Good news about the next Z4M...TT-RS confirmed with pics

Wondermike

Wondermike

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Staff member
...I posted in Other Marques about the new Audi TT-RS it looks pretty production-ready to me, and is surely good news if they do decide to make it. There is no way BMW will be out-powered by the TT, and for me the 3.0 twin turbo hasn't proven to be reliable enough to push the power up any further, so that can only mean the 4.0 V8 from the M3 going into the Z4M.

Worshipbmw.gif


Edit - Pics and info on page 6 here http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=139231#p139231
 
I don't know - this time, BMW might be telling the truth when they say there won't be an M version. With the weak sales of the current version and their decision to price themselves out of their largest market (the US), there won't be much incentive to make one. If the new N54 version cost over $50k, there won't be many willing to pony up full price for a more expensive M with the thirsty S65B40.
 
I would expect there to be a Z4M with the V8. It would be a major policy change by BMW not to produce a 'HALO' version of the Z4. BMW usually mutters about not building them but with Porsche, Audi and Mercedes all producing sub 6 seconds 0 - 60 versions of their sports cars BMW will have to keep up.

The 3.0l twin turbo should give the car 0 -60 of 5.5 seconds depending on how lardy-assed it is. They could tune that engine to produce 340BHP as many have done and bring that time down to near 5 seconds which, I guess would be respectable enough. If they feel there are reliability issues in tuning the twin turbo then the V8 with a UK price of £45K +? could be on the cards.

Mates got a 335i and he gets a lot less MPG than I do with the M. (about 18-20 urban against 23-26 for the M) V8 is thirstier still :cry:
 
epbrown, I think they won't be able to help themselves if the TTRS is made, what Sammy says is right, there is no way the BMW will concede in the power race to Audi. I think they accept that they will never compete with some of the uber-AMG cars that Mercedes churns out, but Audi - no way.

I dont suppose the Z3M made them much financial return, obviously the Z4M hasn't been a massive (new) sales success either, but it has received great reviews in the motoring press and it is a fantastic car, it they had sold it for £36k they'd have sold 2-3 times as many. The halo effect of the ///M is real.

sammyz, I don't think they will be happy about turning up the heat to get to 340bhp with the turbo engine, IIRC there are still some fuel pump issues on the 335i. A V8 would allow them to finally compete with the SLK55, and the fact that the 55 is auto only would probably mean that the Z4M V8 would be the winner in the category, there is no Boxster that would come close.

Imagine - a Z4M with 7 speed DCT and adaptive dampers :sweetheart:
 
From here
The CEO of BMW M GmbH, Ludwig Willisch, spilled his guts to Auto-Motor-und-Sport in a recent interview about the future of BMW's high-performance M division. The news was good, bad, and downright dumbfounding. For the good, Willish mentioned that future M-models will include high-revving turbocharged engines, and offer ceramic brakes. The bad news is that there will be no E91 M3 Touring, E92 M3 CSL, or M1 Concept. Apparently, BMW doesn't feel there is enough of a market to support those vehicles. The perplexing news is that BMW is currently working on M-versions of the X5 and X6 (apparently to answer a question that enthusiasts have yet to ask). While we cannot control the electrochemical signals being sent between neurons within BMW's think tank, we can continue to hope that BMW doesn't dilute the M-brand the way Mercedes-Benz has with AMG.
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That would be great news and the car would be a monster. I hope they go with the v8 rather than a turbo, I love the fact that M cars are naturally aspirated
 
Jas667, would it stop you looking at the other cars you have, and wait until it comes?

Was thinking earlier, the facelift 3 series is coming with the DCT 7 speeder on the 335 models. Maybe the best compromise would be a 335 engined car with this transmission?
 
Yep although not doing anything until Q2 2010. I will shortly being starting a project that will mean walking to work until then, so it seems pointless doing anything before that finishes. I also sunk some cash into the SLK as well as finance, and I want it back out again, which means a private sale of the SLK in April/May 2010 when it's 3 years old will be just right.

It also gives BMW time to settle down the specifications of the new Z4, I'm certain they'll delay the Sport trim for a bit, and maybe we'll have more news of the ///M version by then too. Might also know by then about resale values, etc. I'm definitely not going to order one at launch, that's for sure.

I'll either get the Z4, another SLK, or the Scirocco R (if they make it).

You?
 
It would seem likely that many future 'M' cars will be turbo-charged. Certainly the next M5 and M6 seem to be heading that way.
 
Mmm seems to be the current way of thinking. I did a bit of digging and apparently the new 7 series will have an uprated 3.0 with 326bhp and 332lb ft, and there is a 335 mule with this engine in too or so it is thought.

But I don't think that engine is sufficiently different to the current 335 engine to make it into the ///M, so it's either a new engine or drop in the V8, and I rekcon it'll be easier for them to do that than try and tune an existing engine.

I do think they'll rationalise the engines again, the facelift had too many choices. My thoughts -

2.0 with 170
2.5 with 218
3.0 with 265
3.0TT with 306 (or maybe 326)
///M with 420

:)
 
Wondermike Im not sure to be honest. Im keeping my car for another year so that will allow time for proper specs and pics of the new Z I hope. But I am looking for something bigger than the current one (cabin space). But if they said there would be the M3s V8 in it I may just have to wait as that will be a monster :evil:
 
Jas667, it would be worth waiting for I'm sure. It's hard to tell from the pics, it doesn't really look much bigger inside, but we'll have to wait and see. My SLK is almost exactly the same external dimensions, wheelbase, etc as the Z4 except it does have more room inside, especially for longer legged people. I'm sure they'll be making it as big as they can.

Spec - correct, I'm certain that not all the options will be available straight away. I wonder what seats they'll use too, the new M3 seats only appear in the M3, not 335 or anything, the spy-shot seats are good but not as good as the current Z4 M sport seats, which makes me think they'll do something with them at some point?
 
Jas667 said:
Wondermike Im not sure to be honest. Im keeping my car for another year so that will allow time for proper specs and pics of the new Z I hope. But I am looking for something bigger than the current one (cabin space). But if they said there would be the M3s V8 in it I may just have to wait as that will be a monster :evil:
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I am not sure you really want the V8 in the Z4M... Have spoken to a few people who race the current coupe in the VLN at the Nurburgring in Germany, where the cars have around 400 to 440bhp. The consensus is that it is a very difficult car to drive as the chasis is constantly over-powered. If you master it and are called Stuck, Hurtgen or Stuck Jnr, fine, but I doubt that the V8 will be a good idea in the current chasis. In other words the new chasis will have to be extensively re-worked to make it driveable on the road for the average Joe Public if we are to have a big V8 upfront...
 
Here's a thought, right now at Simpson Motorsport there's a complete 4.0 V8 from a crashed M3. You can have the complete running gear including gearbox, electrics, etc etc, absolutely everything basically for £13k. The M3 had only done 800 miles before taking a tumble so it's not even run in yet. Anybody fancy taking the plunge?!! I've thought about it but I've gotta watch the finances at the moment ( single again )!!
 
Curtis said:
Here's a thought, right now at Simpson Motorsport there's a complete 4.0 V8 from a crashed M3. You can have the complete running gear including gearbox, electrics, etc etc, absolutely everything basically for £13k. The M3 had only done 800 miles before taking a tumble so it's not even run in yet. Anybody fancy taking the plunge?!! I've thought about it but I've gotta watch the finances at the moment ( single again )!!
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Will it fit? Also, is the gearbox tunnel big enough for the DCT? What about all the other stuff - exhaust, steering rack etc... I can see a 35k bill here...
 
Everything will fit if your willing to work out how! You can guarantee it won't be easy as almost everything will have to be modified and parts fabricated and yes, it will cost a good deal to have the work done but the results would be interesting! Here's another thought, there's also a complete M5 V10 assembly complete with everything including HUD available for £15k!
 
Curtis said:
Everything will fit if your willing to work out how! You can guarantee it won't be easy as almost everything will have to be modified and parts fabricated and yes, it will cost a good deal to have the work done but the results would be interesting! Here's another thought, there's also a complete M5 V10 assembly complete with everything including HUD available for £15k!
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I hear you! The Wiesmmann Coupe GT uses a V10 M5... Here is a thought - my favourite car on the "cheap"... :P
 
It's all feasable, G-Power put a V10 in an E46 M3 which has a smaller engine bay and I'm sure Hartge put a V10 in a Z4. Maybe when I finally kill the Alpina engine!
 
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