I was at the runway club event yesterday and couldn't agree with you more re the V8. Ive been a long term fan of my e46 m3 and repeatedly sung it's praises to anyone who'd listen. But standing beside the e92 m3 v8 when it started and hearing that grumble just elevated the car right into the mix with the rest of the exotica. It just seemed so much more special than the largely silent warm startup on the e46.

I always thought the v8 can't be worth the €20k extra to buy one, but now I think they are and I want one....