NEW BMW M3 GTS -- Official specs, press releases, photos and video

[graider]

when it all said and done, I wouldn't get this one if I have mad money and they are bringing it here.

I think get the base m3 and mod your way up is way more fun and cheaper, even you may not reach the same level of performance, but it will suite your needs better. For example, I think the gts is not loud enough. I would slap a meister gt or full gitani for sound, some nicer 18" forged rims, change the front seat to recaro PP, keep the rear seat for the rare occasion, etc..

Honestly if they are going for around 100k over here, I don't see any reason why one wouldn't choose a gt3 at 112k over it. That's only 12k different and at that price range and to those who can afford, not much different IMO.

[southlight]

Originally Posted by mixja

If that's the case, then the weight savings are not huge - the EU weight of DCT coupe is 1675kg, which equates to a DIN weight of around 1560kg - so the weight savings are less than 100kgs...

The difference between DIN and EU weight is 75 kg (driver/luggage), as the DIN weight also includes 90% of fuel. Hence, according DIN it's 1600kg for the E92 M3 and 1490kg for the GTS, makes a difference of 110 kg.


Best regards,
south

[Finnegan]

Originally Posted by southlight

The difference between DIN and EU weight is 75 kg (driver/luggage), as the DIN weight also includes 90% of fuel. Hence, according DIN it's 1600kg for the E92 M3 and 1490kg for the GTS, makes a difference of 110 kg.


Best regards,
south

Hmm...looking at Lucid's weight savings thread, and given that I should be asleep by this time of night (so my figures may be off--feel free to correct things folks) it would seem to be fairly easy to get that same level of weight reduction with:

Recaro seats vs. stock (saves about 80 lbs)
Braille battery vs. stock (saves about 39 lbs)
Rear seat removal (saves about 43 pounds)
Full TI exhaust (saves about 55 pounds)
Brembo brakes (saves about 10 pounds)
Remove A/C (not sure what that would save)

At a cost in the ballpark of 15K assuming you DIY...

If your current car is a "stripper" and a 6MT you've saved weight there already over a loaded DCT version.

Of course, with the current M3 you don't get the special DCT, fully adjustable suspension, bolted rear end suspension, and the sweet 4.4L NA V8, M3 TI exhaust, or rollcage (which adds weight, so the diet they've put the car on is pretty decent), or other goodies. But it would get the E92 in the same weight territory....

I'm not saying it would be "as good as" and certainly not better, but if a person were hard-core about putting the current car on a diet it's possible to do that pretty effectively.

[vladberca]

can't wait for the official specs!!!!!

[oneginee]

The problem with today's auto industry visible in the US more than elsewhere but other are quickly falling in the same pitfall including BMW is a company politics one. How these companies are run today versus how they were run when the first M generation came out. The bean counters, executive, marketing are now in total control of these companies more than they have ever been and are making poor decisions while the engineers have been pushed down more and more and are basically seen as a commodity resource that no longer make the big calls. All these flashy video spots saying enginners at BMW decided, found this, discovered that is marketing driven bullshit. Engineers now have little say in what new technology will be developed or not. BMW AG M director even betrayed that when he said in his interview about the M3 GTR quote : "today's cars are no longer developed as they used to". They do marketing search, find what kind of car profile is in short term demand, decide everything about the car, then try to fit a technology that would work. Which means the engineers are at the end of that decision making process and are asked to execute some stupid product imagined by a bunch of marketing boneheads on a deadline decided by the executive. That is how you get X5M, X6M, mixing the M concept with SUV and other stupid marketing ideas instead of letting engineers make the calls and revolutionize the product. Bait and switch has become BMW new strategy. Engineers are as good as they used to be but their potential has been crushed by the idiots who have over the years taken control of companies. This story should not sound too unfamiliar, the whole world is following that trend and if you think product developed nowadays lack the innovation and quality that they used to that is the reason why. Fire a bunch of useless executive and marketing " strategists " who got an MBA is how you are going to get yourself back on the path of revolutionary products success stories and concepts like the first generation M out of the pipeline again. Only Porsche seems to have not sold itself to the executive useless crowd and is still run by engineers. BMW on the other hand as shown in the last few years it has totally let that crowd take over control. What is driving this is the same thing that drove the bankfinancial crisis, a misdirected way i would call it corruption in the way a company's wealth is being distributed compensating the executive and marketing too much. Letting that crowd who never understood nothing about engineering and science make decisions result in decisions that increase their personal compensation in the short term while at the same time causing a company to go down (or in the financial crisis the whole economy). This american corrupted company model has unfortunately expanded around the world over the last two decades. When the current Porsche CEO joined Porsche at a time when the company was doing very badly he saw straight through all of this and " let go " many of these well paid but useless executives. BMW is now being run to the ground by them. The M3 GTR is another proof of it. Fire all that crowd !

[southlight]

Companies run by engineers alone wouldn't survive long. Without a doubt, these engineers would be able to launch incredible cars, but that doesn't meet the buyers' demand. If BMW would have built only CSL-esque cars in the last ten years, they wouldn't exist any more.


Best regards,
south

[tres]

Originally Posted by rldzhao

After the initial 10 mins of rush, the car doesn't seem to have the sophistication of say, the GT3 RS. The color is breathtaking, and the interior typical of track-focused cars. However, the aerodynamic pieces of the car seems to be carelessly put together... The brakes, the adjustable suspension, and TI exhaust are all achievable even now by available aftermarket parts.

i agree

[rustynuttz1]

Used GT2 over it, any day.

[oneginee]

Southlight,

Off course I did not mean it to that extreme. But you get the point. Right now engineers are losing decision power to marketing and other overly compensated layer in the company the balance has shifted and it is felt in the products.

[southlight]

Originally Posted by oneginee

Southlight,

Off course I did not mean it to that extreme. But you get the point. Right now engineers are losing decision power to marketing and other overly compensated layer in the company the balance has shifted and it is felt in the products.

Yes, I agree. It's all about the right balance, and I'm afraid that this balance has shifted quite a bit more under the 'Number ONE' strategy.


Best regards,
south

[Serious]

Originally Posted by oneginee

The problem with today's auto industry visible in the US more than elsewhere but other are quickly falling in the same pitfall including BMW is a company politics one. How these companies are run today versus how they were run when the first M generation came out. The bean counters, executive, marketing are now in total control of these companies more than they have ever been and are making poor decisions while the engineers have been pushed down more and more and are basically seen as a commodity resource that no longer make the big calls. All these flashy video spots saying enginners at BMW decided, found this, discovered that is marketing driven bullshit. Engineers now have little say in what new technology will be developed or not. BMW AG M director even betrayed that when he said in his interview about the M3 GTR quote : "today's cars are no longer developed as they used to". They do marketing search, find what kind of car profile is in short term demand, decide everything about the car, then try to fit a technology that would work. Which means the engineers are at the end of that decision making process and are asked to execute some stupid product imagined by a bunch of marketing boneheads on a deadline decided by the executive. That is how you get X5M, X6M, mixing the M concept with SUV and other stupid marketing ideas instead of letting engineers make the calls and revolutionize the product. Bait and switch has become BMW new strategy. Engineers are as good as they used to be but their potential has been crushed by the idiots who have over the years taken control of companies. This story should not sound too unfamiliar, the whole world is following that trend and if you think product developed nowadays lack the innovation and quality that they used to that is the reason why. Fire a bunch of useless executive and marketing " strategists " who got an MBA is how you are going to get yourself back on the path of revolutionary products success stories and concepts like the first generation M out of the pipeline again. Only Porsche seems to have not sold itself to the executive useless crowd and is still run by engineers. BMW on the other hand as shown in the last few years it has totally let that crowd take over control. What is driving this is the same thing that drove the bankfinancial crisis, a misdirected way i would call it corruption in the way a company's wealth is being distributed compensating the executive and marketing too much. Letting that crowd who never understood nothing about engineering and science make decisions result in decisions that increase their personal compensation in the short term while at the same time causing a company to go down (or in the financial crisis the whole economy). This american corrupted company model has unfortunately expanded around the world over the last two decades. When the current Porsche CEO joined Porsche at a time when the company was doing very badly he saw straight through all of this and " let go " many of these well paid but useless executives. BMW is now being run to the ground by them. The M3 GTR is another proof of it. Fire all that crowd !

dude paragraphs... im not reading a wall of text.

[duk]

Originally Posted by oneginee

snip

Porsche is going mainstream, sorry the parent company wants it to sell at least 50% more cars per year. 150kish/year.

you'll see an even more entry roadster than the boxster in a few years time.

[Advevo]

http://www.bmw.tv/com/article/BMW+M3...=2&channelID=2

[duk]

Originally Posted by Advevo

http://www.bmw.tv/com/article/BMW+M3...=2&channelID=2

that's a hot viddddd!

[duk]

man those bbs rims are hotttt

[330CIZHP]

That is a bada** video!!! I have been reading many people commenting on the weight difference being 360 lbs. Keep in mind the M3 GTS is a M-DCT only and BMW has officially claimed a 416 lbs weight difference with a standard M-DCT M3. That is a lot of weight loss.

Originally Posted by Advevo

http://www.bmw.tv/com/article/BMW+M3...=2&channelID=2

[Gearhead999s]

Originally Posted by Advevo

http://www.bmw.tv/com/article/BMW+M3...=2&channelID=2

[330CIZHP]

Car and driver article about M3 GTS:

http://www.caranddriver.com/news/car...3_gts-car_news

"Hand-built to customer order, the GTS is said to weigh just 3285 pounds; for reference, BMW says an M DCT–equipped M3 coupe carries around an additional 419 pounds."

So it looks like the 3285 lbs weight figure is indeed according to DIN standards since that is what BMW compared it with for M3 DCT, which includes a 180 lbs driver, full fuel tank and some luggage in the trunk. It is more likely to be under 3100 lbs without the driver and the extra weight.

I still wonder why they just did not called it an M3 CSL?? Because that is what this is. Even the M division officials compare it to the M3 CSL saying their target was to far outperform the E46 M3 CSL?

[duk]

car n driver says 444hp only?

[Lemans_Blue_M]

Originally Posted by duk

car n driver says 444hp only?

DIN horsepower (450) to SAE horsepower (444) conversion...

[duk]

Originally Posted by Lemans_Blue_M

DIN horsepower (450) to SAE horsepower (444) conversion...

ah should have knowned, does this mean 450 sae hp is confirmed i wonder

[oneginee]

I lower my hat to an excellent video production. I hope the car's numbers will be as good. In a perfect world BMW would put everything in this GTR minus all the deletes : Makrolon plastic rear windows, sound insulation, door trims, AC, sound system in the regular M3 2011. I mean everyone and their brother would want that thing and production cost would not be a pb if mass produced.

Back to reality I hope the complications and expense of clearing DOT and EPA standards for the North American market will not stop BMW from exporting the GTR to the United States. And like the CSL I hope everything we see in this GTR will be made available in 2011 on the regular M3 as part of the North American-only Competition Package. Right ? If so it would be my next car for sure.

For video promotion comparison here is the GT3-RS official video on a track. You must click on the 'extreme truth" button and enter some name then 'to the race track' to start the video. Now that guy is wearing a helmet. Then tell me : M3 GTR or GT3 RS ?

http://flash.porsche.com/microsite/9...ithLogin=false