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Re: Yes, I am interested!

A 2000 lb car with 200 hp would be infinitely more exciting and alive feeling,than a 3000 lb vehicle with 300 hp,let alone one with 400 hp but 4000 lb!
My dream car would weight 1000 lb, with driver and all the fluids! 100 horses would be then more than enough.
Unfortunately,the current market is already chock full of overweight pretender "sports" cars that try to compensate their fat with extra power and increasingly unnecessary gizmoz *yawn*..
It would be very refreshing to finally get a lightweight sporty car available,at least for the Continent-market,if not for the "rest of the world" ;)

how about a low budget solution?

Just take an 116i,its already the real lightweight in the line up,300 ibs less than an 120d and 500 less than an 330i.
Now add their new dual turbo technology.If they can make 9hp/l on a diesel,they can make 15hp/l on a gasoline engine,even tuned conventional turbos can reach that number.Turbo equipment is light,not more than 40ibs and dual turbo has no turbo lag.The 2-door would still have 500ibs less than a 330i,but about the same hp and torque.power to weight ratio would roughly equal the current m3 which weights 600 ibs more.
All could be profitably sold for around 30k,actually it should be even cheaper than an 120d with the high production cost diesel engine.
I seriously think a high performance concept on such a car would work much better with 4cyl turbos and not heavy and costly I 6 engines.

Yes, I am interested!

Sounds like the perfect answer to all the increasingly bloated sports cars for sale (Lotus Elise/Exige aside). I think $50K is perfectly reasonable.

all just wet dreams..

What many don´t want to understand is the following.
With the same engine and same basic equipment an e87 weights about 60-70kg less than an e90(120-140ibs).Thats the weight of a passenger,not more.
With the same engine and same basic equipment it costs just between 10 and 15% less than an e90,add leather and nav and it costs more.
Add a special coupe shape,expensive lightweight treatment and a special high performance engine and you`re approaching 50k,is anyone interested?

Lightweight M1, please!

I agree, the M1/M2 would have to be a lightweight. 2,000 lbs. will not happen, but anything under 3,000 lbs. would be fine with 300+ horsepower (think 3.0 to match displacemnt differences of the bigger M cars). This equates to 10 lbs./bhp, which is perfect. Keep the mass low and towards the middle and I'll take one!

Your ultra-light baby-Bimmer could be born with a CSL badge, though...

Why there won't be a M1

Latest scoops say M1 would be limited to only six cylinders,so as not to compete with the M3/M4 duo. Unfortunately this limits the second generation M1 to ca 300hp,which actually isn't that much if the target weight goal (currently 3450lb and still rising..) isn't reset considerably lower!

Heck,it seems the Mk2 M1 will be much heavier than the larger and more powerful E36 M3!