BMW M3 CRT: 3 limited units coming soon to Singapore.

BMW M3 CRT
Intelligent lightweight design with the
Carbon Racing Technology for even higher performance.

4 October 2011

Singapore. BMW Asia today announced the impending arrival of the BMW M3 CRT (Carbon Racing Technology) in Singapore. With only 3 units made available to Singapore, the BMW M3 CRT will be retailing at Munich Automobiles, the dedicated BMW M dealer in Singapore, with the first customer delivery slated for December 2011.

Mr. Neil Fiorentinos, Managing Director, BMW Group Asia said: “We are very pleased to announce the arrival of the limited edition BMW M3 CRT. With only 67 units produced worldwide, 3 units have been allocated to our Singapore customers thereby reinforcing the importance of this market. The high performance BMW M3 CRT is bred for the race track but registered for the road. It embodies a concentrated blend of state-of-the-art development expertise that is inspired by motorsport, especially in the areas of its drive system and chassis technology and lightweight design.”

With the usage of Carbon-Fibre Reinforced Plastic (CFRP), the BMW M3 CRT is able to achieve an impressive weight-to-ratio of 3.5 kilograms per horsepower. Complete with a 4.4-litre V8 engine, the high-revving sports car wields a maximum output of 450hp and is able to complete the century sprint in just 4.4 seconds.

“The BMW M3 CRT also marks the innovative usage of CFRP. In particular, the construction of its bonnet with the lightweight material not only imbues it with the strength of a conventional steel equivalent but reduces its weight significantly. And the weight-saving over the alumimium bonnet of the standard BMW M3 Saloon can be as much as 50 percent,” added Mr Fiorentinos.

The future is now: Lightweight CFRP technology

Innovative manufacturing process

The exclusive character of the Saloon is emphasized by bespoke lightweight design components manufactured as part of an innovative production process. The bonnet of the BMW M3 CRT and the bucket seats for the driver and front passenger are made from a cellular carbon honeycomb, which is produced in a globally unique process pioneered for the manufacture of body components for the BMW i3 and BMW i8 models. These new models – due to enter volume production in 2013 and equipped with innovative electric and BMW ActiveHybrid drive system technology – will feature a body consisting entirely of CFRP in the passenger cell area.

In a new development, the production process introduced for this purpose enables the cuttings left behind in the construction of the body to be reprocessed. The basic material (made up of carbon fiber thread) can now be woven into CFRP mats of any size before being impregnated with synthetic resin and hardened in a similar way to the material used in the body of the BMW i3 and BMW i8. For the BMW M3 CRT, this allows the creation of a bonnet made from two CFRP mouldings encasing an aramid honeycomb structure. This construction imbues the bonnet with the strength of a conventional steel equivalent, but at roughly a quarter of its weight. The weight saving over the aluminium bonnet of the standard BMW M3 Saloon is around 50 percent.

The material produced through this innovative manufacturing technology is also used for the car’s bucket seats. Here, the CFRP layers are wrapped around a recycled-paper honeycomb, with a carbon layer made using conventional production technology added to visible areas. CFRP is also used to make both the rear spoiler of the BMW M3 CRT and an air-channeling element integrated into its front apron.

This innovative manufacturing process opens up considerable potential for increased use of CFRP in series-produced cars as a means of lowering weight. The BMW Group is leading the way in this area of automotive construction, while BMW M GmbH can call on extensive racing expertise when it comes to intelligent lightweight design. The BMW M3 CRT is the latest in a fine tradition of highly exclusive high-performance sports cars optimised with the help of lightweight design. This lineage stretches back to the BMW 3.0 CSL of the 1970s and reached another high point in 2002 with the BMW M3 CSL. BMW M GmbH also broke new ground with the use of CFRP in series-produced vehicles; like the BMW M6 produced up to 2010, the current BMW M3 Coupé comes as standard with a roof made from carbon-fibre reinforced plastic.

The BMW M3 CRT weighs 1,580 kg (DIN unladen weight), around 45 kg less than the BMW M3 Saloon. When you take into account the fully-loaded comfort, infotainment and driver assistance equipments on board the weight saving is more like 70 kg.

High-revving 4.4-liter V8 engine 450 hp;

Seven-speed M DCT Double-Clutch Transmission with Drivelogic

Under the CFRP bonnet of the BMW M3 CRT lies a variant of the V8 engine developed exclusively for the BMW M3 with further increased displacement, output and maximum torque. The high-revving unit provides the linear power delivery you expect from an M car and a highly responsive performance profile honed by the demands of the race track. Tuned for the BMW M3 GTS, the eight-cylinder engine develops 450 hp from its 4,360 cc displacement. Maximum output is reached at 8,300 rpm, and the driver will find peak torque of 440 Newton meters on tap at 3,750 rpm. Helping to give the engine its intoxicating performance is wizardry derived directly from motor sport, including a bedplate crankcase construction in a special aluminium-silicon alloy, individual throttle butterflies, a knock control system with ion current technology and a dynamically-optimized wet sump oil supply.

Transferring the engine’s power to the rear wheels is the M doubleclutch transmission with Drivelogic developed for the BMW M3. The seven-speed M DCT Drivelogic unit also works according to a principle developed in motor sport, allowing an uninterrupted flow of power through gear changes to deliver extremely dynamic acceleration. Its shift characteristics have been tuned specially for the engine powering the BMW M3 CRT. Shift paddles on the steering wheel allow the driver to change gear manually with optimum ergonomics. And a Launch Control function is on hand to generate maximum acceleration off the start line.

Special chassis construction with race-bred technology

Expertise from race competition also makes its presence felt in the chassis technology of the BMW M3 CRT. The BMW M3 Saloon’s front and rear axle construction has been enhanced by a rigid rear axle subframe and coil-over suspension whose dampers are individually adjustable in their compression and rebound. The six-piston, fixed-caliper high-performance brakes of the BMW M3 CRT boast a low-weight compound construction. The vented brake discs measure 378 x 32 mm at the front axle and 380 x 28 mm at the rear. The new M3 variant also uses Stahlflex brake lines and model-specific comfort brake pads.

The specially tuned DSC Dynamic Stability Control system – including ABS and M Dynamic Mode  – responds to both the greater dynamic potential of the BMW M3 CRT and its optimized axle load distribution. Meanwhile, the 245/35 R 19 front tires and 265/35 R 19 rears (fitted on 19-inch M light-alloy wheels in Y-spoke design) ensure the engine’s acceleration and braking power is transferred to the road with maximum impact. The electronic engine management of the BMW M3 CRT caps its top speed at 290 km/h.

The exclusive Frozen Polar Silver metallic exterior paint shade in combination with Melbourne Red metallic applications and special treatment for the BMW kidney grille also help to set the BMW M3 CRT apart from the standard M3. Inside, the Saloon comes with likewise exclusive door sill strips, door panels and trim strips in aluminium grain structure. Completing the distinctive ambience inside the high-performance Saloon are the Alcantara-covered M steering wheel, which has an M Drive button allowing the driver to call up his preferred set-up instantly, and special Sakhir Orange and Black bi-colour covers for the front and individual rear seats.

For more information, please visit www.bmwasia.com.

Additional information enclosed:

1.      The BMW M3 CRT specifications

2.      Photo call sheet.

Source: BMW Asia

For more information on BMW M, contact:

Munich Automobiles Singapore
30 Teban Gardens Crescent Singapore 608927
Showroom: 6899 6996 Service center: 6566 7666
http://www.munichauto.com.sg