Quote:
Originally Posted by jm1234
The unibody defines a big part of how a car will drive and handle. I've got a free unibody available to me and there is no way I'd try to build anything out of it because it's from a piece of crap car. A good unibody construction lays out many components (weight distribution, rigidity, torsional flexion, interior space, how much the body panels will flex and squeak, etc...) that will allow you to make a great car. If the 335 didn't have a good unibody then there is no way the M3 could offer the luxury or performance it does. The post by e36jakeo is essentially correct. The M3 is what it is because of the 3 series car it builds on. There are more differences than e36jakeo lists and these lead to an M3 that is incrementally better (in every aspect, not just handling) than the 335 but they are not different cars. Starting with a great unibody is key to the M3's abilities. Give the M division the unibody from a Corrolla, Civic, Fusion or Cobalt and they couldn't touch the 3 series based M3.
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Good point, I wholeheartedly agree that the body itself is key and that the 335i made a great starting point for the M3. However you simply can not deny the importance of the other parts, the ones that are not in common with the 335i; engine, transmission, wheels, tires, brakes, DSC system, front and rear subframes, suspension arms, shocks, struts, sway bars, exhaust, etc., etc.
So my conclusion is that all of these other things are MORE important. Imagine if you could this thought experiment. Take all of these "other" compoenents listed above from the E92 M3 and somehow morph them so they could work with an old/outdated/inferior chassis like the E36 chassis. Not a bad chassis but not much compared to the 335i. Would this car still trump the 335i? I think it is pretty clear it would.