KresoF1, temm, guys, I totally respect your views.
No doubt the M3 will be a seriously quick car. It should be faster in a straight line than a 997S (provided that it can put all that power down onto the road surface - which is no small assumption ... e.g. M6).
Porsche relies on the whole package working together to produce fast times. We all moan and complain about wanting more bhp and torque - and I hope PAG listens to these prayers.
It remains to be seen whether the M3 will be quicker round a track than the 997S. Hopefully the facelifted 997S will mean this is an easier battle since the current 997S has been around since mid 2004. (Let's not forget that).
But guys, when all is said and done (about engine, performance etc etc) there are factors which would make it certain that I would never buy a M3 no matter how fast it is.
You see, here in the UK, the M3 attracts totally the wrong crowd. Hooligans buy this car. I could not possibly buy a car that would mean people would associate me with those types of hooligans.
I totally echo Porsche-Jeck's observation that the M3 is made for a crowd that thinks totally differently from me about what image and impression their car is supposed to give off to other people.
I don't want my car to look aggressive and mean. Why would I want people to 'hate' me when they don't even know me (as a typical BMW driver is often so hated in the UK)? I don't want people to think I'm an a**hole just because I drive an M3.
I sold my old 328i to an independent BMW specialist. I got talking with this guy who has been buying and selling BMWs for 2 decades. He said the M3s which come to him always have on average 2-3 owners in 2 or 3 years. They are often abused and make risky buys for him as a businessman. He doesn't buy M3s for onward sale anymore. He is tired of engine failures due to cars he has onsold having been abused before he bought them.
So, I respect your views very much but I humbly beg to differ in my view on the attractiveness of this car no matter how good it may be on paper