[gearhead]

There has been a fair amount of discussion regarding the M3's increasing weight over the past couple of generations, as well as all the other technology add-ons and creep. This phenomenon certainly applies to the 3-series lines in general.

I was wondering how many people on this forum (besides me) would like to see a BMW that goes back in time in some ways, but of course is manufactured with all the best quality and technology that is available. It wouldn't have to be an "M" car in its base version, but certainly would have the capacity for upgrades and would have the potential to be a high-performance vehicle, also through aftermarket add-ons (Mini does a fine job in this regard).

Would it be possible for BMW to bring a "simple" car to market, while keeping many of the features that we admire about the brand, with regards to steering, suspension, build quality, handling, acceleration and braking? Remember, the E30 and E36 platforms were much simpler, more compact and lighter - just imagine designing from scratch a new platform that truly captures what we liked about those cars, while taking advantage of modern design and manufacturing advances. (I realize that given modern safety regulations, it is more difficult to truly achieve a lightweight car).

We saw an attempt by BMW to go smaller and lighter in the 1-series, but the jury is still out, I think. It sure didn't achieve the goal of being light weight.

Here are some design elements that I would like to see:
- a key (no start/stop button)
- 4-cylinder high-revving engine, or a turbo-4
- smaller overall dimensions and reduced weight
- non-RFT's
- consider 2-seat configuration to get the weight down - a coupe in the classic sense!

Thoughts?