Although there has been much fanfare and excitement surrounding BMW ’s new M3 and Z4, there is one bit of information than has been sorely overlooked – the death of the company’s tried and true 3.2L inline-six.
Internally known as S54B32, BMW’s cast iron 3.2L six-pot has been a pillar of the company’s performance lineup for years. The straight-six started out life as a 3.0L in the 1990s before eventually growing to its familiar size of 3.2L.
Despite its rather modest displacement, the naturally aspirated engine produced 333 horsepower – and upwards of 343 horsepower in European applications – easily breaking the magic 100hp/L threshold. The S54B32 was lasted used in the Z4 M Roadster and M Coupe, but also saw duties in the previous-generation M3.
But the M3 has moved on to V8 power and the Z4 will now be using BMW ’s 3.0L twin-turbocharged six, so the S54B32 has officially ridden off into the sunset. The death of the 3.2L is a sad milestone for gear heads everywhere, but at least the engine’s successor has the performance o ease the transition.
