Winding Road is adding their weight to the rumor that BMW may revert to a conventional softtop for its upcoming M3 convertible. While the E92 3-Series convertible features a new folding metal hardtop, the extra weight of the folding hardtop goes against BMW’s M Group philosophy. The rumor is that the M3 convertible will switch to a lighter soft-top so the M3 can maintain as much of its performance.

An M3 convertible is already a compromise, and the extra 440 pounds may be too much for the M engineers. With the new M3 significantly faster than the previous model, BMW is currently working on a special softtop to handle the higher speeds and maintain low NVH number, despite the higher speeds.

Another option is would be to offer a carbon fiber version of the folding hardtop, which could use carbon fiber for most of the panels and the arm extensions. It wouldn’t be cheap, but it would meet the M Group’s low weight requirements, and offer a higher level of interior noise reduction. And it would be very cool.

## Source: Winding Road ##

Posted in: BMW, Convertibles, Sports/GTs, News
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