The BMW M3 and M4’s online unveiling generated a fair bit of controversy in the industry. BMW’s latest performance-oriented pair sport an unusually massive front grille design. While the main story surrounded the stylistic changes, M Performance also released its parts catalog. As if the base design wasn’t striking enough, buyers can now take it to a new level with wheels, aero, and plenty of stickers. 

You can now have a tilted exhaust system on your BMW M3 and M4

Horizontally mounted quad exhaust tips have characterized almost all BMW models of the last few decades. A sporty diffuser usually separates the tips, and previous M Performance catalogs have offered elegant carbon fiber parts to accentuate them. However, for the 2021 BMW M3 and M4, the German manufacturer has decided to offer a tilted quad exhaust setup. 

The tips angle upwards as they get closer to the rear bumper’s center, and the available carbon fiber diffuser wraps around them. Given that this exhaust setup is so different from that of the standard BMW M3 and M4, buyers will most likely have to purchase the diffuser to make it work. Thankfully, the rear bumper itself remains unchanged, so a complete transplant is not required. 

While BMW describes its new exhaust system as “striking,” it’ll be up to buyers to decide whether that’s in a positive or negative sense. Pricing has yet to be released, although if previous parts catalogs are anything to go by, expect it to be pricey.

BMW Motorsport touches in the form of carbon fiber aero

The biggest offerings from the M Performance catalog seem to be the carbon fiber aerodynamic components. If the design of the 2021 BMW M3 and M4 isn’t striking enough, you’ll be able to add carbon fiber to almost every body panel. Upfront, there’s an available front splitter that is sharp but not over the top. The M Performance Aero Flicks attach to the front bumper’s sides and, like the splitter, are subtle. The M Performance carbon attachment is a carbon overlay directly sticks to the bumper and surrounds the lower air intakes. 

There are available side skirts for the BMW M3 and M4 that match well with the front splitter. The added skirts give the car a sharper, lower appearance. The side skirts connect perfectly with the ear winglets and create a cohesive design. On top of the trunk, you’ll find either a subtle decklid spoiler or a decently sized wing. Given its overall size and angle of attack, the wing’s effectiveness is questionable and just seems to clutter an already complicated design. 

If the carbon bits and BMW’s claimed “high degree of motorsport atmosphere” isn’t enough, the rendered images used for the catalog appear to show massive stickers that should become available eventually.  

21-inch wheels are now optional

For the release of the 2021 BMW M3 and M4, M Performance is offering two unique wheel designs. The first is a reasonably sized forged set of staggered 19-inch front and 20-inch wheels. The second is an enormous set of 20-inch front and 21-inch rear wheels in a similar multispoke design. It wasn’t long ago that 21-inch lived primarily large on SUVs, although we shouldn’t be surprised. 

Wheels have been getting larger, and even the track-focused Porsche 911 GT3RS has 21-inch rear wheels. BMW is also offering a chain-capable set of winter wheels to handle the snow. Like everything else in this catalog, pricing has yet to be released and should arrive closer to customer deliveries.