Quote:
Originally Posted by Law
One could make the same argument for individual throttle bodies and 8250 RPM redline.
Unless you're racing on a road course, ITBs and high-revs are just bragging rights, right?
I agree with the original comment to an extent.
There was something particularly special about the M-cars of yore.
In particular, the M5s of the past had concrete links to BMW's racing ventures at the time. The E28 & E34 M5s used handbuilt powerplants descended from the BMW M1 supercar. The E39 M5's engine found widespread use in motorsport racing, and the E60 M5's V10 masterpiece was a result of the trickle-down effect of BMW's participation in Formula 1.
If I wanted to give the S63 powered F10 and F90 a break, at least the M6 racecar technically uses an engine derived from the S63, so at least there's still a link.
The point is, the M5 (and M-cars in general) was always about pushing the limits of motorsport/racing technology into a sedan/saloon car. The side-effect was that you got a really fast saloon, but the DNA from motorsport came first.
Does any of that matter during the commute to work? Probably not, and that's probably why gradually M-cars are becoming more generic, because BMW knows it can get away with it.
Why spend more money and R&D if the consumer won't notice a difference and only cares about numbers?
It's the sad reality, but there's something honest and special when a BMW M product lives up to its name and heritage, even if few can appreciate it.
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The bespoke engine and the 8,250 rpm redline what drew people to the car. It was what made an M car stand out from the rest. M cars are about the driving experience. The engine is what provides the most experience to the driver.