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      08-12-2012, 09:33 PM   #93
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Drives: BMWs for 30 yrs
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Quote:
Originally Posted by m3alabama View Post
This continues to get people into an arguement which in my view makes no sense. People talk about how sound is not primarly what matters and its the performance of the car that matters. However they do not have to be one or the other! AMG case in point, e60 m5, e90 m3 etc. It is one of those things that I wish they would put more time and effort into for this M car as the m5 is quite disapointing and to be honest with a turbo V8, it does not have to sound as bland as it does.

I think this board attracts a lot of hardcore M3 guys who track and drag but the fact is the VAST majority of us do not track or drag but like to FEEL like an F1 driver to an extent on our day to day drives. Most of us guys long to be in the seat of an F1 car in fantasy and if we can make our daily drives have a little taste of that, then to me that is what the m3 is about for 90 percent of the buyers.

A HUGE, if not the biggest part of this experience is the sound of a car. That is the most aural factor a car provides as the sound sets off so many sensations in our body and mind, adding to the experience. The delivery of power is a close second which is why 8400 is so desirable. It may not be better than low torque, but it sure FEELS better to know you are revving a street engine to an rpm level that just shouldn't be possible.

To 90 percent the m3 is about more than its performance-its an experience. This is what tuned 335 guys don't get. I will concede day and night a tuned 335 kills the m3 in flat out speed and acceleration. I could care less because when I get behind the wheel of my m3, with high flow cats and a huge open intake leading out from the hood-looking at the tach go to 9k and listening to the exotic, raspy scream at 8400, while shifting with the most advanced dual clutch tranny-its an experience that goes way beyond being 4/10's of a second slower to 60 or whatever it may be.

Thus the "experience" is what is dying off in these cars , not the performance. The purists will likely phase out and new buyers who had never experienced older m cars will be phased in. What you never knew, you don't miss-and this is how the M brand will continue to grow, while most of us who are passionate about the high revving screaming experience will go elsewhere, even if it is used for some. I am fortunate financially to have my pick of cars, and the m3 was that good that I wanted it regardless of price. (not talking about buying a lambo or ferrari) but outside that a new porsche gt3 is what a lot of us purists will move over to in my view-those who can afford it anyway.

But M will live on and be strong by selling to a new breed of naive M owners
This sounds like an "I miss the good ole days" speech! But like someone above already noted, the M3 has gone from I-4 to I-6 to I-6 to V8 and now back to an I-6. So what are the naive "new buyers" missing from "older M cars" that they never knew? Also, the F80 isn't even out yet and you can't really tell true sound from a "spy" video, so this is really over-dramatization.

If sound experience is paramount, then save the money and buy the 335 M-Sport and add aftermarket parts (I'm talking legit ones like Dinan) such as exhaust and other sound enhancing parts and you can get even better sound than any M3 of years past. Heck, I have a friend who's a total gearhead, drives and tracks an enhanced Cadillac CTS-V and the sound it makes will make a GT3 sound absolutely demure by comparison!
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