M goes V (as in V8)

following report is form Autobahn report, detailing
the new V8 engine (a first) for the BMW M3. There's also an update
on the M5 tourer (Europe only - so far)

Preview: The First V8-Powered M3
May 1, 2007

With BMW's first V8-powered M3 due out in less than a year, Autobahn Report figured it's time to put together our preview of this most potent road rocket.

Also, as BMW released information and photos over the course of several weeks, we figured they need to be compiled. Much of what you read here is verbatim from our other news items, albeit now in one spot.

The new M3 sports a high-revving V8, a stiffer and more balanced chassis, performance-built body work and 18-inch wheels in the M division's trademark multi-spoke design.

The M3's first-ever V8 engine
For the first time, the M3's beating heart is a V8. From 4.0 liters of displacement, the F1-inspired eight-cylinder generates 420 horsepower — breaking through the magic 100-horsepower-per-liter mark with 105, truly exceptional for a normally aspirated motor.
Horsepower for the North American model is expected to be a tad lower at 414.
Torque is 295 pound-feet at 3,900 RPM, with 85 percent on tap by 6,500 RPM.
True to its M lineage, this V8 is a high revver with a shrilling red line of 8,400 RPM.
As with other M cars, the tachometer has a variable warning band that informs the driver of the engine speed currently available. Yellow and red lights move up the gauge as oil temperature rises.
At 440 pounds, the aluminum engine is one of the lightest eight-cylinders in the world — and is even 33 pounds lighter than the six-cylinder in the previous M3.
Other features include low-pressure double VANOS variable valve timing, eight individual throttle butterflies, ion-flow technology and brake-energy regeneration.



Europe Gets M5 Wagon
Jan. 9, 2007

Its headlamps look like evil eyes, its twin kidney grille like fire-breathing nostrils, and its lower air dam like a sinister grin ready to devour anything that gets in the way — imagine this monster quickly filling your rearview mirror.


It's BMW's M5 'Bahn burner. What you won't know until it blasts past is — don't blink — not only can it haul ass, it can also haul five humans and 58.2 cubic feet of their stuff.

Yes, on the back of this Bimmer is a large cargo hold. BMW has issued a wagon version of the M5 for the European market.

Like its sedan brethren, the M5 Touring corrals 507 horses of award-winning V10 underhood, stampeding on the asphalt via a seven-speed Sequential Manual Gearbox with launch control.
A variable M differential makes the best use of power, transferring up to 100 percent to the rear wheel with the most grip.
The Touring catapults from standstill to 62 MPH in a scant 4.8 seconds, 0.1-second off the sedan, on the way to its electronically limited top speed of 155 MPH. BMW says 200 MPH would be possible without the limiter.
Drivers can customize their M5 experience through iDrive, saving preferences for power, gear shifting, suspension, traction control, head-up display and the active seat bolsters. Then at the touch of the M steering-wheel button, a combination can be called up — mild, mean or somewhere in between.
Trademark M styling includes a big front air dam, pronounced side sills, M badging, quad tailpipes and slim-spoke alloy wheels