It was closing time at the SEMA show on Tuesday evening, and they were telling all the attendees to vacate the show, but I bagged a 24 Hour all access pass, so that I could wander around (within reason) on the show floor. And look what I found, this little copper colored BMW Isetta. Continue reading after the jump!

Continue reading "One Cool Little BMW Isetta" »

By combining one of the best chassis designs to ever come from the German luxury sport manufacturer and the most sought after JDM engine in the world, you get one amazing performance package! Capable of awesome handling and super sleek sleeper-like performance, this BMW powered by Supra is a killer setup for the country club. Sneak up to the unsuspecting and surprise the ninth hole putters by unleashing 500 horsepower worth of JDM hidden under your stylish BMW embroidered hood. No one will expect the punch a Supra powered BMW M3 can deliver! Learn more about this awesome build at Tampa Sports Car Examiner!

Um… Check out the eBay auction for more pics and details.

Have you ever noticed that the car model you owned in the past has grown in size, in weight, and in displacement? This phenomenon affects almost every car line from BMW to Honda, with a few exceptions. Remember when the name Honda was synonymous with lightweight, economical cars? The company established itself in the United States in 1970 with the N600, a small four-seater. It hit pay dirt with the introduction of the larger 1973 Honda Civic, a car that was light and fuel-efficient yet could fit four adults in modest comfort. Honda sold many first-generation Civics during its seven-year run, as the car was just what Americans needed during the first OPEC oil embargo. During subsequent redesigns, Honda offered more Civic models. What had been just a two-door truncated sedan became a three-door hatchback, a formal four-door sedan, even a five-door wagon. Engine size increased as well, growing from a 1.3-liter four-cylinder to a 2.5-liter. Read more about the ever growing models, including BMW, and a surprise Detroit entry at Automotive Traveler.

The 2011 BMW M5 is the ultimate driving machine every way you look at it! Sports car speed and handling with luxury and road manners that everyone can enjoy, the 2011 BMW M5 is the pinnacle of four door performance. Spied tearing up Nurburgring with twin turbo enjoyment, the 2011 BMW M5 proves itself to be a very capable vehicle.

Not much is known about the new vehicle yet, but we can be assured by the BMW logo it is automotive perfection. BMW prides itself on building high performance vehicles that can be driven safely by all drivers. With a twin turbo V8 turning out just under 600 horsepower, this spunky sedan is a nice blend of daily driver and performance monster that everyone can enjoy! Great job BMW, read more about the 2011 BMW M5 at Tampa Sports Car Examiner.

Pretty tough sounding M5.

Scott’s 1976 2002 has M Power! Check out his ride page to learn more and see all the pics!

I decided to check back on that H.A.M.B. thread (now locked) to see if there were any updates, and I found this post from the Chevy II owner. Looks like he’s happy now…

Thank you to all the hambers who positively added to the content of this thread.
At this point ASK that we DROP the THREAD. I asked for a re-traction and recived this via e-mail:
We understand you and our editor spoke. If you would send us a letter stating your position concerning the photograph on page 76 of the October issue, we will be glad to publish it. You can send the letter by e-mail, or send it via regular mail. Please include your name, mailing address, and phone number.

Our mailing address is:
Car and Driver Editorial Offices
1585 Eisenhower Place
Ann Arbor, MI 48108

editors@caranddriver.com
CARandDRIVER.com

This is what I asked for and looks like justice was served.
Thank you again H.A.M.B. for your support John

Car and Driver recently ran a feature article on the BMW X6 M where they took the new Bimmer off roading, road racing and drag racing. One photo in the article appears to show the Bimmer pulling ahead of an altered wheelbase 63 Chevy II at Milan Dragway. A close look at the photo shows that it is clearly Photoshopped. Well, the Chevy owner is pissed, and has posted on the H.A.M.B. and the Car and Driver forums. And he doesn’t mince words.

Buddy called a coupla days ago kinda laughing asking me when did you get your doors blown off by a suv,I thought he was kiddin me. I know this world is messed up but WHY try to decive the public? Alls I can say is the mag,editors and writers are LAIRS,CHEATERS and WANNA BE SCAMMERS.
Bring that ol bmw out,title fer title and write an artical bout that.
I’ll be driven around in a little red suv.
No wonder the only time i see that mag is in the doctors office,makes me sick.

Keep in mind that the Chevy runs the quarter in high 9s @ 135 mph while the Bimmer covers the quarter 12.8 seconds @ 110mph. A bit of a difference, huh? So does the Chevy owner deserve to be angry? Does Car and Driver owe him an apology for altering the photo? Thanks for the tip, Tim!

This E36 M3 is owned by Stanceworks member Sean Williams of San Jose, California. Despite the ridiculously low stance, Sean uses the M3 as his daily driver. To get the slammed look (“pretty much the lowest E36 on the planet” Mike Burroughs writes), Sean uses a set of H&R Coilovers modified for maximum lowness. Continue reading at Speedhunters

By Mike Garrett

I’m sure most of you guys are aware of the short but fruitful linkup between BMW and McLaren that produced the F1 Supercar, but this was not the first time these two companies worked together. Back in the 1970s McLaren had an American based racing team that was used for its Indianapolis campaigns. It was this team which BMW charged with running its IMSA Camel GT campaigns for the ‘77, ‘78 and ‘79 racing seasons. Continue reading at Speedhunters

Over the past few weeks we’ve been in touch with Mike Burroughs of Stanceworks.com. If you’ll remember, he’s the one that made the cross country road trip from Tennesee to California in his rat style E28 last month. Mike has been nice enough to supply us with photos of some the Stanceworks BMW’s, including the ‘96 328i sedan you see below. The car is owned by Mike Theron of Plesanton California, and in keeping with the Stanceworks name, it’s got the wheel fitment and ride height game on lock. Continue reading at Speedhunters

By Mike Garrett

I thought this was pretty funny. Enjoy!

By Carl Jarrett

Going through my library of older shoots I came across this car that I shot back in 2006. Built by Il Salotto of Tokyo it was one of only a few import cars that have ever competed in the D1 Grand Prix championship. It all began in 2005 when Il Salotto turbocharged an M3 and tired their luck out in D1, but the car was never really competitive enough. They decided to abandon the M3 and start fresh with an all-new project based on a stock 318i. The E36 was fully stripped out, put through some serious spot and seam welding as well as getting tons of extra reinforcements around highly stressed areas of the chassis. A 23-point roll-cage was also fabricated and welded in place. Continue reading at Speedhunters

By Dino Dalle Carbonare

This footage to me, seems a bit inconceivable, as I’m only used seeing F1 cars hammering around the streets of Monaco…. not a field of M1s! The race was won by a certain Niki Lauda BTW…

By Rod Chong