The first M3 to be put on the market was the 1986 M3.  Since then, BMW changed a lot of things and made a lot of improvements regarding its already very popular M3.  The E92 M3 was one of the most expected car for 2008, I personally was not disappointed by either the looks, or power.  The aggressive look of the hood and front bumper, those 4 exhaust pipes and the whopping 420 hp at 8 200 rpm did it for me.  And that carbon fiber roof is simply gorgeous, reducing the overall weight of the car and lowering at the same time the center of gravity of the vehicle.  For the first time in its history, the M3 is equipped with a V8 engine, which derives from the very powerful V10 engine we can find in the M5 and the M6.  Note that the V8 is lighter than the previous V6, 15 kilograms to be correct.  The fuel consumption has been reduced by 8% while power was enhanced by 17%.  But the advanced technologies are not limited to the engine only, the transmission is composed with two discs instead of one.