Spies break biggest story so far in 2007? Exclusive BMW M3 convertible news

While all of our competitors bit the bait and reported that the next BMW M3 convertible will have a canvas top for performance reasons, the Spies were busy working on the REAL story for you.

Reliable sources tell AutoSpies.com that BMW will one up the competition on the next convertible M3, by employing a fully retractable carbon fiber kevlar roof, in order to get the highest performance AND functionality.

This should be quite a coup for BMW if they can pull this off!

You heard it hear first!

silverarrow2 - 1/29/2007 1:19:00 AM

+3 Boost

Actually, I did not hear it here first. I learned of it about a 5 days ago.

Sorry, to me you're not the first.

underthegravity - 1/28/2007 9:03:33 PM

+2 Boost

Brilliant! ! !

Lexus - 1/28/2007 9:31:21 PM

-11 Boost

The Lexus IS convertible is rumor to have a hardtop as well. The picture above of the convertible M3 look pretty nice.

Lexus

NARunner - 1/28/2007 11:02:45 PM

+10 Boost

a carbon kevlar hardtop? doubt it.

this article has nothing to do with lexus, yet the brand name still gets dropped. who cares? if this were lexus announcing a carbon kevlar roof for the IS-F, I would be impressed because it would be the first time lexus would have set any sort of performance benchmark. But yet again, they are a day late and a dollar short.

and i don't know if you were being sarcastic or not, but the picture above is of the 335ci, not the m3

EL34 - 1/28/2007 9:52:45 PM

0 Boost

The BMW M3 convertible will be bullet proof.

Yeehaw!!

bagwell - 2/1/2007 8:17:34 PM

+1 Boost

yeah, but the motor will blow like the last M3 motors did...count me out.

chewy - 1/28/2007 9:57:21 PM

+5 Boost

3 pieces of carbon fiber will be expensive.

Agent004 - 1/28/2007 10:20:43 PM

+4 Boost

ha, ya, and not just carbon fiber, it's carbon kevlar. I think buyers are expecting a premium in that class anyway, so an extra $2000(guessing) probably won't mean much to them.

DiamondJim - 1/28/2007 11:05:31 PM

0 Boost

remind me again WHY i would need a bulletproof kevlar roof? carbon fiber, ok, but kevlar? for what purpose, bullets don't drop out of the sky!

02WRX - 1/28/2007 11:30:32 PM

+5 Boost

They're not adding kevlar to make the roof bullet-proof. They're adding it because it's one of the strongest materials by weight that money can buy.

DiamondJim - 1/29/2007 12:28:39 AM

0 Boost

now we're talking

Autophile - 1/28/2007 10:51:40 PM

+2 Boost

Ok see???? This is what I was saying! This is great BMW... I think this is a good precident for the luxury car segment. Hopefully this sort of technology will be employed vastly more. Maybe our cars of the future will all be contertible without sacrificing any styling, performance, or safety. It's like the Prius of hardtopness!

mstangpny07 - 1/28/2007 11:06:39 PM

-1 Boost

cool!

S4cabriofoxone - 1/28/2007 11:19:47 PM

+1 Boost

Oh, that's too cool!

I'm going to drive it, for sure.

rom64 - 1/29/2007 2:07:42 AM

+3 Boost

I doubt this rumour. The M3 convertible won't have it. If the M6 convertible is a cloth top, the M3 will follow in the same fashion. It doesnt make any sense to incorporate such an expensive mechanism of materials into that price range.

At the M6 convertible pricepoint however, that idea would've been much more feasible. The M6 is seen as the flagship of all Ms of the 21st century. It would've been on the M6 first before anything.

Agent004 - 1/29/2007 2:51:27 AM

+4 Boost

The 6 Series convertible doesn't already have a hardtop, it was built with a cloth top in mind. The current 3 Series, E90 platform, WAS built with a hard top platform in mind. It would cost MUCH more to engineer a cloth version then it would be to swap out the metal roof for a carbon kevlar one.

S4cabriofoxone - 1/29/2007 9:06:30 AM

+3 Boost

Agent004, you beat me to it.

The regular 3 Series convertible already has a hardtop, so why not make a lighter, more expensive version for the M3?

rom64 - 1/29/2007 2:15:26 AM

+1 Boost

BUT...

Aside from the cost perspective. It will be cheaper for BMW to replace to the folding roof with kevla/carbon fiber panels than installing a whole new mechanism for the cloth top as it changes the whole production process of the 335i conv, and M3 conv. In the end, my point is, the news from this rumour implies one thing: The M3 conv will be ridiculously expensive as the consumer will incurr the costs greater than BMW will for making it kevlar/carbon in order to make a profit. so go ahead, sell one of your kids :P

Agent004 - 1/29/2007 2:52:49 AM

+1 Boost

Oops, sorry rom64, didn't mean to repeat what you said :) It's what happens when you open the article, finish watching Back to the Future, and then come back and post :)

JRobUSC - 1/29/2007 9:22:39 AM

+2 Boost

will the costs go up? Yeah, but even with a carbon kevlar roof it'll still be less expensive than an RS4 convertible, which has a ragtop, or a CLK63 AMG convertible, which does too. Those are the primary convertible competitors.

M53R - 1/29/2007 7:54:23 AM

+1 Boost

Now lets just hope this rumor isnt just a rumor.... :D

weaponX - 1/29/2007 9:26:17 AM

0 Boost

Kevlar roof...that's too cool.

Now all it needs are rocket launchers.

dusty - 1/30/2007 11:48:32 AM

+1 Boost

LOL, I just hope James Bond makes note of this.

answer - 1/29/2007 11:41:04 AM

+1 Boost

I don't know about this.

If performance was your main goal, why would you be looking at a convertible anyway? Sure this rumoured design might save on weight, but structural rigidity is always compromised compared to a coupe.

drakarula - 1/29/2007 2:04:52 PM

+1 Boost

This is a definate way to one up the competition! There are dealerships with M6's sitting on the floor diving discounts because people are not buying! They already made the space for the hardtop making it space age light is brilliant! I am only concerned how high the price is. I want one :)

B5BAR - 1/30/2007 2:29:40 PM

+1 Boost

Heard it hear first ?

JRobUSC - 1/31/2007 3:26:22 PM

+1 Boost

mitsu came out with a folding retractable carbon kevlar roof to beat the STi? Wow, that's incredible, I had no idea the Evo or WRX came in a convertible (sarcasm intended).