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      07-31-2018, 11:51 AM   #17
The HACK
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Bread View Post
Meaningless news. They've said exactly this before the E36/7/8 the E85/E86 and the E89. So even if they really don't make a new one, they're still lying half of the time. And maybe 75% of the time.
I don't ever recall them saying "M isn't likely" on the E36/7/8 and the E85/6. I think when the E36/7 came out it was implied that an M model with the S52 would likely follow. And the E36/8 models were introduced WITH a Z3 M Coupe in conjunction with the 3.0i Coupe.

On the E85 for SURE that an M model was implied as soon as the Z4 came out in 2003. The only question that remained was wether or not it would be like the Z3 M where the newer M3 engines would be slotted for the Z4 M once the E9x M3 production ramped up. BMW was vague and ambivalent about that, using terms like "unlikely" rather than "no way in hell." I held out hope that they would drop the V8 S65 in the Z4 M when I placed an order in 2006 for mine, assuming that the 2008 and later Z4 M would be the V8 (hence I signed a short term lease).

In fact, the Z3 and first gen Z4 followed the M script to a tee. Z3 was introduced in 1996 (remember Golden Eye?) as a 1997 model, and sure enough, 2 years later a Z3 M was introduced in 1999. Z4 was introduced in 2002 as a 2003 model, and 2.5 short years later, the Z4 M Roadster was available as a 2006 model year car. Same formula as the E46 M3 and E9x M3 (2-2.5 years after their respective 3 series chassis was introduced).

I had a '97 Z3 1.9L and still have my '06 MZ4 Coupe, and my recollection about BMW's M plans for their first 2 generation roadsters were very different from yours.
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