Quote:
Originally Posted by DPelletier
As a relatively new BMW owner (had an X3 a while back and currently have a Jaguar F type V8S, MB SLK350 and GLC43AMG), I have to admit that I don't get all the lamentation about lacking a Z4M..... The M40i is the best performing Z4 to date whatever you call it, easily eclipsing all Z3's and 4's that have come before it in any way you can measure such things. Seeing as how the M40i already outperforms some "real M cars" on the dragstrip and the track, I'm not sure it matters what it's called. What engine would they use in a 2020 Z4M anyhow and how much faster do you think it'd be....
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"As a relatively new BMW owner...". Herein lies the problem in your perception. To long-time BMW enthusiasts, particularly those who have owned E30, E36, E46, E9x, and now F8x M3/M4s, there are certain things that "make an M an M". Foremost, in the past mind you, an M car has to have, above all, a bespoke engine, an engine that isn't available in any other model. It has to have "aero mirrors", it has to have quad exhaust pipes. There have been other criteria, such having an inline six (even though the E30 had a inline four) and the heresy of having a V8 in the E9x M3, or having turbos in the F8x M3/M4. "The previous models didn't have that!" they cry.
When the 3 Series split off the 4 Series, and the M4 was introduced, there were people who said that they were going to put an M3 badge on their M4, because the M3 is the only "true" M3, even though the E46 M3 was a coupe and wasn't offered in a sedan.
When the M2 was introduced people were having a fit because it didn't have a bespoke M engine, and it didn't have "M mirrors", so it wasn't a "real M", according to some...
There is a somewhat snobby, elitist group whose membership criteria demands that the member own an M car, and they check the VIN. If it doesn't start with "WBS" or isn't a Z3 or Z4 M Roadster/Coupe, you can't join. You're even warned that if you ever sell your "real" M car, you will lose membership. They completely reject the premise of the M Sport models. The BMW X5M and X6M, and now the X3M and X4M qualify for membership but the 3 Series M340i, the 4 Series M440i, the M850i, the Z4 M40i don't, even though M GmbH has had a hand in their design. "It's not a
REAL M!" they cry.
That's why all the lamentation...