2009 BMW M3 Convertible Preview

It's a blend of the portly convertible we drove last year, and the edgy, electric V-8-powered GT BMW dropped on us last fall in the Spanish countryside. BMW's confirmed an M3 Convertible will join its lineup in Europe in the near future, and while preparations to bring the car to the U.S. aren't complete, technical details of the new convertible have made their way on the Interwebs.

The M3 Convertible starts with the M-essentials, shared with the coupe and sedan sportscars already available from BMW. The powertrain for the new vehicle will be based around BMW's 4.0-liter, which develops 420 hp in European spec, along with 295 pound-feet of torque. It's a light-alloy block manufactured alongside BMW's Formula One engines and weighs 445 pounds, 33 pounds less than the six-cylinder engine in the previous-generation M3. European-spec engines also feature regenerative braking.

Outfitted with a six-speed manual gearbox, the M3 Convertible should dash to 60 mph in less than 5.3 seconds; the stock M3 coupe delivers the same scoot in less than 4.8 seconds. Both coupe and convertible (and coordinating sedan) are limited to 155 mph.

Like the 3-Series convertibles, the M3 Convertible offers up a retractable hardtop with a steel frame and a three-piece roof system. The lid flips and stores itself in the trunk in 22 seconds, and is paired with a wind deflector and a specially programmed automatic climate control for open-air driving.

With the extra heft of body stiffening measures and the top mechanism, the M3 Convertible's put on a few hundred pounds more than the coupe. So the Convertible version of the M3 gets a retuned suspension, along with body reinforcements and a high-performance braking system.

� Source: thecarconnection
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