We may be in the midst of August but BMW engineers are hard at work developing the Bavarian firm’s upcoming models such as the next M3 that our spy shooters captured lapping the Nürburgring just earlier today.

While technically this is the fifth generation of the M3 series, BMW has produced only two sedan versions of its high-performance model based on the 1990-1999 E36 and the 2005-2011 E90 3-Series respectively.

The car pictured here will be the third ever M3 sedan and it is built on the sixth generation 3-Series codenamed F30.

The big news for the M3 is the use of a newly developed straight-six augmented by two, or as some sources have suggested, three turbochargers that will replace the 414-horses (420PS) 4.0-liter naturally aspirated V8.

The new powerplant is expected to produce somewhere around 450 ponies while also being lighter and delivering lower CO2 emissions and better fuel economy.

Along with a reworked chassis, an M diff and a twin-clutch M-DCT transmission, the M3 will look perkier than the regular sedan thanks to its flared wheel arches embracing tubbier wheels, and a bespoke aero kit with more aggressively styled front and rear bumpers, side skirts and a rear diffuser flanked by twin tailpipes on either side.

Photo Credits: CarPix for CarScoop

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