A new BMW M3 will arrive in 2014, but what should it be like? Autocar’s Steve Sutcliffe puts three of its predecessors through their paces at Brands Hatch to find the perfect ingredients.

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One by one, the E92 M3, E46 M3 CSL and E30 M3, are being tested by the UK journalist.

The next generation M3 is due out in 2014 and after many years, it drops the V8 engine in favor of an inline-six units. The engine of choice is a newly developed 3.2 liter unit that is rated at 450 horsepower. The new M3 is expected to be slightly faster than the current E90 generation thanks to a lower weight.

The engine is mated to a double-clutch transmission 7-speed transmission, but we expect to see a manual transmission for U.S. customers.

Tell us in the comments below what your ideal M3 would be.