Autoblog

Watch this well-told simple story of a BMW 3 Series owner

Dan Roth — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 19:58:00 EST

Filed under: Classics, Sedan, Videos, BMW

It's the stories that make cars great. Without stories, memories, or unrequited longing, any particular car or truck would just be a bunch of steel and plastic riding on some tires. The BMW E30 is a car that probably inspired an order of magnitude more stories than it ever spurred buyers. That's not because the quintessential 1980s 3 Series was uninspiring, rather the opposite. For every person able to cough up the money for a 325, there were dozens with pockets too empty to take ownership of this aspirational European standard-setter.

David Duran was one such aspirational kid in 1987 when his BMW 325 was built, not even yet old enough to drive. He bided his time, though, and in 1992, at the tender age of 18, he managed to purchase this '87 325i, which he's held onto for the last 20 years. Cars I See has given David's story the full-on video storytelling treatment. It may be one guy talking about his car, but it's compelling viewing for gearheads all the same. Check it out.

Continue reading Watch this well-told simple story of a BMW 3 Series owner

Watch this well-told simple story of a BMW 3 Series owner originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 03 Jul 2012 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW giving Brits the M3 Limited Edition 500

Jeff Sabatini — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 09:28:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Performance, BMW, UK, Luxury

The E90-chassis M3 is nearing the end of its production run, as BMW readies a new model based on the redesigned-for-2012 F30 3 Series. As is typical when there's a tantalizing new version coming, sales and marketing feel the need to goose the current model to maintain interest. Here in the States, we saw something like that in the M3 Competition Edition, while BMW's British outpost is readying its own exclusive model, the Limited Edition 500.

Available as either a coupe or convertible, the Limited Edition 500 will be unsurprisingly limited to 500 cars. Each will receive a "laser cut" trim piece on the dash identifying it as such, and the palette will consist of just three colors: Imola Red, Mineral White or Santorini Blue. Other than that, there's not much to report here, as the Limited Edition 500 is mechanically identical to the bog-standard M3, which is to say both wonderfully precise and rev-happy.

The big attraction, then, is the bundled equipment, which BMW describes as "well over £4,000 worth of additional equipment included for only £1,000." So some quick back-of-the-envelope math says those cheeky Brits are just offering a $4,500 discount on a nicely optioned M3. List price for the coupe is £55,690 (some $88,000 - including Britain's infamous Value Added Tax), while the convertible runs £59,785 (almost $95,000).

Click past the jump to read the full press release.

Continue reading BMW giving Brits the M3 Limited Edition 500

BMW giving Brits the M3 Limited Edition 500 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 Mar 2012 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SEMA 2010: Bill Caswell's Baja BMW E30 takes shape

Zach Bowman — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 09:19:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, Motorsports, SEMA Show, Performance, Off-Road, Racing

Bill Caswell's Baja BMW E30 - Click above for high-res image gallery

Bill Caswell is furiously welding away on his BMW E30 WRC bruiser turned Baja beast. As you may recall, the man among men famously stitched together a bottom-dollar rally racer, campaigned alongside the who's who of the World Rally Championship in Mexico and managed to snag third in his class. Now he's set his sights on tackling the Baja 1000 with the same craft, albeit with a few modifications. Along with a completely new roll cage, the old E30 is getting some serious shocks courtesy of the suspension fiends at Bilstein along with a complete subframe to support beefier components down below.

Caswell is aiming to build out the majority of the project while here in Las Vegas, and we've been promised plenty of videos of the build later down the line. Stay tuned.

Gallery: SEMA 2010: Bill Caswell's BMW E30 Baja Racer

SEMA 2010: Bill Caswell's Baja BMW E30 takes shape originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 09:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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24 Hours of LeMons announces 2009 Season Champions

Jonny Lieberman — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 09:15:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, BMW, Ford

Another day in LeMons paradise - click above to view hi-res image gallery

In case you missed it, the 2009 LeMons season ground to a halt a few weeks back at Thunderhill after the third running of the Arse-Freeze-A-Palooza (full disclosure -- I work as a Judge for the 24 Hours of LeMons). Filthy 2009 proved to be a pretty hectic season for LeMons, what with ten $500 car races at various ~~mud pits~~ locales around this great country of ours. However, '09 will pale in comparison to the frenzied, property-devaluing idiocy that the 21-race 2010 season is sure to bring. We'd like to apologize to our understanding women-folk and potential home buyers in general in advance.

Still, the 2009 season was filled with all the wonderful elements that make LeMons the fastest growing motorsport in the world: namely, fires, terrible driving, whiny drivers, cheating mechanics and totally excellent BBQ. Oh, and lots of cars blowing the hell apart. You'll learn all about this year's champs after the jump, but we'd just like to point out that the 2009 Deconstructor Championship belongs to Ford. If you don't know, the Deconstructor goes to the manufacturer that builds the cars that blow up the most often.

Why Ford? Mostly for the numerous SHOs that lunched their engines and transmissions all over various LeMons paddocks, coast to coast. To quote LeMons' second banana, Nick Pon, after he strolled through a typical three SHO/three dead cars pit in Louisiana, "Looks like someone tossed a Taurus grenade in here." Just seems to be the Taurus's week for winning awards. OK -- now make the jump.

Gallery: 2009 24 Hours of LeMons Champs plus Thunderhill

Continue reading 24 Hours of LeMons announces 2009 Season Champions

24 Hours of LeMons announces 2009 Season Champions originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 05 Dec 2009 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: BMW tests new wind tunnel with a model we can appreciate

Jonny Lieberman — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:59:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Europe, Technology, Videos, BMW, Luxury

Sylvie van der Vaart and a BMW E30 Convertible - Click above for high-res image gallery

The more things change, the more things change. If you would have asked our opinion, we would have told you that open top motoring means feeling the wind in your hair. NEIN! says BMW. And to prove just how far they've come in two short decades, the boys and girls at Bimmer decided to stick footballer wife and all around hottie Sylvie van der Vaart in a wind tunnel with two very different BMW droptops.

At first, Sylvie gets all tarted up in her best Falcon Crest summer ensemble with matching Aqua Net hair and gets behind the wheel of a 1987 E30 convertible. The wind tunnel is switched on and a 60 km/h (about 37 mph) wind is upon her hairdo. Rats, says her stylist. Ruined. Then Mrs. van der Vaart changes into some late first-decade-of-the-twenty-first-century duds and climbs into a folding hard top E93. Wind starts blowing and... not a thing, at least in terms of Sylvie's hair. It's as if her and the porcine 3 Series aren't in a high tech wind tunnel. Says van der Vaart, "What a difference from the older model! I couldn't feel the wind at all - I even had to check to see if they'd even turned it on."

A couple of points - sadly, Sylvie was diagnosed with cancer right after the photo shoot was completed. She was treated, so far so good, but now wears a wig. We know this because BMW chose to exploit her illness to point out that despite the wig, Sylvie still rocks out in a convertible. Thanks, BMW! That said, automotive aerodynamics have sure come a very long way since Malcolm Sayer taped tufts of wool to the E-Type. Also, not only were BMWs better looking in the Eighties, but fashion was, too. Video and press release after the jump.

Gallery: BMW windtunnel test with model

[Source: BMW]

Continue reading VIDEO: BMW tests new wind tunnel with a model we can appreciate

VIDEO: BMW tests new wind tunnel with a model we can appreciate originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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