An eagle-eyed chap, who’s deciphered some BMW VIN documents, has arrived at what he thinks will be the power output of the next generation BMW M3 Sedan (F80) and M4 Coupé (F82). Drum roll please; it will be powered by a turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six engine producing 310 kW (415-horesepower).
Never fear, according to the man it isn’t the old warhorse that’s been doing the rounds in the current crop of BMW’s. It is an all-new iteration of the straight-six, turbocharged family. It will make similar power to the E92?s normally-aspirated 4.0-litre V8 engine, but thanks to the turbo-torque, the tractability will be considerably higher.
According to the man’s VIN translation, BMW have listed a completely new internal engine code, known as S55. Which sounds sensibly accurate when following the linage of the E46 which had an S54 naturally aspirated straight-six. That S55 engine is said to make as much as 135 Nm of torque more than the outgoing V8.
Don’t forget that the straight-six is also lighter and more compact than the V8. BMW have hinted at the M3/M4 weighing the same as the M3 E46 did. This requires nearly 200 kg to be shaved off the E92. Now that’s what we expect from the “ultimate driving machine.”
Even if the VIN registration document does prove to be legit, we’re not entirely sure how the man came to his conclusions on power and torque figures, and these images are just renderings of what the upcoming BMW M4 might look like just btw. Nevertheless, we look forward to investigating all the claims surrounding the M3/M4 until it becomes a production reality.
