Autoblog

Click above for more high-res pics of the 2008 BMW M3 Coupe

We've been getting reports from all over that the 2008 BMW M3 Coupe has begun to arrive in U.S. dealerships. Dealers, however, have also begun taking advantage of the high interest in these Bavarian über coupes by marking up the price. Since we couldn't just take everyone's word for the extreme mark ups, we had to wait until someone surfaced with proof, which came today. Dragtimes.com is hosting an image of a brand spanking new M3 sitting in an unidentified California dealer at Century West BMW in North Hollywood with a window sticker displaying the car's $70,720 MSRP plus a $30,000 mark up. The extra monies demanded by the dealer is labeled as a "Dealer Market Adjustment" on the window sticker, which makes it seem like a special options package with heated seats and an extra cup holder. Rather, it's the reality that this dealer and many others know that someone out there will pay that much for a new 2008 BMW M3 Coupe. But as good a sports car as it the new M3 undoubtedly is, would you pay over $100,000 for it? Thanks for the tip, FikseGTS!

Gallery: 2008 BMW M3

[Source: Dragtimes]

Click image for gallery

Dutch speeders take note: the police have a new weapon in which to chase you down and write you tickets. And with its 420-horsepower V8, it's more than capable as a pursuit vehicle. The car, of course, is the new 2008 BMW M3, and if the burnout shot at right is any indication, the officers who get to drive the car are probably going to have a little more fun with it than the average patrol car. That's what we call a favorable work environment. And here we think it's cool when our local police departments get Chargers.

UPDATE: From a commenter - "It was a stunt from the local BMW dealer for the national police day, they removed the stickers the next day...same thing happened last year when the KLPD got a Spyker for a day."

Back to Opels (or whatever) for you, coppers!

Thanks for the tip, Lou.

[Source: M3Post]

Click image for photo gallery

Sometimes, its nice to just take a break and look at pictures. We're here to help with that, as BMW UK has released a nice set of new right-hand-drive M3 photos for your enjoyment. Other than the fresh snaps, there's nothing new to tell about the V8-powered 2008 M3 Coupe, so while you're noshing on lunch, sit back, click, and enjoy the view.

[Source: BMW]

click above image for more high-res shots of the 2008 BMW M3

We're admittedly smitten over the new BMW M3 coupe and have passed along every morsel of information we've come across over the past few months. With the new M3 officially unveiled, however, the only real question left unanswered is how much it will cost. Today we've learned that if you live in Her Majesty's kingdom, a new 2008 BMW M3 coupe will cost you £50,625. If you're curious, that equates to $101,300.63 USD, which means nothing in the grand scheme of things. Along with being the most capable M3 ever produced, however, it's clear next year's model will also be the most expensive. That's the price you pay for a 420-hp V8 that can rush this Bimmer to 62 mph in 4.8 seconds.

Press release after the jump.

[Source: BMW]

Click image for 35 high-res photos

We knew this was coming because the story broke a few days ago (Thanks, AutoWeek!), but it's always helpful when the automakers back it up with scads of photographs and the bona-fide PR details. Frank covered the essentials on April 3rd, and we recommend you check his post out if you haven't already. To review, here's a quick, bare-bones summary of the official details surrounding the '08 M3 Coupé:

• First-ever V8 M3
• New engine weighs 33 lbs. less than the outgoing M3's six-cylinder
• 420 horsepower/295 lb-ft at 3900 rpm, 8400 rpm max engine speed
• 0-62 mph in 4.8 seconds, 155 mph top speed (electronically limited)
• 6-speed manual tranny
• MDrive - allows configuration and retrieval of driver-specific performance settings
• All-new aluminum suspension
• Carbon fiber reinforced roof
• Usual complement of "M" appearance, aerodynamic upgrades. Minimal body panel carryover from 3-series coupe
• Regenerative braking used to power the car's on-board network

The exhaustive press release from BMW is pasted after the jump, and gets deep into the nitty-gritty (with the usual caveat that all info posted relates to the Euro-model). We also have 35 new photos in the attached gallery for your enjoyment. Is it just us, or does the production M3 look even more striking than the M3 Concept shown in Geneva? Perhaps it's the photo car's Melbourne Red color, which goes nicely with the gunmetal grey wheels it sports. Now we want to see the sedan version!

[Source: BMW]