BMW's design brief for the 2007 3 Series coupe was to give it an elegant yet athletic look that would clearly differentiate it from the four-door sedan introduced a year earlier. While the two vehicles share their 108.7-inch wheelbases, they share no sheetmetal.

The coupe is longer and lower and not as wide. By using standard Xenon headlamps, its front light fixtures are smaller, and are nicely set off above the deep front fascia with its wide array of air inlets to feed the powerful twin-turbocharged engine.

The hood is long and includes a subtle power dome to indicate that there is substantial horsepower underneath. The hood line, which actually starts down in the front apron, leads up and back toward a roofline that is long and smooth and inches lower than that on the sedan (but don't worry, there's plenty of headroom even in the back seat).

The sides of the car feature BMW's flame surface treatment, a design that accentuates the way the light is reflected to make the car look like it's accelerating even when it's sitting still. Even the new rear view mirrors were designed to enhance aerodynamic efficiency. Short front and rear overhangs add to the aggressive profile.

One purpose of the design was to lead the observer's eyes toward the rear wheels and quarter panels as a way to visually express that this is a sporty car propelled by its rear wheels.

Seen from the rear, the new 3 Series coupe looks wide and low, with prominent tail lamps above dual exhaust tips that provide a visual clue that the car ahead has a powerful engine.

While sleek and elegant, the coupe's new body also is strong and lightweight. Compared to the sedan, the coupe is 22 pounds lighter even though it carries more standard equipment. The use of composite materials for things such as the front fenders helps keep the car light and the use of high-strength steel helps keep it strong and rigid, some 25 percent more rigid than the previous generation.