I've owned my 1998 ITR since it was new. It's was hard to say good-bye. I know the Type-R made a lasting impression on me. Even though I just got the car I've been dreaming about...I've sold the car I loved.

Help, I think I will miss my R more than I thought. At least I had a chance to own one for a small part of my life.

Thanks, for all the e-mails & calls about the car. Good luck & have fun with your R's!

It's the best car I've owned...well since the new one got here.

 

Atleast you got a bad *** new car.

 

posts like this really make me wonder how/if i'll ever be able to let go of my R. Mike has an M3 and still talks like this!

hey man, hope you enjoy the M3

 

congrats on your new car man the m3 is nice.haha...

 

I will be joining u hopefully ASAP

 

M3's rock. SMG is dope.

-p

 

good choice in a car to replace the R. the one place I think you'll really miss the R is when you throw the car into a turn and it feels like double the weight coming around. I've had 2 bmw's before my R and although they were great handling cars, the R just feels so much lighter in the corners. enjoy the m3.

 

damn... M3 is definitely a worthy successor of the great R...

 

SMG is just the transmission

 

SMG stands for Sequential Manual Gearbox. The SMGII transmission is an option for the current M3, allowing the driver to shift using the paddles behind the steering wheel or the lever on the console. The right paddle for upshifts & the left paddle for downshifts.

The SMG uses the exact Gertrag Type-D 6-speed manual transmission used in the current manual transmission M3s. Except the SMG handles the gearshift & clutch operations by the computer controlled electrohydraulics. The transmission operates much like the one in the Ferrari 360 Mondena F1...except the shifts in the M3's SMG are suppose to be as much as 2-3 times faster. As fast as 0.08secs in the fastest shifting mode & under heavy throttles.

I really like how it shifts, you can be in 6th gear & press the left paddle really fast 3 times & SMG will "blip" the throttle to "match" the third gear rpms... for the perfect 6-3 downshift. I just love the downshifts.

I was a little afraid that the SMG would not give me enough control over the transmission & engine. But after driving it for a while I can say it really does...you can modulate the gas pedal during shifting to adjust the shift "feel" & you can select the shift mode for the type of driving you will be doing (I find myself in the fastest shift mode most of the time). It's really fun & fast. There's 11 transmission modes; 6 sequential modes & 5 full auto modes, that allow smooth slower upshifts to super fast "positive" tire burning upshifts...much faster than most people can upshift. Although I'm sure a few people on this board may be able to shift faster...

The SMGII option is $2,400. It's a lot, but I think worth the money.

Is miss the "R".

 

Here's a nice article on the M3's SMG (and with any pictures):
http://bmwnation.com/articles/smgii_02.html