Next M3 to have triple-turbo inline 6?
BMW enthusiasts are a bit of an odd lot. Whilst some prescribe to love nothing but the firm's big, buttery-smooth inline six cylinder engines like those found in the old 3.0 CSL and E36 M3, others profess an undying love for the impeccable balance and involving nature of a small four cylinder like that found in the old E30 M3. Others still trumpet the superiority of the brand's naturally aspirated engines, and don't care so much for configuration or displacement, so long as all those cylinders scream to 9,000 rpm and inhale air under no more than 101.325 kilopascals of pressure.
So, how will all those various enthusiast groups respond when they learn that the next M3 is slated to find what may possibly be a triple-turbo inline six under its hood? Yes, that's right, the long-running rumours of another V-configured engine for the upcoming M3 sedan have officially died, replaced by the announcement that a turbocharged inline six will be seeing development for what many to be the high water mark for sports sedans. And although two turbochargers would probably be sufficient to produce a properly sporting horsepower level, rumours have been circulating about a tri-turbo arrangement reported to produce somewhere north of 450 horsepower and deliver nearly no turbo lag... to say nothing of the inherent exotic nature of a triple turbocharged engine!