BMW Unveils Specs on the M3's New V8. Audi Wants Its Motor Back!

Unfortunately, it reached the peak of development, and extracting extra juice proved too difficult—even for the Bavarians. So with the Audi RS4, upcoming AMG C63 and Lexus IS-F all expected to have over 400 ponies, BMW opted for a V-8 to remain competitive. The result is an engine that’s lighter, more compact and more powerful than its I-6 predecessor. Sporting individual throttle bodies, variable intake and exhaust cams and 12:1 compression ratio, the new 4-liter V-8 has 420hp, peak torque of 295lb-ft at 3,900rpm and revs to a screaming 8,300rpm. Yup, they mean business.

But after cleaning up my drool from staring at all the engine porn, I have to confess that BMW’s new marvel may not even be the best high-revving V-8 on the market. That may go to Audi and its RS4 engine, whose almost identically-spec’d 420hp V-8 with a 8,250rpm redline debuted almost a year ago. We’ll have to wait and see …