German Car Zone

Hey guys, not sure if you have seen this yet:

Link: BMW M3

One of the best engines ever. A legend come to an end.

Er, thanks for that "breaking news".

tragic indeed...... The E46 M3, the best BMW EVER MADE! The S54, the best NA straight 6 ever made! I am going to miss that generation

RIP to one of the best pieces of engineering ever created by the human world.

Master Yoda would say :"Perfect engine in perfect car it was"..RIP!!

Very good engine from the BMW M division. Squeezing 333 HP (343HP in euro spec) from just 3.2L without forced induction was impressive back in 1999/2000 when the E46 M3 made its debut. Low torque, but it delivered its power high in the powerband with a high redline.

The downside to the engine was its very high weight due to its iron block. Also, there was the significant "rod bearing" failures resulting in mechanical engine failures in the early models. Other than that, it won engine of the year multiple times and will go down in history as one of the great engines, IMO.

I apologize if it was posted before. I couldn't find anything on that.

BMW M Division's straight six: 1992-2008

1. The ‘current’ Z4 – which actually finished production some months ago – is the best-looking flame-surfaced car EVER. Some people say that Chris Bangle’s design needs a large canvas to properly gel, but I think the tiny Z4 is a masterpiece: the sharkish front end; the cartoonishly long nose that seems to stretch all the way to the door handles; that pert, muscular rear. Beautiful! These are classic sports car proportions with a genuinely modern, unmistakably BMW twist.

2. Let’s qualify the above by saying ‘my’ old Z4 has to be a coupe. The roadster looks okay, but the fixed roof gives it a racy, Triumph GT6-with-hardtop feel. And that’s a very good thing indeed. Yet the new Z4 will be available only as a coupe/convertible, adding weight, detracting from the looks, perhaps numbing the handling. Pity.

3. Worst of all, the fabled M3's 3.2-litre straight six will die too. This is a fantastic unit, a naturally aspirated engine with a metallic bark that’d do a supercar justice. It debuted in the ’90s E36 M3 as a 3.0-litre, swelling to 3.2 litres in the E36 M3 Evo, plus the 'ZM3' models and E46 M3. The Z4 M marks this iconic straight six’s swansong, a heady 343bhp nestling under your right foot. And, no, the new car doesn’t get the E92 M3’s V8. There will be three straight sixes on offer, stretching from a 2.5-litre 201bhp to a 302bhp twin-turbo 3.0-litre. All good, but none can match the 3.2’s sense of occasion.

BMW M Division's straight six: 1992-2008 | Car Blogs | Car Magazine Online

No doubt. Today I was fortunate enough to hear both the E46 and E92 M3 accelerate and the E46 had a much more race-inspired exhaust note. It's one of the best cars ever made.