The much-anticipated BMW M3 Coupe was went on sale throughout the UK in September 2007. Unveiled as a breath-taking concept at the Geneva Motorshow earlier in the year, it immediately caused a sensation in the motoring world. It seemed to promise the production of a muscular and radical new sports coupe.
The previous versions of the M3 in their respective eras were extremely good sports coupes; mind-bendingly quick, superbly designed and with the famous BMW build quality - these were highly desirable cars.
The world marvelled at the concept car - the aggressive stance, hard muscular body and the menacing snarly look of the front end. When I got the press release, I loved it immediately and thought "I hope the production car looks like that". The press photo of the silver showpiece immediately took pride of place on the wall in front of my desk. I was relieved when M3 was launched in the UK in September - unlike most production cars, it not only resembled but actually looked identical the beautifully rendered concept.
I've driven the previous 3 generations of the M3, finding each successively better than the last and each time I was amazed that it was possible. All eyes were on the 2008 version, hoping that the latest car wouldn't break the spell. By the time September 2007 arrived, I'd been waiting for a chance to drive this car for some months.
I headed to a great selection of demanding and once there, I armed the 'M' button (selects sport mode), set the suspension to 'sport' and opened the throttle. What happened next was more than merely tangible - it was incredible; several things happened at once and the entire car instantly came alive.
There was a bracing surge of power from the newly engineered 4 litre V8, the G force pushing me back into my supportive leather sports seat and the rev counter needle moved rapidly to the 8,000 RPM end of the clock. The angry snort from the front and with a deep bellow from the rear combined to produce the most thrilling cacophony of sound.
Cornering at speed is incredibly good, the car feels totally planted, thanks to the multilink rear suspension and advanced electronic driving aids combined with the addition of the electronically managed M-Differential system; a direct inheritance from BMWs F1 technology.
This is an excellent car, built with BMWs famous attention to detail, beautifully honed, tapping into the existing M3 heritage and racing technology. It can be used everyday as a practical and comfortable commuting car but when the mood takes you, let the 414 horses free and enjoy the rush.
The 2008 M3 Coupe is every bit as good as I expected and I'm thoroughly convinced that it's better than its predecessor, a seemingly almost an impossible feat. It's a fantastic sports coupe with a strong, legendary heritage.
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