BMW's M3 CRT Lightweight Sedan. Image: BMW AG

If you’re in the market for a new M3 sedan, BMW has just announced a limited edition M3 Carbon Racing Technologies Lightweight Sedan. Tipping the scales at 3,483 pounds, the four-door M3 packs 450 horsepower and 324 foot-pounds of torque from its 4.3-liter V-8, which should make acceleration “spirited.” Thats the good news, so here’s the bad: only 67 copies will be built, they’ll sell for the equivalent of $185,000 in Germany (but that does include the VAT) and there’s no word yet on whether or not we’ll get any on this side of the pond.

Image: BMW AG

Image: BMW AG

Image: BMW AG

The M3 CRT represents the first production use of a new carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) manufacturing process, and the material is used extensively throughout the car. The hood, for example, consists of two CFRP moldings, sandwiching a layer of aramid honeycomb. The resulting product has the strength of steel at one quarter its weight; in fact, the CFRP and aramid hood is even fifty percent lighter than an aluminum hood would be.

If you’re lucky enough to land one, your choice of color is limited to Frozen Polar Silver metallic, and it comes with any gearbox you want as long as it’s BMW’s M DCT dual-clutch automatic. To designate the M3 CRT, Melbourne Red paint is used to trim the hood vents and M side vents, and the interior is a blend of black and Sakir Orange. Subtle it’s not, but I’m sure BMW’s designers know what customers want.

Image: BMW AG

Image: BMW AG

BMW isn’t saying when the cars will go on sale or exactly which markets will be getting them. We’ll let you know if any copies are destined for the United States.

Source: M3 Post

[original post date: 02/10/2009] I honestly believe that the new Nissan GT-R has sparked quite an interest and crave for launch control. Many cars way before the Nissan GT-R have had their own system for a launch control either in a SMG transmission in the E46 BMW M3 or the Volkswagen’s early DSG found in the GTI.

The ultimate crave for launch control baffles me but you have to understand that I would take a full manual transmission any day over a, what Jeremy Clarkson calls them, floppy paddle gear box. Even with Nissans woes with grenaded transmissions in the GT-R, launch control is still a big hit. Even Hitler “had to launch it”.

Ever since the introduction of drive-by-wire, auto manufacturers have been toying with new electronics that improve upon the over-all safety of a vehicle. New systems come standard in many vehicles now such as dynamic skid control or also known as vehicle dynamic control or electronic stability control (name varies from each manufacturer). Many of these new systems utilize a combination of computer operated units from the ABS braking, traction control and accelerator control. I am sure if manufacturers thought they could play with these systems and make a car safer then why not develop a precise method for accelerating a vehicle with a computer to make it faster.

It is all a numbers game if you think about it. I am sure many car enthusiasts, including yourself, may have experimented with dropping your clutch at a certain RPM to get the full potential out of a launch from a dead-stop. Even you guys with automatics have almost perfected holding the brake pedal while stomping on the accelerator in preparation for a ‘launch’. What if your car could do this for you? Well, many new exotic and sports cars can but it does take the use of a special transmission or a manual transmission that is controlled by a computer, except in Porsches’ case with their newest launch control system on a full manual transmission.

Where did this idea and technology come from?

If you think about it, F1 cars among other racing cars were already using a type of the technology that we see in today’s cars fitted with dual clutch transmissions and SMG (Sequential Manual Gearbox) units. Racing is where it begins… most times. From the F1 cars now shifting well under 60 milliseconds to the Nissan GT-R’s dual clutch shifting time of around 200 milliseconds, computers have taken cars to a new level of performance where a human just simply cannot match yielding a much higher level of performance.

Cars with Launch Control

Many of the baby boomers know ‘launch control’ to be something only NASA quotes in the control room during a space shuttle launch. Now we can all experience a ‘horizontal’ launch in many of today’s technologically advanced performance vehicles.

So which cars have launch control? Below is a short list that we have compiled of all vehicles with an available launch control. If we missed any please post a comment below and let us know.

Please note: Some of the vehicles included on the list may only have a staging RPM setting which some may call “launch control” but it is not as involved as a fully automated launch control or uses a sequential shifting transmission (paddle shifter) such as in the Nissan GT-R.

• Audi R8
• Audi TT
• BMW M3
• BMW M5
• BMW M6
• Bugatti Veyron
• Chevrolet Corvette/ZR1
• Ferrari 360cs
• Ferrari 599 GTB/GTO
• Ferrari F430/Scuderia
• Ferrari 458 Italia
• Lamborghini Gallardo/LP560
• Lamborghini Murcielago/LP640
• Lexus LFA
• Mercedes Benz McLaren SLR
• Mercedes Benz SL63 AMG
• Mercedes Benz SLS AMG
• Mitsubishi Evo Lancer Evolution/MR
• Nissan GT-R
• Porsche 911/Carrera/S/GT2
• Volkswagen GTI/Golf/Rabbit/R32

Various videos demonstrating launch control below after the jump…

This is what it what the BMW M3 GTS is made for, the track! The guys at BMW.tv are busy posting new videos of the BMW M3 GTS and they are spectacular!

Last week we brought you images and information on the baddest creation to come from the Bavarian Motor Werks’ stable, the BMW M3 GTS. Although it is rumored as a vehicle that will never hit US shorelines, it has capture the attention of automotive enthusiasts all over the world.

The a lightweight build composed of a 450hp 4.4-liter V8, M-DCT dual clutch 7-speed transmission and an upgraded “race” suspension setup, makes the M3 GTS is a remarkable accomplishment in taking the E92 M3 to a whole new level. Its not about brute horsepower here, but more along the lines of what BMW is known for, a true driving machine that handles like no other.

Enjoy the newest “track” videos of the BMW M3 GTS below!

So here it is, the answer to your prayers, the BMW M3 GTS. This is the M3 that we posted some time ago making rounds on the Nurburgring. Everyone wondered if it was a new E92 M3 CSL or a GT, well, it is the GTS! BMW just released this new video of the BMW M3 GTS in orange. This is when dreams come true. Below is the information that can be found on the m-power.com website as new details are revealed on the newest addition to the ///M line of cars.

Quick Details:

• The price of the BMW M3 GTS with the features shown is expected to be EUR 115,000.- for delivery in Germany, including 19% VAT. ($170,000USD)
• The first vehicles are due to be supplied in May 2010.
• The first vehicles to be produced will be those for individual registration in Germany
• Registrations in other countries will be possible from summer 2010
• 450 BHP (4.4l V8)
• 1490 kg (3278 lbs)
• 6 / 4 piston brake system
• 6 point harness
• 255 35 19 F
• 285 30 19 R
• Rollbar behind the front seats ( only 2 seats )
• Front splitter and Spoiler ( adjustable )
• Fire hydrant
• Racing combo with helmet

[source: BMW]

The dream is over.
When dreams come true.
5. Nov. 09

There are some great dreams. But they’re just dreams – so you think. You’ve dreamt them so many times before. You wake up and say goodbye to them almost as if nothing had happened.

BMW M enthusiasts all over the world have a dream like this: a BMW M, consistently optimised for the race track. Pure M genes. A brilliant partner at the physical limits – away from public roads. Fast and honest.  But registered for the best public roads, too. It’s not where you go, but how you get there. Whether a demanding run on the race track or a pleasurable cruise along country roads and motorways.

And companies can dream, too. Sometimes they even have the same dreams as their customers and fans. In our particular case, this is hardly surprising as there’s something which connects the two: pure M genes.

Then something amazing happens. You wake up and the dream doesn’t go away. It’s standing there right in front of you.

The BMW M3 GTS. Pure M genes.

Even when you see it from a distance, you are instantly electrified. As a BMW M enthusiast, every step you take towards the orange painted concept vehicle of the BMW M3 GTS with its numerous matt black applications raises your adrenaline level a little more.

Exclusive 19-inch wheels with ample 225/35 tyres at the front and 285/30 at the rear catch your eye.

All this is certainly nice looking and sensible, but what you glimpse through the spokes of the aluminium wheel rims is even more exciting: a generously sized fixed caliper brake system with six pistons at the front and four at the rear.

The wheels almost fill out the wheel arches, but if you look closely you discover the next highlight. Yellow springs with a small M logo provide the crucial clue: a threaded suspension, adjustable in compression and rebound. “The rear axle support is bolted in place,” adds the responsible engineer.

The expert will also spot the adjustable front splitter and rear wing. One thing is clear: this car is serious stuff. Not only can a high level of downforce be generated but it also precisely adjustable at front and rear. Fast bends can look forward to welcoming the BMW M3 GTS – but they won’t get to see it for long.

Which brings us to the next question: what does it weigh?

“The serial production BMW M3 is already weight-optimised with a whole range of measures reserved for the BMW M3 CSL in the last model – the striking carbon lightweight roof, for example.”

So the engineers had to get back to work again to come up with more.  Light body-contoured seats are a must.

A cluster of lightweight construction measures such as optimisation of the insulation, the use of lightweight parts in the interior, the use of Macrolon for the car’s windows in the back, the lack of air conditioning, navigation and radio and the entire rear seat also gets the scales the down.

And the new titanium rear silencer not only looks great and contributes to the thrilling sound of the BMW M3 GTS, it is also much lighter than its serial production counterpart.

Indispensable for safety reasons: the lightweight construction body has been prepared for installation of the 6-point seatbelt included for use on the race track. There are also mounts for the roll-over protective structure bolted on from the B column. A fire extinguisher and a battery master switch/emergency shut-off preparation do not make the car lighter either – but safer.

So the BMW M3 GTS concept vehicle puts the scales up to around 1490 kilograms – causing the engineer to give an appreciative nod.

And the drivetrain? The heart of the BMW M3 GTS?

The car is fitted with a 7-speed M dual clutch transmission with adapted shift characteristics. But an absolute highlight is to be found under the bonnet. Exclusively for the BMW M3 GTS, the engine builders of BMW M – recent winners of the Engine of the Year Award once again – have developed a power unit based on the M high-performance engine of the current BMW M3: with a capacity of 4.4 litres and an output of some 450 bhp, it will catapult the light BMW M3 GTS into a whole new sphere.

After all, the aim is to clearly beat the lap time of the legendary M3 CSL on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. And test runs certainly give grounds for optimism.

The BMW M3 GTS is manufactured to order on an individual basis at the BMW M production workshops.

The price of the BMW M3 GTS with the features shown is expected to be EUR 115,000.- for delivery in Germany, including 19% VAT.

The first vehicles are due to be supplied in May 2010. For technical reasons relating to registration, the first vehicles to be produced will be those for individual registration in Germany. According to current planning, registrations in other countries will be possible from summer 2010.

If you are interested in the BMW M3 GTS, we recommend registering for our competition, in which you can win a place to attend the exclusive vehicle presentation.

As further information becomes available of interest to potential buyers of the BMW M3 GTS, we will publish details on this website, m-power.com.

No responsibility is taken for the correctness of this information. Subject to alteration.

Do you remember the series of BMW films that featured hip stars such as James Brown and Madonna? Well, try taking away all of the talking, shorten the video, add more sexiness and then add the new E92 BMW M3 to it and you get a new car porn video it is out of this world.

Is the star of this video the girl or the car? You decide!

ENJOY!

[source: Bandito Brothers]

It is all hearsay until we get a firm conformation on this but, spy photographers recently caught a modified BMW M3 making rounds on the Nurburgring and no one knows the significance of it. Automotive experts, including us, believe that this could be a rendition of a BMW M3 GT. If you remember back in the 1990’s BMW turned its E36 BMW M3 into a M3 GT version so it could compete in certain classes in long distances races. What we could be witnessing is a high-performance BMW M3, not saying the current E90 and E92 M3 is not a high-performance vehicle, but this could be something that pushes the envelope in terms of a M3.

To further support the idea of a BMW M3 GT is Kay Segler, head of BMW’s M division, who has mentioned that the production version of the current M3 GT4, the M3 race car, is something that could be considered. In the horsepower wars that continue, despite the government’s new regulations pushing manufacturers to make more fuel efficient vehicles, BMW may prove to come out on top if this M3 so happens to get fitted with the 4.4L twin turbo V8 found in the X5M and upcoming BMW M5 (F10). BMW said that a M3 CSL was not in future plans. So what the heck is this thing?

I know what you are thinking. You think that is just some boy-racer’s BMW M3 who slapped a racing wing on it right? Well, it is registered to BMW so it is not a personally owned vehicle. What do you think?

Horatiu at BMWBlog has posted some stunning images of MWDesign’s M3 Project BMW M3 “Darth Maul”. In the world of tuning, naturally the tuner wants to be creative and this “Darth Maul” E92 BMW M3 does not disappoint.

By itself in stock form, the new E92 BMW M3 is a classy machine but who wants to gaze at stock BMW M3′s every day? I would not mind gazing at this creation found in the images below. The car is pretty nice also.

Stats, images and info on the MWDesign Darth Maul E92 BMW M3

• Jerez Black exterior color
• Fox Red leather interior
• Amuse Ericsson Front Bumper with custom Orange highlights
• Amuse Ericsson Trunk
• CF Rear Diffuser with custom Orange highlights
• CF Side Vents with custom Orange highlights
• CF Side Mirrors
• Modulare M6 20×9 F 20×10.5 R – Matte Black Centers/Gloss Black Lips + Custom Matte
• Black Center Caps with Orange Accents
• Falken tires FK452 245/30/20 F 285/25/20 R
• H&R Sports Springs

[source: BMWBlog]

So you thought the guys at Car and Driver could drive? Well, by the looks of this video they really can’t! Below is footage of some folks at Car and Driver messing around on the track in the new BMW M3 and Porsche 911. I hate to be the one to say it but these guys are ROOKIES! Maybe they are interns. Gosh I hope so for the sake of Car and Driver readers.

Enjoy the video after the jump…