Your BMW of choice that was never produced?

[alexk]

Very few E61 M5s were sold.
Akso the reason why there is no F10 M5 estate.
Judging by myself I would never buy an estate M5

[Trawler]

There is a company in Germany that specialises in fitting E39 M5 V8's to Z1's. That said im not sure i'd like to drive one, a friend owns the Ex. Ross Brawn car and its pretty entertaining as it is tbh

Better make that a suspension upgrade as well

[Equinox_csl]

Better make that a suspension upgrade as well

Yep and brakes you'd hope

[Alx007]

I would also have liked a manual M3 CSL without subframe issues!

[Trawler]

I would also have liked a manual M3 CSL without subframe issues!

Agree with the subframe but I actually prefer the SMG. I just feel it adds to the overall experience.

[Das Chin]

e46 4 door saloon would have been nice.

also road going version of the E46 GTR with the v8 in it as limited edition run.

[Neil M]

I am sure they would have sold "some" E46 M3 Tourings but whether they would have sold enough to cover R&D costs etc is another matter.
BMW have sold E34 M5 Touring and E61 M5 Touring.
Both never sold in great numbers at all
Why there wasn't a E39 M5 Touring ( well there was one for the head of BMW M) is I think something to do with development or handling and again sales projections.
If BMW really believed they could sell enough E46 M3 Tourings brand new they would have done but they didn't presumably because there was no business case.
No point making something even if tech fest if you can't cover costs and make a profit
You also have to ask if they thought not selling the E46 M3 Touring was a mistake why they
didn't sell a E9X M3 Touring
As for Audis a lot of ppl that want estates generally are Audi lovers any way

All the development cost were in building the prototype, how much more development would have been be entailed, in sticking a S54 engine and drive train into a touring shell, reuse of existing production body panels to the front, only the rear arches and bumper to modify and whala an M3 Touring! Happy BMW enthusiasts with Touring needs. :supz:

Audi has the lead with the RS4 in Touring Class with the Avant, why? Quite simply because BMW didn't make a comparable car. The M5 Touring is too big for most peoples needs and hence poor European sales. Obviously aimed at the American market. :whistle:

If they went on projected sales and profitability being their only criteria, for production, they would never have produced the M3 CSL, as their largest market is the States and as we all know they didn't get it :bigcry:

At one time, BMW used to have owners panels, where the viability of potential models under consideration was discussed prior to production, that's how the E21 evolved and the first M models came about, through driver/owner input. (So I'm told) Now it's left to accountants and journalists to tell us what we're getting, C'est la vie - take it or leave it! Bring back the Driver panels

[Neil M]

e46 4 door saloon would have been nice.
also road going version of the E46 GTR with the v8 in it as limited edition run.

Done!

[Das Chin]

did bmw make that in prod or was that a one off special that never made it further than the musuem?

doesn't look right for some reason...

[Equinox_csl]

That looks terrible, the bumpers are horrific, the wheels on the front are about 2 inches to narrow, did it actually have a V8 or not ??

[0836whimper]

My understanding : It was a V8 production car, but only in the most extreme definiton to ensure they were homologated for racing. I think 10 were made and probably all sit in garages in the Middle East.

Because they were winning and stretching the rules so much, BMW were forced to make 100 for the next season and promptly pulled out.

[alexk]

I sat in one which belongs to BMW M

[Neil M]

My understanding : It was a V8 production car, but only in the most extreme definiton to ensure they were homologated for racing. I think 10 were made and probably all sit in garages in the Middle East.

Because they were winning and stretching the rules so much, BMW were forced to make 100 for the next season and promptly pulled out.

Info on the ill-fated GTR:

"The E46 GTR came to life in February 2001, powered by the P60B40 a 3,997 cc V8 producing 493 hp (368 kW; 500 PS). Unlike the straight-six powered M3 versions, which were outpaced by the Porsche 996 GT3, the racing version of the E46 M3 GTR 16, was very successful in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), entered by Schnitzer Motorsport.

Rivals such as Porsche pointed out that this car was more of a prototype as no V8 engine was available in the road-going BMW E46, which is in violation of the spirit of Gran Turismo. In 2001, ALMS regulations stated that cars must be for sale on two continents within twelve months of the rules being issued. To fulfill this rule, BMW put 10 road going GTRs on sale after the 2001 season, for 250,000 euros, approx. £209,200 each.

The ALMS rules were altered for 2002 to state that 100 cars and 1,000 engines must be built for the car to qualify without penalties. Although BMW could have raced the V8 with the new weight and power penalties under these new regulations, they chose to pull out of the ALMS, effectively ending the short-lived M3 GTR's career.

Two Schnitzer Motorsport GTR cars saw a comeback in 2003 at the 24 Hours Nürburgring, winning 1–2 in 2004 and 2005, as well as entries in the 24 Hours Spa. Private teams (Scheid, Getrag, etc.) also have fitted the 3,997 cc BMW V8 engines into the E46 body to race on the Nürburgring, winning some VLN races in the last years".

Perhaps the forerunner of the CSL, as there are obvious similarities!:thumbs: A crafty dodge that didn't pay off, thank you Mr Porsche for pointing that out!

[digi]

thx Neil.

Dun forget we can drive it in GT4 and GT5.

[Straightsix]

e46 4 door saloon would have been nice.

also road going version of the E46 GTR with the v8 in it as limited edition run.

They did make E46 M3 GTR with V8 homologation special but they are very rare and worth a fortune