Tag Archives: BMW

BMW M3 EV Is Coming—and It Could Have More Than 1,000 HP

June 16, 2026 Francis Mitterrand Leave a comment

For decades, the BMW M3 has been the benchmark sports sedan—the car that somehow managed to blend everyday usability with racetrack credibility better than almost anything else on four wheels. Soon, however, the M3 will enter uncharted territory. And if BMW’s latest concept is any indication, the future won’t arrive quietly.

Unveiled during the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the BMW M Concept Neue Klasse isn’t officially called an M3. BMW describes it as “the announcement of a new design language for high-performance cars from the BMW M division,” but the message is unmistakable. This is the clearest preview yet of the all-electric performance sedan widely expected to arrive as the i3 M—or, depending on BMW’s final naming strategy, the electric M3.

Either way, Munich’s most famous sports sedan is preparing for a dramatic transformation.

An M Car for the Electric Age

Park the concept next to an E30 M3 and the connection becomes obvious. The proportions, the stance, and the intent all point toward the same destination, even if the car wears an electric identity that some traditionalists may never fully embrace.

The M Concept Neue Klasse evolves the shape first introduced by last year’s Vision Driving Experience concept, but this version looks significantly closer to production reality. The familiar Neue Klasse sedan silhouette remains intact, yet nearly every surface has been sharpened and exaggerated by BMW’s M division.

The front and rear fascias feature aggressively sculpted openings inspired by high-speed multihull racing yachts. Cube-shaped LED elements, known internally as “track lights,” replace conventional lighting signatures. Flared fenders dramatically widen the car’s footprint, while a prominent ducktail spoiler finishes the rear with unmistakable motorsport intent.

Finished in Monza Red metallic, the concept combines visual drama with lightweight materials. Natural-fiber components appear throughout the splitter, diffuser, hood vent, roof, and side aerodynamic elements. M Yellow lighting accents further reinforce the racing connection, while aerodynamically optimized mirrors and center-lock wheels complete the competition-inspired look.

The stance tells its own story. A wider track, lowered suspension, and noticeable negative camber suggest that BMW’s engineers are still obsessed with handling—even if the soundtrack now comes from electric motors rather than a straight-six.

Race-Car Interior, Road-Car Technology

Inside, the M Concept Neue Klasse shares much of its architecture with BMW’s upcoming Neue Klasse models. The panoramic iDrive display stretches across the base of the windshield, while the minimalist dashboard layout reflects BMW’s next-generation design philosophy.

Everything else screams M.

Four deeply sculpted bucket seats trimmed in Merino leather feature integrated five-point harnesses. Structural components made from natural fibers remain visible throughout the cabin, emphasizing weight reduction and rigidity. A Nubuck-trimmed roll cage extends through the interior, matching the steering wheel and door panels.

The dashboard is wrapped in a black illuminated woven material, while red accents and bespoke controls distinguish the concept from its more mainstream Neue Klasse siblings. It feels less like a luxury sedan and more like a road-going touring car that somehow retained a license plate.

Four Motors, Four Digits of Horsepower

The real story lies underneath.

Power comes from BMW’s new four-motor M eDrive system, developed specifically for future high-performance electric M models and built upon the sixth-generation Neue Klasse architecture.

BMW isn’t revealing official output figures yet, but reports suggest the production car could generate anywhere between 710 and 1,014 horsepower. If accurate, even the least powerful version would comfortably eclipse today’s M3 Competition, while the upper end would place it firmly in supercar territory.

The concept’s reported torque figure—17,990 Nm—sounds almost absurd, though as with many EV concepts, that number likely represents wheel torque rather than a conventional engine-output measurement.

More important than the raw numbers is how BMW intends to deploy them.

The company says power management is handled by its new M Dynamic Performance Control system, operating through what BMW calls the “Heart of Joy” central computing platform. The setup continuously controls power delivery and braking at each individual wheel, promising unprecedented levels of agility, precision, and responsiveness.

In other words, BMW isn’t merely trying to build a fast electric sedan. It’s trying to build an electric M car that still behaves like an M car.

Bigger Battery, Faster Charging

Supporting all that performance is BMW’s new 800-volt electrical architecture and a battery pack exceeding 100 kWh in capacity.

The battery utilizes sixth-generation cylindrical cells developed specifically for M applications, allowing higher power delivery, improved thermal management, faster charging speeds, and greater driving range. BMW has also integrated the battery structure directly into the vehicle’s chassis, increasing rigidity and contributing to sharper handling characteristics.

It’s a familiar strategy among modern EVs, but one that becomes particularly important when attempting to make a heavy electric sedan feel as precise as a traditional sports car.

The End of the M3? Not Quite

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of BMW’s strategy is that the electric M3 won’t replace the gasoline version—at least not immediately.

Industry reports indicate BMW is simultaneously developing a next-generation combustion-powered M3 featuring a mild-hybrid inline-six engine. That car is expected to adopt Neue Klasse-inspired styling and technology while continuing to serve buyers who aren’t ready to leave internal combustion behind.

For the first time in the M3’s history, enthusiasts may soon have a choice between two fundamentally different interpretations of the same icon: one powered by a turbocharged straight-six and the other by four electric motors.

It’s a fascinating moment for BMW M. The company isn’t abandoning its past, but it’s clearly preparing for a future where performance is measured as much in software and electrical architecture as it is in displacement and boost pressure.

Whether enthusiasts ultimately accept the electric version as a true M3 remains to be seen. But based on what BMW showed at Le Mans, one thing is already clear: the most technologically ambitious M car ever built is getting ready to hit the road.

Source: BMW

Restomod

This BMW E9 CSL Restomod Is the V8-Powered M Car BMW Never Built

June 8, 2026 Francis Mitterrand Leave a comment

The BMW E9 CSL occupies a sacred place in the brand’s history. Lightweight, elegant, and instantly recognizable thanks to its dramatic “Batmobile” aero package, it remains one of Munich’s most celebrated performance cars. Yet for all its motorsport pedigree, the original CSL never enjoyed the kind of power modern enthusiasts crave.

That’s where this remarkable one-off creation comes in.

Built roughly a decade ago by German workshop MKO, founded by BMW enthusiast Michael Oberhauser, this machine answers a question nobody at BMW ever officially dared ask: What if an E9 CSL had been developed using the heart and soul of an E39 M5?

The answer is sitting before us in steel, aluminum, and hand-crafted ingenuity.

Rather than performing a simple engine swap, MKO essentially merged two generations of BMW performance legends into a single cohesive package. The project reportedly began with an E39 M5 and components sourced from two E9 CS coupes. What followed was a painstaking transformation that blended 1970s styling with the engineering of one of BMW’s greatest modern sports sedans.

The surgery went far beyond cosmetic alterations. According to details from the original build story, the upper structure of the M5 was removed, the wheelbase shortened by nearly eight inches, and an E9 roof grafted onto the modified chassis. The goal wasn’t simply to recreate the look of a classic coupe—it was to preserve its delicate proportions while retaining the mechanical sophistication underneath.

Achieving that balance required extensive bodywork. The front fenders were widened by roughly 2.5 inches, while the rear arches gained around four inches of additional width. Much of the custom fabrication was completed in Romania, where craftsmen hand-formed bespoke body panels to create a seamless blend of old and new.

The finished product looks as though BMW’s skunkworks division secretly built a restomod decades before the term became fashionable.

Visual cues pay tribute to the legendary 3.0 CSL “Batmobile,” including a roof-mounted spoiler, small front-fender aero fins, classic Hella driving lamps, and period-inspired badging. The body wears Porsche-sourced paint and now rides on 19-inch Alpina-style wheels wrapped in sticky Continental SportContact 7 tires. Early versions reportedly wore standard E39 M5 wheels, but the current setup better suits the car’s muscular stance.

Inside, the modern underpinnings become more apparent. A modified E39 M5 dashboard remains in place, accompanied by heated Recaro seats, dual-zone climate control, power windows, and a Pioneer touchscreen infotainment system. It’s an unusual mix of classic grand tourer and modern sports sedan, complete with creative engineering solutions such as relocating the driver’s window switch to the center console.

The real star, however, lives beneath the hood.

Power comes from BMW’s legendary 4.9-liter S62 V8, the naturally aspirated masterpiece that made the E39 M5 a performance benchmark. In this application, the engine has been reworked to produce 432 horsepower, all sent exclusively to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission and a limited-slip differential.

Considering the E9’s significantly smaller dimensions and lower visual mass, the combination borders on outrageous.

Handling upgrades include adjustable KW coilovers and the M5’s braking hardware, giving the car the stopping power and chassis control needed to keep pace with its muscular powertrain. The result is less a restoration than a BMW hot rod—one that combines the analogue charm of the 1970s with the mechanical confidence of one of the greatest M cars ever built.

It’s the sort of machine that could only exist outside BMW’s corporate walls: too expensive, too complicated, and perhaps too niche for production. Yet that’s exactly what makes it so fascinating.

Now, after years of turning heads and challenging conventional BMW history, this singular creation is looking for a new caretaker. Listed through Bring a Trailer Germany, the hand-built CSL-M5 hybrid had attracted bids of €42,225 at the time of writing.

For BMW enthusiasts, that’s a small price for a glimpse into an alternate universe—one where the E9 CSL never stopped evolving.

Source: Autocar

NEW CARS

2027 BMW M2 xDrive Brings All-Wheel Drive to BMW’s Smallest M Car

June 4, 2026 Francis Mitterrand Leave a comment

Purists may grumble, but the M2’s new xDrive system promises year-round grip, quicker acceleration, and the same sideways attitude when the mood strikes.

The day many BMW enthusiasts swore would never come has arrived. The BMW M2—long celebrated as the last bastion of compact, rear-drive M-car mischief—is officially getting all-wheel drive.

Revealed ahead of its late-summer launch, the new BMW M2 xDrive marks the first time BMW’s smallest M car has sent power to all four wheels. More significantly, it means every current M model can now be ordered with two driven axles, completing a transformation that began years ago with the larger M5, M3, and M4.

Predictably, the internet’s purist wing is already reaching for its pitchforks. But before declaring the M2’s soul lost forever, the numbers suggest BMW may have found a way to add capability without sacrificing character.

At the heart of the M2 xDrive sits the familiar S58 twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six, one of the finest performance engines currently in production. For 2027, however, BMW has updated the powerplant with a new pre-chamber combustion system called M Ignite, technology derived from motorsport that will gradually spread across the M lineup as the company prepares for stricter Euro 7 emissions regulations.

BMW says the system reduces fuel consumption under heavy load while preserving the S58’s defining traits: razor-sharp throttle response, relentless pull to redline, and the sort of straight-six soundtrack that remains increasingly rare in an era of downsizing and electrification.

The addition of xDrive also brings measurable performance gains. The sprint to 62 mph drops from 4.0 seconds to 3.7 seconds, placing the M2 even deeper into sports-car territory. That’s not a massive improvement on paper, but in the real world, the extra traction should make the car significantly easier to launch consistently, especially when road conditions are less than ideal.

As in the larger M3 and M4 xDrive models, the system remains heavily rear-biased. During everyday driving, power is sent exclusively to the rear wheels until additional traction is needed. When conditions demand it, the front axle seamlessly joins the party.

For drivers worried about losing the M2’s playful personality, BMW has included a familiar escape hatch. With stability control disabled, the system can be switched into a dedicated rear-wheel-drive mode, effectively restoring the traditional formula that made the M2 a favorite among enthusiasts. BMW describes the resulting experience as one of “remarkable purity,” which sounds suspiciously like corporate speak for “yes, you can still drift it.”

The rear axle also benefits from BMW’s Active M Differential, which continuously distributes torque between the rear wheels to maximize grip and sharpen corner-exit behavior. Combined with the additional traction available up front, the result should be a car that feels more secure in poor weather without becoming less entertaining on a dry back road.

There is, however, one casualty.

Unlike the standard rear-wheel-drive M2, the xDrive model cannot be ordered with a manual transmission. Buyers get an automatic gearbox and nothing else. That decision is unlikely to surprise anyone familiar with BMW’s recent strategy, but it does reinforce the idea that the M2 xDrive is aimed at drivers seeking maximum speed rather than maximum involvement.

The new model starts at £74,255 in the UK, roughly £4,000 more than the rear-drive version. That premium buys quicker acceleration, all-weather usability, and a broader performance envelope. Whether it also buys a better M2 will depend largely on what you value most.

For some, the ideal M2 will always be the lightest, simplest, rear-driven version with a clutch pedal in the middle. For others, the prospect of deploying nearly 500 horsepower year-round without constantly negotiating for traction will be impossible to resist.

Either way, the smallest M car has entered a new chapter. And if BMW’s recent xDrive-equipped M cars are any indication, enthusiasts may discover that adding driven front wheels doesn’t necessarily mean subtracting fun.