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      03-13-2012, 07:18 AM   #52
mkoesel
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Drives: No BMW for now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Matei View Post
I was saying that is pretty ironic for them to say that the M3 is an icon and after that they change this icon's name just because the coupe is bassed on the 4 series. And then the iconic name M3 will remain on the 3 series four door that was not so much of an M icon. The coupe was.
I would humbly suggest that the number of door is somewhat immaterial here. If you look back at the E30, they actually called the two door version a "two door sedan" because it was essentially just that - a standard E30 sedan body with two longer doors instead of 4 shorter ones. There was no attempt to make the car into a true coupe by changing the sheetmetal into something more racy. Even if it started out just subtly (with the E36, the coupe looke a lot like the sedan, but the greenhouse was indeed different), all successive generations of the 3 series have moved the two door more toward a true coupe, further and further from the four door model, up until today where they share no sheet metal at all. And of course the next generation will take it further still, and if rumors hold, christen a new model name as well.

One could make the argument that, by going back to the sedan form factor, they are actually returning to the cars roots. Would it look better if they based it on a special F30 with only two doors instead? I'll bet not. Would it sell better? Not a chance - people would just buy the F82 M4 instead.
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