“In terms of dynamic skills and character, the M3 and 997 are like relatives….”

The quote above belongs to Rolf Scheibner, BMW Product Launch Manager at the M division and it was given during an interview with our friend Richard Aucock. They sat down and talked about the two sportiest cars out there which tend to share customers.

BMW’s M3 is the core of the M brand, Rolf Scheibner from the division told me.

So who is its closest relative? Step forward the Porsche 997 911. Yes, really. ‘In terms of dynamic skills and character, the M3 and 997 are like relatives,’ Sheibner revealed.

Well, I’ll be.

He was straight up, though. The M division hadn’t benchmarked the M3 against other M cars, but the mighty and ever-better Porsche, the definitive everyday supercar.

‘For 30 years, M3 customers have also been drawn to Porsche. When someone considers one, they’re usually looking at the other, too.’

Which presents quite a high bar for the M division to clear. That’s why they start early. Albeit, from a solid base.

‘We let the road car division develop the standard 3 Series for two years. And, once they reach a certain level, we then start to develop the M version.’

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One Response to ““In terms of dynamic skills and character, the M3 and 997 are like relatives….””

Gord says:

April 26, 2009 at 8:21 am

I guess what he says makes sense. Most people who review the cars probably have them for a week or so, in which case they are playing with the settings, but for an owner, after a couple of weeks they just leave it.