AutoTopNL has taken a mildly tuned BMW M340i through its courses on a German speedway and concluded that the car was plenty fast to eliminate the need for a full-blown M3.
The M340i resides a step below the M3 in the Bavarian automaker’s hierarchy, offering a more conservative appearance and a capable 3.0-liter turbocharged six-cylinder engine. The version tested is a Touring wagon, which hits the same top speed as the M3 Touring and every bit as fast, too.
The important note to make is that this particular M340i is not a stock car with 387 PS (382 hp / 285 kW) at the output end. A number of software and hardware modifications enabled it to produce around 460 PS (454 hp / 338 kW), putting it on par with the likes of the Alpina B3.
Check out the video if you ever wanted to see a 3-Series family hauler get to 292 km/h (181.4 miles per hour) on an autobahn.