammed into a VW Polo.

Manhart calls their BMW M3 E92 5.0 V10 SMG a “Porsche Chaser”, and just reading over the press release I think that might be a bit of an understatement. The existing M3 is anything but underpowered nor is it underperforming. The M3 is, however, not really the sort of car that you could run with a Porsche 997 Turbo, even if the current M3 has a 420-HP-V8 under the hood.

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“These crazy bastards dropped a V10 into the Z4. Nice.” That’s what head Automoblog dude Christopher said to me in an email moments ago. Yeah, nice AND crazy all at the same time. Our kind of people these folks from Manhart. I (and I’m assuming Chris) love people that do things like this; V12s into Miatas, mid-engine Mini Cooper conversions, that sort of thing.

Of course, putting an aircraft engine in a 50s vintage car is one thing, doing an engine swap in a modern car, with all the electronics and whatnot, is a bigger deal.

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OK, BMW has seen fit to roll out its new, top-’o-the-line luxo cruiser, the 760, and Automoblog is on the case. The things got more bells and whistles than a clown’s prop trunk, goes from here to there about as quickly as a passenger train and can carry four people in great comfort (five in a pinch). And BMW has toned down the Dame Edna/Chris Bangle look to less frightening levels.

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Oh great, just what we need, another SUV. Even if it’s small, and a BMW, I’m not sure if America needed more option on its SUV menu. Anyway, it’s official per the folks at BMW, the X1 small SUV will be in America by 2011.

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