Welcome to our May issue – I don’t know about you, but it feels like this year is flying by; maybe it’s the contrast with the last two years’ glacial pace caused by lockdowns and Covid. This month’s magazine features not one, but two purple muscle cars. This wasn’t deliberate, it’s just a bit like the old bus analogy – we had one then another one turned up very shortly after and we just had to share them both with you.
In some ways they represent different ends of the muscle car spectrum. The ’67 GTO is nearer the beginning of this halcyon period, while the ’72 ’Cuda the end. And that’s the funny thing, the muscle car era barely lasted a decade, yet it’s the era that many enthusiasts wax lyrical about or obsess over… I wonder in the future if the era we’re living through now will be referred to as the Second Muscle Car wave?
After all, you can buy outrageously powerful Camaros, Mustangs, Corvettes and Challengers today… will that be the case in a decade? Hmmmm, what do you think?
Also kicking off this month is the story of my own muscle car’s restoration; it was something I knew eventually I would have to undertake, but I’d been procrastinating about for years, but then events overtook me and I was forced to bite the bullet. There is something quite nice about having a scruffier car, as it means you can enjoy it more without worry. “Another ding? Nah, who cares…!” With an immaculate car, a lot of the fun evaporates, as worries about scratches or worse come to the fore. Well, I hope you’re looking forward to a summer of fun, getting out and enjoying your vehicles!
The E36 M3 celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2022. Revealed at the Paris Motor Show in 1992, it remained in production for most of the ‘90s, but its legacy lives on three decades later. While it is not a car that we ever ignore in these pages, in fact you could probably call it a ‘bread and butter’ model for BMW Car, the anniversary seemed a good time to re-evaluate what this variant of M3 has to offer for potential purchasers. For this we enlisted the help of top-notch automotive journalist Ben Barry, himself the owner of an E36 M3 3.0-litre coupé for 18-years, and the key holder to an Evo saloon for a period, too. Ben talked to a couple of respected E36 M3 experts and you can read his, and their, thoughts starting on page 18. Rest assured that this will not be the last M car feature of the year, for 2022 also marks the 50th anniversary of BMW M – a milestone that we will be marking on several occasions throughout the coming months.
Thank you for the recent Finishing Lines article on the fabulous Group 44 XJ-S.
I am pleased to say that XJR2, the first of the three Group 44 XJ-Ss, is still in fine health in my lock-up. I am hoping to be able to wheel her out for some events next year and that may even include some races. It is a magnificent car and anyone with any Jaguar in their blood should try to watch it live.
Keep up the good work. I still eagerly await every edition.
The replacement for the Lotus Elise being an EV was always going to upset some, but Lotus boss Matt Windle is confident that the Type 135 will deserve the hallowed emblem. He said: “I know some people won’t like it, but we’ve always been innovative and looked for the best solutions. There’s a lot of references to what Colin Chapman would have made of it. He was pretty agnostic to powertrains; he just wanted the one that gave the best performance, and that’s what we will do. These cars will be fun to drive and will be a premium product which moves Lotus into a different era.”
About the same power, similar weight, and similar price as a Porsche Cayman/Boxster GTS 4.0. I think it'll fool a lot of people thinking it's a supercar. In terms of brand recognition and value, I don't think it's better than the Porsche. But I would be more inclined to buy this instead because it's just more special.
Excess all areas. Okay, I’m old and old school. I remember reading Cars and Car Conversions and then Performance Car before progressing on to evo. However, the huge size, massive power and ridiculous costs of many of the cars featured in your pages of late are making them completely irrelevant to all but a privileged few, not to mention irrelevant on most of our finest roads.
The £140k, 626bhp, 1825kg BMW M5 CS; the £5million, 836bhp Aston Martin Victor; the £117k, 616bhp, 2320kg Porsche Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo…are these cars really made for driving?
I’m happy with my lightly modified 30th Anniversary Mazda MX-5. £25k new, cheap to run, insure, maintain and modify. I can revel in country B-roads (on which it easily fits), wringing the sweet little naturally aspirated motor to the red line on every precise manual gearchange, working to carry every possible mph onto the next straight, feeling the little car move under me on its skinny 205-section tyres – and loving every second! Is it just me, or am I missing something?
Top speed — what is the topspeed advertised in 1992 McLaren F1 owners manual/brochure? That number should be used, if there is such a number. The prototype speed records can be ignored, but it would be best to have some other number in place.
Estimates — they are based on deep learning (not really deep tbh). The AI does take in account the year of the car (which implies tyre performance) but this effect probably in this current version of neural net is not strong enough. So you could look at it as if the tyres are almost ignored or the effect diminished.
Munich. The curtain is raised on the BMW M4 GT3 in its new BMW M Motorsport design: ahead of the Nürburgring 24 Hours (GER), BMW’s new GT flagship was revealed in its new livery, heralding the final phase of testing. The BMW M4 GT3 will contest its first race on 26th June at round four of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS). The purchase price for the car, which has undergone significant improvements in the areas of driveability, cost efficiency and operation, will be € 415,000 net. You can find our Media Guide with detailed data and facts on the development of the BMW M4 GT3 attached to this press release and in the BMW Group Pressclub.
“The development work on the BMW M4 GT3 is now on the finishing straight, and the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring is the perfect stage on which to present the car in its BMW M Motorsport design and thus to herald the final phase leading up to the first race outings,” said Markus Flasch, CEO of BMW M GmbH. “The new BMW M4 Competition (fuel consumption combined: 10.2 – 9.9 l/100 km acc. WLTP, 10.2 l/100 km acc. NEDC; CO2 emissions combined: 233 – 227 g/km acc. WLTP, 234 g/km acc. NEDC) provides the perfect basis for the BMW M4 GT3, whose engine was designed from the outset for use at the racetrack. This underlines how road car and race car development always go hand in hand at BMW M GmbH. The new car offers state-of-the-art technology, thanks to our technology partners. They are among the best in their respective fields, and we are delighted to have them supporting us on the development of the BMW M4 GT3 with their specific know-how and areas of expertise. That is the perfect basis for a successful new race car.”
Since the start of 2020, the BMW M4 GT3 has undergone many stages of development. This began virtually with CAD and CFD simulations, and continued with the use of an engine on the test bench, the assembly of the test chassis and work in the wind tunnel. One milestone was the roll-out on 18th July 2020. This was followed by many tests at various racetracks, at which many BMW works drivers made valuable contributions. In December 2020, at the BMW SIM Live Event, Philipp Eng (AUT) demonstrated the steering wheel for the BMW M4 GT3, which was developed together with FANATEC. It is the first steering wheel in the world that can be used in both a real race car and a simulator without modifications.
In 2021, the test work continued in Monteblanco (ESP), Almeria (ESP) and on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife (GER). The car currently has more than 14,000 test kilometres under its belt – that is the equivalent of more than 70 hours of track time. Throughout this phase, the BMW M Motorsport engineers worked hard to improve the driveability and reliability of the car on its way to being race-ready. The goal: to significantly reduce lifecycle costs and maintenance expenditure compared to its predecessor. Following the launch and race debut in June, the BMW M4 GT3 will undergo more tests and race outings before it is delivered to the first customers, who will compete with the car all over the world in 2022.
The biggest improvements compared to its predecessor, the BMW M6 GT3, are in three areas: driveability, cost efficiency and operation. The BMW M4 GT3’s handling and cockpit equipment are more comfortable for amateur drivers, while the car is easier on the tyres and offers greater consistency. Far lower lifecycle costs and longer maintenance intervals for the engine and transmission are vital economic factors. Operating the car has been made far easier by the fact that many basic settings can be configured directly via the steering wheel, without having to connect an external laptop.
The purchase price of the BMW M4 GT3 starts at € 415,000 net – € 4,000 less than the price of its predecessor, the BMW M6 GT3, and roughly the same as its competitors. The ‘Competition Package’ is available as an option ex factory for an additional charge. This includes useful optional features, integrated and tested specifically for use in endurance races. As a special extra, the package includes an exclusive training day in an in-house BMW M4 GT3 simulator.
Very nice and fast car — but totally dangerous
Welcome to our May issue – I don’t know about you, but it feels like this year is flying by; maybe it’s the contrast with the last two years’ glacial pace caused by lockdowns and Covid. This month’s magazine features not one, but two purple muscle cars. This wasn’t deliberate, it’s just a bit like the old bus analogy – we had one then another one turned up very shortly after and we just had to share them both with you.
In some ways they represent different ends of the muscle car spectrum. The ’67 GTO is nearer the beginning of this halcyon period, while the ’72 ’Cuda the end. And that’s the funny thing, the muscle car era barely lasted a decade, yet it’s the era that many enthusiasts wax lyrical about or obsess over… I wonder in the future if the era we’re living through now will be referred to as the Second Muscle Car wave?
After all, you can buy outrageously powerful Camaros, Mustangs, Corvettes and Challengers today… will that be the case in a decade? Hmmmm, what do you think?
Also kicking off this month is the story of my own muscle car’s restoration; it was something I knew eventually I would have to undertake, but I’d been procrastinating about for years, but then events overtook me and I was forced to bite the bullet. There is something quite nice about having a scruffier car, as it means you can enjoy it more without worry. “Another ding? Nah, who cares…!” With an immaculate car, a lot of the fun evaporates, as worries about scratches or worse come to the fore. Well, I hope you’re looking forward to a summer of fun, getting out and enjoying your vehicles!
Just one more comparison road test between Jag XKE e Type and Astons DB6 — but in Cabrio form
The E36 M3 celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2022. Revealed at the Paris Motor Show in 1992, it remained in production for most of the ‘90s, but its legacy lives on three decades later. While it is not a car that we ever ignore in these pages, in fact you could probably call it a ‘bread and butter’ model for BMW Car, the anniversary seemed a good time to re-evaluate what this variant of M3 has to offer for potential purchasers. For this we enlisted the help of top-notch automotive journalist Ben Barry, himself the owner of an E36 M3 3.0-litre coupé for 18-years, and the key holder to an Evo saloon for a period, too. Ben talked to a couple of respected E36 M3 experts and you can read his, and their, thoughts starting on page 18. Rest assured that this will not be the last M car feature of the year, for 2022 also marks the 50th anniversary of BMW M – a milestone that we will be marking on several occasions throughout the coming months.
In fine health
Thank you for the recent Finishing Lines article on the fabulous Group 44 XJ-S.
I am pleased to say that XJR2, the first of the three Group 44 XJ-Ss, is still in fine health in my lock-up. I am hoping to be able to wheel her out for some events next year and that may even include some races. It is a magnificent car and anyone with any Jaguar in their blood should try to watch it live.
Keep up the good work. I still eagerly await every edition.
The replacement for the Lotus Elise being an EV was always going to upset some, but Lotus boss Matt Windle is confident that the Type 135 will deserve the hallowed emblem. He said: “I know some people won’t like it, but we’ve always been innovative and looked for the best solutions. There’s a lot of references to what Colin Chapman would have made of it. He was pretty agnostic to powertrains; he just wanted the one that gave the best performance, and that’s what we will do. These cars will be fun to drive and will be a premium product which moves Lotus into a different era.”
Very rare sport car!
Had one for 3 years, so light (810 kilos) and fun to drive!
Nice Coupe
About the same power, similar weight, and similar price as a Porsche Cayman/Boxster GTS 4.0. I think it'll fool a lot of people thinking it's a supercar. In terms of brand recognition and value, I don't think it's better than the Porsche. But I would be more inclined to buy this instead because it's just more special.
Excess all areas. Okay, I’m old and old school. I remember reading Cars and Car Conversions and then Performance Car before progressing on to evo. However, the huge size, massive power and ridiculous costs of many of the cars featured in your pages of late are making them completely irrelevant to all but a privileged few, not to mention irrelevant on most of our finest roads.
The £140k, 626bhp, 1825kg BMW M5 CS; the £5million, 836bhp Aston Martin Victor; the £117k, 616bhp, 2320kg Porsche Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo…are these cars really made for driving?
I’m happy with my lightly modified 30th Anniversary Mazda MX-5. £25k new, cheap to run, insure, maintain and modify. I can revel in country B-roads (on which it easily fits), wringing the sweet little naturally aspirated motor to the red line on every precise manual gearchange, working to carry every possible mph onto the next straight, feeling the little car move under me on its skinny 205-section tyres – and loving every second! Is it just me, or am I missing something?
Top speed — what is the topspeed advertised in 1992 McLaren F1 owners manual/brochure? That number should be used, if there is such a number. The prototype speed records can be ignored, but it would be best to have some other number in place.
Estimates — they are based on deep learning (not really deep tbh). The AI does take in account the year of the car (which implies tyre performance) but this effect probably in this current version of neural net is not strong enough. So you could look at it as if the tyres are almost ignored or the effect diminished.
The 2002tii hits 50 this year, and it’s still looking fantastic, isn’t it?
The real weight of this car 6,800 lbs? Jesus, this thing weighs more than our Expedition
Accelerates like a bat out of hell. Its figures on paper do not do it justice!
Cool article — like new all WIKI
new era Lotus?
Munich. The curtain is raised on the BMW M4 GT3 in its new BMW M Motorsport design: ahead of the Nürburgring 24 Hours (GER), BMW’s new GT flagship was revealed in its new livery, heralding the final phase of testing. The BMW M4 GT3 will contest its first race on 26th June at round four of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS). The purchase price for the car, which has undergone significant improvements in the areas of driveability, cost efficiency and operation, will be € 415,000 net. You can find our Media Guide with detailed data and facts on the development of the BMW M4 GT3 attached to this press release and in the BMW Group Pressclub.
“The development work on the BMW M4 GT3 is now on the finishing straight, and the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring is the perfect stage on which to present the car in its BMW M Motorsport design and thus to herald the final phase leading up to the first race outings,” said Markus Flasch, CEO of BMW M GmbH. “The new BMW M4 Competition (fuel consumption combined: 10.2 – 9.9 l/100 km acc. WLTP, 10.2 l/100 km acc. NEDC; CO2 emissions combined: 233 – 227 g/km acc. WLTP, 234 g/km acc. NEDC) provides the perfect basis for the BMW M4 GT3, whose engine was designed from the outset for use at the racetrack. This underlines how road car and race car development always go hand in hand at BMW M GmbH. The new car offers state-of-the-art technology, thanks to our technology partners. They are among the best in their respective fields, and we are delighted to have them supporting us on the development of the BMW M4 GT3 with their specific know-how and areas of expertise. That is the perfect basis for a successful new race car.”
Since the start of 2020, the BMW M4 GT3 has undergone many stages of development. This began virtually with CAD and CFD simulations, and continued with the use of an engine on the test bench, the assembly of the test chassis and work in the wind tunnel. One milestone was the roll-out on 18th July 2020. This was followed by many tests at various racetracks, at which many BMW works drivers made valuable contributions. In December 2020, at the BMW SIM Live Event, Philipp Eng (AUT) demonstrated the steering wheel for the BMW M4 GT3, which was developed together with FANATEC. It is the first steering wheel in the world that can be used in both a real race car and a simulator without modifications.
In 2021, the test work continued in Monteblanco (ESP), Almeria (ESP) and on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife (GER). The car currently has more than 14,000 test kilometres under its belt – that is the equivalent of more than 70 hours of track time. Throughout this phase, the BMW M Motorsport engineers worked hard to improve the driveability and reliability of the car on its way to being race-ready. The goal: to significantly reduce lifecycle costs and maintenance expenditure compared to its predecessor. Following the launch and race debut in June, the BMW M4 GT3 will undergo more tests and race outings before it is delivered to the first customers, who will compete with the car all over the world in 2022.
The biggest improvements compared to its predecessor, the BMW M6 GT3, are in three areas: driveability, cost efficiency and operation. The BMW M4 GT3’s handling and cockpit equipment are more comfortable for amateur drivers, while the car is easier on the tyres and offers greater consistency. Far lower lifecycle costs and longer maintenance intervals for the engine and transmission are vital economic factors. Operating the car has been made far easier by the fact that many basic settings can be configured directly via the steering wheel, without having to connect an external laptop.
The purchase price of the BMW M4 GT3 starts at € 415,000 net – € 4,000 less than the price of its predecessor, the BMW M6 GT3, and roughly the same as its competitors. The ‘Competition Package’ is available as an option ex factory for an additional charge. This includes useful optional features, integrated and tested specifically for use in endurance races. As a special extra, the package includes an exclusive training day in an in-house BMW M4 GT3 simulator.
Comparison of the BMW M4 GT3 and BMW M6 GT3:
Dimensions:
13 x 18 inch, rear
13 x 18 inch, rear
Technical data:
M TwinPower Turbo
M TwinPower Turbo
Ok
Cool job DIDI!