The current-generation BMW M3 Coupe went into production in 2007, and now, 40,000 units later, the company announced the model was officially taken out of production. Along with these M3 Coupe->ke2366 units, BMW->ke178 also sold a total of 10,000 sedans and 16,000 convertible units, which will remain in production until September 2013.

During the car's 6 years of production, the most important markets were the U.S., Great Britain and Germany. Special versions launched during the years includes an art car developed by U.S. artist Jeff Koons, an M3 GT2 raced in the American Le Mans series where it obtained five titles and a victory at the Nurburgring 24-hour race.

Since 2007, the M3 Coupe received no major updates and it retained the same glorious V-8 engine under its hood.

The BMW M3 Coupe will be replaced by the future BMW M4 Coupe.

Click past the jump to read more about the BMW M3 Coupe.

BMW M3 Coupe

The BMW M3 Coupe is powered by the same engine as the sedan: a 4.0-liter V-8 engine that delivers a total of 420 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque at 8,400 rpm. The model sprints from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.8 seconds and goes up to a top speed of 155 mph.

The engine offers numerous innovative features, like electronically controlled individual throttle butterflies, ion current knock control and dynamically optimized oil supply.

In the U.S. market, the M3 Coupe is priced from $60,100.

History

Image courtesy of Rudolf Stricker via Wikimedia Commons

BMW added the M3 to its lineup in 1986 and it remained in the lineup in one form or another through 2013.

The first-generation M3 was based on the E30 3 Series model and BMW initially offered it for the Group A Touring Car racing. The road-going version arrived shortly after with an S14 DOHC four-cylinder engine that produced 197 horsepower. In 1988, the company also offered an Evolution model that produced up to 217 horsepower;' also added that year was a convertible M3.

The second-generation M3 arrived in 1992 and was based on the E36 3-Series. The model used a 3.0-liter straight-six-cylinder engine with a total output of 282 horsepower. The second generation initially came only as a coupe, but a sedan version arrived in 1994.

In 1995, BMW brought the M3 to the U.S. market for the first time. For the American market the M3 delivered a total of 240 horsepower and 225 pound-feet of torque. This torque-happy engine allowed the M3 to hit 60 mph in 5.6 seconds. In Europe, an M3 Evolution arrived in 1996 with a 3.2-liter engine with 321 horsepower, but the U.S,-spec model was only slightly revised with horsepower remaining at 240 and torque jumping to 236 pound-feet at just 3,800 rpm.

The third-generation M3 (E46) arrived in 2000. It made good use of a 3.2-liter M-tuned engine that delivered a total of 333 horsepower and 262 pound-feet for the American market, and 343 horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque in Europe. This allowed the third-gen M3 to hit 60 mph in 5 seconds and sprint through the 1/4-mile in just 13.5 seconds.

The fourth-gen M3 arrived in 2008 (2007 in Europe) with a 4-liter V-8 engine that delivered a total of 414 horsepower at 8,300 rpm and a peak torque of 295 pound-feet at 3,900 rpm. This engine resulted in a 4.3-second sprint to 60 mph and a 12.7-second run through the 1/4-mile at 112 mph. It also was quite the handler with a 0.95g skid pad run and a 725 mph run through a slalom course.