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Spyshots: 2020 BMW M3 (G80) Uses Secret Three-Wheeler Mode in Nurburgring Test

From the original E30 BMW M3, which has earner a cult car status meanwhile, to the current DDD model, the status of the super-sedan doesn't allow Bavarian crossovers to borrow its engine. However, with the next generation of the M3, this will all change, since the M4 won't be the only model that uses its twin-turbo straight-six.
Spyshots: 2020 BMW M3 (G80) 16 photos
Photo: SB-Medien
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To be more precise, the 2020 BMW M3 will also lend its 3.0-liter motor to the X3 M and X4 M. And after we brought you a fresh batch of spyshots portraying the latter, the time has now come to focus on the M3.

The two shared yesterday's Industry Pool session on the Nurburgring and, judging by what we can see in the spyshots, the M3 was pushed to the absolute limit.

For instance, we can see the super-sedan lifting a front wheel as it entered the Carousel bend, while the car's front and rear brake discs are glowing. Then again, with the F80-codenamed M3 now being in its advanced development stages, this kind of test hooning is only normal.

Despite the current twin-turbo 3.0-liter heart of the M3 and M5 being just five years old, the generation change will see the motor being dropped in favor of a new S85 unit.

Based on the B48 single-turbo (twin-scroll) 3.0-liter flat-six of the M240i, the new motor will deliver at least 450 hp, but the wild side of the rumor mill expects its output to sit closer to 500 ponies.

Regardless, one of the major improvements of the engine is expected to arrive on the aural front.

More importantly, since the F90 generation of the M5 has introduced the M xDrive all-paw hardware, to the company's non-crossovers, the M3 could follow suit. And while we're expecting this to be nothing more than wishful thinking, we'd be glad to see the move taking place, especially since the said hardware packs a rear-only mode.

While the next-generation BMW 3 Series is set to make its debut by the end of the year, we should get to meet the new M3 next year, with this probably hitting the US market as a 2020 model.
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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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