2013 BMW M3 Coupe Lime Rock Park Edition
 

<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/coupes/" rel="tag">Coupe</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/sports/" rel="tag">Performance</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/bmw/" rel="tag">BMW</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/reviews/" rel="tag">New Car Reviews</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/luxury/" rel="tag">Luxury</a></p><em><big>Sic Transit Gloria</big></em><br />
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<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2013-bmw-m3-coupe-lime-rock-edition-review/"><img alt="2013 BMW M3 Lime Rock Park Edition" data-asid="15336955" data-mediaid="6055122" src="http://o.aolcdn.com/dims-shared/dims3/GLOB/crop/1280x850+0+0/resize/628x/format/jpg/quality/85/http://hss-prod.hss.aol.com/hss/storage/adam/334bdad716e51f24b20c0fff3 900d1a9/03-2013-bmw-m3-lre-review.jpg" style="width: 628px; height: 417px;" /></a><br />
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I like difficult cars. I like turbo "moments," dramatic weight distribution, low-grip, peaky power delivery, and overly quick steering, along with ultra-short wheelbases and any number of other non-racecar-perfect dynamic foibles. I love the newest generation of <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/bmw/">BMW</a> cars and engines - all turbo'd up with tons of torque and power everywhere in the rev range, too. But what I think the enthusiast community will miss when this 2013 <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/bmw/m3/">M3 Coupe</a> becomes the 2014 <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/tag/bmw+m4/">M4 Coupe</a> - replacing its idiosyncratic, small-displacement, revvy V8 for <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2012/09/13/2014-bmw-m3-engine-revealed-w-video/">something like a triple-turbo, directly injected, inline six-cylinder</a> powerhouse in the process - is the work it takes to drive the car fast and perfectly. Sometimes small flaws just make things better; my mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun, and all that.<br />
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The idea of this E92 M3 going away then, magnified by the loss of the M3 badge for the coupe, is at best bittersweet for me. This generation of M car is already surpassed in terms of raw thrills by the better-than-ever <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/mercedes-benz/c63+amg/">Mercedes-Benz C63</a>, a car that doesn't ask its driver to sacrifice low-end grunt or the very latest in amenities in return for stellar backroad performance. Yet any time I've been lucky enough to lap a track in the M3, it has quickly become clear that the Bimmer is the better on-edge tool. With the freedom to wring the neck of the 4.0-liter V8 and room to exercise the lovely balance of the car, the E92 is hard to match (even six years after its debut).<br />
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Still, when the 2013 BMW M3 Coupe <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2012/07/06/bmw-unveils-limited-edition-lime-rock-park-m3/">Lime Rock Park Edition</a> rolled into my driveway, its Fire Orange bodywork flashing over gloss-black 19-inch rolling stock, the car had me a little crossed up. BMW has been tossing out special edition M3s for the last few years now, all asking thousands of dollars extra for the limited production-run vehicles. I knew that the LRP was more than a mere trim and tape package, but would it be an appropriate send off for a spectacularly departing sports car legend, or just $10,000 down the drain where a stock M3 Coupe would have happily sufficed?<p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2013/07/25/2013-bmw-m3-coupe-lime-rock-park-edition-review/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>2013 BMW M3 Coupe Lime Rock Park Edition</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;backgr ound:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2013/07/25/2013-bmw-m3-coupe-lime-rock-park-edition-review/">2013 BMW M3 Coupe Lime Rock Park Edition</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblo g</a> on Thu, 25 Jul 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our <a href="/rss-term-of-use/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2013/07/25/2013-bmw-m3-coupe-lime-rock-park-edition-review/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/20675703/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2013/07/25/2013-bmw-m3-coupe-lime-rock-park-edition-review/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>

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