Almost every BMW bearing the M3 name has served as a benchmark for driving excellence, but the E46-generation M3 is widely regarded as the pinnacle of the model’s lineage. The E46 M3’s high-revving inline-six, better known as the S54, also found its way under the hood of the Z3-based M Roadster and M Coupe. Despite its name, the latter model is better described as a hatchback or shooting brake, and its shape earned it the nickname “Clown Shoe”.
I was only two years old when the S54-powered M Coupe entered the US market for 2001. Before that, BMW’s 240-hp S52 inline-six powered US-spec M Coupes (and M Roadsters). As I grew up and developed a love for bizarre and unorthodox vehicles, I learned about the later S54-powered M Coupe’s punk reputation. As a teenager I fancied the Clown Shoe; the car’s wacky shape appealed to my conflicted tastes.
Now, more than 20 years after its introduction, I finally had the opportunity to discover whether the M Coupe and its S54 engine were able to live up to my high expectations. BMW invited a group of journalists to take part in a nearly 400-mile drive from Miami, Florida, to Amelia Island for the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance, with the bunch of us passing several classics along the way BMWs swap. The trip focused on the bloodline of BMW roadsters, from the modern Z4 to the 1996 Z3. It also gave me a spin behind the wheel of my proverbial white whale: a 2001 M Coupe.
Painted in Laguna Seca Blue, the M Coupe looked beautiful under the harsh Florida sun. I lay down in the well-bolstered driver’s seat. Behind the wheel, the M Coupe felt significantly smaller than the 2008 Z4 M Coupe—the M Coupe’s successor—that I drove the day before. At five feet 11 inches tall, my scalp almost brushed the hairline. Taller drivers will certainly struggle to fit comfortably in this compact Bimmer. I soon discovered that comfort is secondary to the thrill of driving an S54-powered M Coupe.
Traffic outside our Vero Beach hotel limited my ability to stretch this hatchback’s legs for a few miles. Still, it gave me the opportunity to imagine what it might feel like to live with an M Coupe as a daily driver. Just one day earlier, I had driven the Z4 M Coupe in similar conditions, and its clumsy gearshifts seemed to scold me for trying to shortshift. First gear’s short ratio (just 4.35:1) gave my left leg and right arm a workout as the car crawled through Florida’s stop-and-go congestion.
However, the 2001 M Coupe was less obnoxious among the slow-moving swarm, its shifter’s compliance allowing me to perform smoother gear changes at lower engine speeds. Yet I felt the Clown Shoe begging me to let it go. The open ramp to I-95 beckoned.
The M Coupe’s minuscule dimensions contribute to its exciting dynamics. Compared to the current Z4 M40i, the M Coupe is 5.0 inches narrower and 12.2 inches shorter, not to mention more than 400 pounds lighter. And yet the 22-year-old M Coupe’s punchy six-cylinder engine is just 67 horses less than the Z4 M40i’s turbocharged inline-six.
That said, the S54’s 251 pound-feet of torque is a significant 118 pound-feet less than the B58’s output in the 2023 Z4. While today’s Z4 engine offers abundant torque throughout the rev range, the M Coupe’s engine was a bit better, with its peak torque arriving at 4900 rpm. Even so, once the tachometer needle swung past the 2500 rpm mark, the M Coupe acquired enough grunt to come into its own.
With an open road ahead, the M Coupe urged me to floor its right pedal until the S54’s crank cranked past its 7400 rpm power peak and toward redline. At these high revs the engine emitted a tinny howl. Although we deemed this sound “obnoxious” in our December 2001 review of an M Coupe, I found myself mesmerized by the S54’s scream, which seemed to exemplify the rebellious spirit of this tiny two-door bimmer.
The M Coupe’s five-speed gearbox was as enjoyable as the engine it was paired with. As we drove down the highway to Amelia Island, I repeatedly ran through the car’s top three gears simply for the satisfaction of feeling the shifter’s short and precise throws.
To my surprise, the M Coupe was a relatively tame and comfortable companion in this environment. Its firm suspension was forgiving enough to absorb dips and dips in the tarmac without upsetting the chassis.
BMW also designed the M Coupe with lateral dynamics in mind. Unfortunately, finding a loggerhead sea turtle in Florida is easier than finding a loggerhead. Still, as I headed away from the mainland and toward Amelia Island, a ribbon of winding tarmac appeared before me.
The M Coupe slouched on its rear as it entered the first corner, its wide and sticky rear tires pushing the stubby Bimmer over the top. Despite the tall six-cylinder engine mounted in the front of the cabin, the Clown Shoe felt balanced through the corners. Knowing the short-wheelbase M Coupe’s semi-trailing-arm rear suspension’s penchant for lift-off oversteer, I refrained from pushing the Clown Shoe too hard on this small section of curves.
Soon the road straightened out, and my brief time exploring the Clown Shoe’s lateral capabilities was over. I briefly considered taking off in the M Coupe as I pulled into the Amelia Island hotel. I knew the rare, beautiful and exotic vehicles of the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance awaited, but at that moment I just wanted to stay buckled into the driver’s seat of the M Coupe to hear the metallic sing of the S54. engine as it crawled towards redline and felt the satisfying action of the five-speed gearbox just once more.
After admiring the M Coupe from afar for so many years, I almost expected it to fall short of my high expectations. Now I rode one and felt a visceral thrill that was even more satisfying than I imagined. BMW’s S54 engine may always be synonymous with the E46 M3, but for me the German automaker’s legendary inline-six is best experienced from the cramped cabin of the Clown Shoe.
Associate News Editor
Caleb Miller began blogging about cars at the age of 13, and he realized his dream of writing for an automotive magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and attending the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure cars, aiming to one day own something outlandish like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsport fan.
