From the official press kit

The eight-cylinder power unit owes its perhaps most striking feature to the high-speed engine concept again typical of BMW M: Maximum engine speed of 8,400 rpm gives the engine supreme thrust and torque at all times.


This power is transmitted to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox in conjunction with brand-new final drive featuring BMW’s Variable M Limited-Slip Differential.


Over and above the engine’s specific output of 105 hp per litre, average fuel consumption in the EU test cycle of just 12.4 litres/100 kilometres
(equal to 22.8 mpg imp) bears clear testimony to the supreme engineering that has gone into this equally supreme car.


The engineers and suspension specialists at BMW M GmbH have even succeeded in saving weight on the high-performance brake system with its compound discs. And last but certainly not least in this context, the new

final drive on the BMW M3 features BMW M’s Variable M Limited-Slip Differential generating locking forces of up to 100 per cent whenever required to provide optimum traction even in the most challenging situations.