What do you get for the extra £10k? The potent Motorsport 3.2-litre engine is the centrepiece, its 338bhp easily eclipsing the 3.0si’s 261bhp. You also get a variable locking differential, the upgraded brakes and some of the suspension hardware from the M3 CSL, and a body that’s twice as stiff as the open car’s – a critical difference if you’re choosing between M Roadster and Coupé.
This makes the shell one of the stiffest on sale. It’s critical because it has enabled BMW Motorsport to create a dynamic character for the Coupé aimed more sharply at keen drivers. The steering rack, for instance, is quicker-acting than the M Roadster’s, the diff is calibrated for sharper turn-in, the springs are firmer, the dampers revalved and the rear anti-roll bar thickened.
Visual indicators of the M Coupé’s status are few. The front valance’s intakes gape wider, the bonnet swells to accommodate the Motorsport six, there are bigger five-spoke alloys, twin pairs of tailpipes flanking a rear diffuser, and xenon headlamps. For some, this may be too subtle. Nor is it wildly different inside, where you’ll find a 200mph speedo, change-up lights in the revcounter, an M multi-function wheel, carbon-like (though not fake carbonfibre) dash décor, extra lighting, more leather trimmings and an anthracite headlining.
The car itself is a sportster of the old school, a monster engine lying beneath a long bonnet, the deliberately snug cockpit set quite close to the rear wheels. It’s a format just like the 1959 Austin Healey 3000’s, and a total contrast to the mid-engined Porsche Cayman’s. But the BMW’s weight distribution, improved by mounting the engine well back and banishing the battery to the boot, sees 49 per cent of its heft resting over the rear axle, promising fine balance.
