It's just me and Sean today. John is still in Florida and it's Jen's birthday so she took the day off. Happy birthday Jen! Now, here's the news:
- Two Comcast employees were street racing their vans when they hit another car and left a three year old in a coma. Jalopnik.
- Convertible sales were down across the board in 2007. Sales of convertible Mustang alone dropped 33%. Autoblog.
- With gas prices on the rise, used Geo Metros are starting to fetch some serious money. Left Lane News.
- A test mule for the next-generation BMW 1-series hatch has been spotted running around Germany. Maybe we'll get this one in the States in 2011. Motor Authority.
GM has just announced that Caddy's new 550 horsepower hot rod has broken the Nurburgring record for a production sedan. Take that BMW! The blistering time of 7 minutes and 59 seconds was set this morning, and GM will release full documentation in the coming days. Stay tuned!
It's Monday, but that's ok. I know, from experience, that I'm lucky to have a job I enjoy. Anyway, here's the news:
- The General has seemed to weather the American Axle strike pretty well, but now the UAW has called a strike at a Kansas plant which makes the Malibu. It's unclear if the motivation for the strike is based on actual grievances or just being used to make the GM help solve the AA fiasco. Automotive News
- Pininfarina has announced that it will dedicate one of its factories to electric car production. The car hasn't debuted yet, but the Italian coach builder has said that it will be available in the United States in 2010, and will have 155 miles range. Sounds cool, but I'll believe it when I see it. AutoWeek
- Most of the time, when you hear a Lada mentioned, it's as a punchline, or it's being somehow compromised in a photo lifted from English Russia. But this one is designed to campaign in the WTCC series. Who knew? Jalopnik
- Looks like the shot of the M1 Prototype which was making the rounds on the internet is just a PhotoChop. Kind of a shame, as it's a really sexy looking car. Hopefully BMW is taking notes. CarScoop
It should be noted that the concave spoke curve that I particularly love about some aftermarket wheels (GT-R Fitment TE/CE Volks, Various Advans, etc.) has been getting a lot of love by OEMs in recent years. Ever notice the side profile of the BMW M5’s factory wheels? On this M1 concept they don't play around--the concave spoke design is at an extreme. I think it's a good look (even on an strangely designed wheel like this which I don't know if I love or hate). Concave spokes are like having a deep lip without actually having a deep lip. Continue reading...
Continue reading "BMW M1 Hommage and Concave Wheel Design" »
By David
aka Highspeedhijinks
When it comes to its heritage, BMW seems to have a flair for the dramatic. Instead of waiting for a regular old auto show, the company unveiled the it new M1 concept at a private party during the prestigious Villa d'Este Concours. Just so folks didn't forget the car's roots, the concept was parked next to an original M1, along with the 1972 turbo concept that inspired it. The purpose of all of this hoopla was to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the M1, and possibly, gauge if there's enough interest to warrant resurrecting the dormant model. Technical specs are scarce—the concept was void of engine and interior—but for those wondering, the headlights worked. Here's hoping BMW takes some styling cues from this gorgeous brain storm. Think there's room for another supercar in the already flooded market? Two more pics after the jump.
Continue reading "BMW M1 Concept " »
This video is a textbook example of schadenfreude. Because while crashing during a race is one thing, it's got to be more than a little embarrassing to crack up a car while turning donuts. Of course, it's good Heidfeld didn't hit anyone, but something tells me his crew is still a little pissed. Here's hoping he has better luck at the Spanish Grand Prix.
The Piper Motorsports guys have recently updated their e30 M3 ride page. This monster is coming along nicely (if you remember our post last October, this car is getting a V10 out of an M5). Latest improvements include mini tubs front and rear and custom Fiske wheels. The photo below shows the new OEM wide fenders which were modified and re-installed with a slight bulge to allow for additional wheel clearance. Apparently the car will soon be ready for the body shop to be seam sealed and primered. Can't wait to see how this turns out!
Vince's background is in mechanical engineering, and his day job involves designing patentable algorithms for predicting online users' behavior. His 2001 BMW 3-series track car is his hobby and obsession, and he admits to geeking out a bit on it:
Why a geeky car? In my opinion, the joys of modifying my car is not to constantly look for horsepower performance. The subtleties of modifying for the better involves looking at implicit parameters, such as optimizing flow under the car, through the oil cooler, the angle of the splitter, the flow in the forced induced plumping right down to the driver's accessibility in the cabin and comfort.
What makes this track car unique? Most of the projects and parts put together are NOT off the shelves. Most of them are fabricated from materials from local hardware stores and companies that carry specialty equipments (eg Pitot tubes and sensors).
Man, I really hope I get to check out this car out at Buttonwillow in June. Be sure to click through to his ride page to see everything he has done to it. His steering wheel (stock Sparco with BMW paddle shifters attached) is impressive enough, but you're sure to be impressed by some of the other tweaks and gadgets.
Want to learn more about the Grassroots Motorsports Ultimate Track Car Challenge? Check out cardomain.com/grm! And yes, we're still looking for green track cars!
Normally I hate wings, unless you're talking about a Superbird. But I almost like this one on Alex's M Roadster. What do you guys think about wings?
The answer... give it to Amuse and let them build it into the halo car for their new BMW tuning brand Ericsson. In 2008 Bulletproof Automotive Introduces Ericsson to North America! Here’s why... One of the most impressive things I saw at Tokyo Auto Salon was the unveiling of Ericsson and their first two vehicles, a E92 M3 and a E60 M5. Tanabe-san's M5 was already well known by me and I was already a huge fan of his exhaust system for that car, but the new M3 blew my mind. Usually even with the top tuning companies there are a couple of things that I would change about each car. Often they are small things, but usually I can find something. The E92 M3 by Ericsson was 100% perfect in my eyes. So much so that I renewed my vows with Amuse. Bulletproof will be distributing Amuse products a lot more heavily this year and we’ll be introducing Ericsson to the USA.
I stand behind this new brand 100%. Here’s why:
-My favorite exhaust factory, Nippon Steel, produces Ericsson's full titanium exhausts (I’ve had 4 of Nippon Steel’s exhausts on my S2000, so you know I love them…I’m getting my 5th one-off version air shipped in a couple of weeks)
-My favorite dry carbon manufacturer (I’m going to leave out their name) in Japan is contracted to do all of Amuse’s / Ericsson’s dry carbon parts. The quality is ridiculously good.
-My favorite FRP factory is employed by Amuse to produce all of their fiberglass parts (although most of their stuff is only offered in dry carbon). This factory is the same factory responsible for the amazing OEM fitment of Kenstyle’s aero parts.
-Tanabe-san knows how to design and build a car incredibly well and he’s one of the best in the business. His design philosophy is directly in line with my own and represents what I love: the indisputable and incomparable advantage of weight reduction, the usability of a daily driver, classic designs based on performance and usable functionality, and extreme attention to detail of not only design but manufacturing quality. 480hp M3 with 180kg (396 lbs) of weight reduction via dry carbon and titanium. More pics after the jump.
Continue reading "How to Build the Perfect E92 M3 - Introducing Ericsson" »
Wow, talk about a burly weekend. Right now, I feel like I've been hit on the head with a hammer. I threw a dinner party on Saturday night, and needless to say, there was a lot more drinking than eating. Anyway, here's the news:
- The American Axle strike has been going on for two months, and while the General has stayed out of the fight so far, it probably won't for much longer. Supplies of parts needed to build the Malibu and the G6 are getting slim, and since those are big money makers, it's probably going to start putting its foot down. Automotive News
- After Aaron Fike's candid remarks about driving while high on heroin, it looks like NASCAR is going to start paying a little more attention to the condition of its drivers. Probably a good idea. AutoWeek
- A team of high school kids has just designed a car that gets over 2000 miles per gallon. Why is Detroit still whining about CAFE standards? World Car Fans
- The new M3 has barely dropped, but German tuning house HAMANN has already released a tuning kit for it. With some tweaks to the motor, the company says it should be good for 200MPH. Damn. CarScoop
By David
GRM Editorial Director
A lot of cars pass through our hands on a weekly basis thanks to the various press pools. Call it one of the perks of the job. Recently, however, the arrival of one car caused work to nearly come to a standstill as everyone headed to the parking lot to check it out. The machine: the new BMW 128i convertible. Based on the impact it had with our sometimes jaded crew, BMW might very well have a hit with this one. Can't wait until the 135i shows up next week.
Over the last few years, I have to admit I've been a little disappointed with BMW's M3. Not with the performance, mind you, as that's always been world-class. In the styling department, though, recent cars just haven't delivered—think the "Bengal bump" on the trunk lid—and while it became really fashionable to hate on iDrive, there was a good reason for all the trash talk. It sucked. That said, the new M3 looks awesome, and it certainly doesn't hurt that it's packing a 440 horsepower V8 with an 8400 RPM redline. Check out this view from inside the new powerplant, which was done the old fashioned way—as in no CGI—and took 80 hours to film. Pretty impressive stuff.
