The very clever chaps at Donut Media have given us the morphtastic animation of the BMW 3 Series. We applaud them and thank the for sharing it with the world.
If you’d like to buy a poster charting the lineage of the 3 Series the Donut lads have you covered there too.
[Source: Donut Media]
In addition to our previous post giving you Australian list pricing for the new BMW M2 Coupe, following is a very long list of standard specifications for the local market. Starting with February production we expect local deliveries to follow by around April or May.
The M2 Coupe starts with the manual only M2 Pure model ,priced from $89,900 and is joined by the M2, priced from $98,900.
For the extra nine grand you get the following standard equipment:
Full details can be found after the break.
This is the new BMW M2 Coupe. It’s powered by a 3.0 litre inline six cylinder TwinPower Turbo engine, making 272kW/465Nm. Fitted with a 7-speed DCT it can reach 100km/h in 4.3 seconds, add a couple of tenths for a 6-speed manual. BMW claims the M2 can lap the Nordschleife in 7 minutes 58 seconds.
Officially announced in mid-October the M2 Coupe will be on Australian shores around (or just before) the middle of next year. The best news is the 6-speed manual model will be offered for local sale. And here’s the Australian list pricing:
BMW’s original launch press release and press kit is available after the break.
UPDATE 9 December: It has come to AUSmotive’s attention that there’s some conjecture over the list pricing and what’s included. For example, is LCT included in the prices quoted above? Yes it is, as per the screen grab below from the documentation sighted by AUSmotive.
German publication Auto Bild has dragged BMW into Volkswagen’s noxgate scandal. It claims the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) conducted tests on the diesel-powered BMW X3 20d Xdrive and found it produced more than 11 times the allowed NOx emissions under Euro6 regulations.
BMW has been quick to respond with an official statement saying all of its vehicles comply with relevant laws and that it “does not manipulate or rig any emissions tests.â€
Despite this BMW’s shares still took a hit, although nothing as severe as we saw with Volkswagen this week. Fallout continues for Volkswagen with its CEO resigning in disgrace and expectations more executives will be moved on.
Elvis lives! We all knew his death back in 1977 was a conspiracy, but few knew he’s being reincarnated as a true thing of beauty—a BMW 507.
Actually, this is not entirely true, but there is a connection between Elvis Presley and the 507, specifically the car carrying chassis #70079. This was the car which Elvis used during his time in the US Army while stationed in Germany in 1959.
After some searching, the once white sports coupé was uncovered with red paint and in desperate need of restoration. BMW Classic is now undertaking that process and we’re sure the finished article will be number one with music fans and BMW fans alike. Follow the links below for more.
[Source: BMW Classic & Bimmer Mag]
This is the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R and it is pretty damn awesome. Inspired by the iconic 1970s 3.0 CSL this 21st century concept was revealed at the Concours d’Elegance in Pebble Beach last weekend.
It’s little more than eye candy with scant technical details offered. That leaves us with grand statements from BMW’s top brass.
Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design: “Motor racing is all about the ability of cars to mesmerise, about the unbridled joy of driving. Back in 1975, as today, winning races came down to how man and machine could work together. Technical innovations have taken the effectiveness of this partnership to ever great heights. And with the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R we’re aiming to show how much closer the driver and car can grow in the future.”
Karim Habib, Head of Design BMW Automobiles: “Both inside and outside, the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R is primarily a reflection of its function. The exterior and interior design is based around the requirements of motor sport as far as the car and driver are concerned; aerodynamics and driving dynamics on the one hand, the most direct connection between driver and machine on the other.”
If you think you’ve seen something like this from BMW before, you’re right. In May this year the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage was presented at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este. We reckon this R version, with BMW Motorsport livery, looks a lot better.
Enjoy the pics after the break.
BMW turned up to Monterey Car Week with this Concept M4 GTS. It’s a preview of a harder core M4, it’s still a road car but it will have more of a track focus.
Mostly we’ve got a lot of photos and not much technical detail. We do know that the turbocharged six cylinder engine will feature a water injection system designed to reduce the temperature of the air in the intake manifold. In turn this allows increased boost pressure for the turbo leading to improved peak power and torque.
The system has been fitted and tested on the Safety Car used for the MotoGP series and clearly BMW is happy with the results so far.
For extra bling the rear lights on the Concept M4 GTS feature OLED technology. The compact installation height of the lights along with the ability to illuminate individual light modules independently offers a few tricks for designers.
Overall we reckon this concept looks pretty good. The reworked aero package is not too over the top and the rear wing is almost tasteful. Check out the images below and see what you think.
Johanna Quandt, wife of Herbert Quandt and matriach of the family who owns 47% of BMW, passed away last week. She was 89.
She took a place on the BMW supervisory board in 1982, after her husband died in 1982 and held the role until her retirement in 1997.
She is survived by her two children, Stefan and Sussane. Johanna’s 16.7% shareholding will be passed down to her children. According to Car magazine that will leave Stefan with 26% of BMW’s shares, while Sussane will hold 21%.
The Quandt family helped protect BMW from a takeover bid from Daimler after WWII and have since played an integral role in the company’s fortunes. It’s worked pretty well for the Quandt’s too, who are one of the wealthiest families in Europe.
BMW USA will be participating in the 2015 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion later this month and has come up trumps with a few photos of its past motorsport icons.
We liked the pics of the 3.0 CSL aka the Batmobile and the mid-engined M1. And because we’re nice folks here at AUSmotive we sharing these pics with you now. Check them out below and remember to click on the images to load the 2560px mega image sizing.
UPDATE 18 August: New image added above.
The all-new Honda Civic Type R had an extremely long development cycle. It’s now been launched and has to go about living up to the hype Honda has generated.
Here Steve Sutcliffe from Auto Express takes the Type R to the tight Llandow Circuit in Wales to see how it compared with the Seat Leon Cupra 280 and the Renault Megane RS275 Trophy.
That’s all well and good, nobody would be surprised if the Type R was the quickest of that trio. But what if the Audi RS3 and BMW M3 are added to the list?
[Thanks to John for the tip]
BMW Australia is now taking orders for M3 and M4 LCI (life-cycle impulse) models and has taken the knife to pricing, while adding additional standard features as well.
When originally launched down under list pricing for the F80 M3 was $156,900 and the F82 M4 was priced from $166,900. Those prices have now been reduced to $139,900 and $149,900 respectively. Meanwhile, the M4 convertible has also been discounted to $161,900.
Additional standard equipment includes items such as head-up display, adaptive LED headlights, internet connectivity, tyre pressure monitor, full leather merino upholstery and more.
Shawn Ticehurst, BMW Group Australia Head of Product and Market Planning, is very happy with this news.
“More value, more technology and more refinement. That is what we are delivering with this update to the BMW M3 and BMW M4,” Ticehurst said.
“The growth of the BMW M range has been a fantastic success story for our brand, particularly in 2015. And over the first seven months of this year, we have already surpassed our total sales result for 2014.”
We wonder how happy those buyers will be who paid an extra 15-large for lesser equipped M3s and M4s?
Funnily enough, the M3 and M4 are now priced just below the Mercedes-Benz AMG C63 range.
The facelifted models will be on sale locally from October. There’s more detail below.
Following word from Bad Frank van Meel that there will be no M3 Touring under a BMW M GmbH he leads, here’s a look at what we’re missing out on.
Thanks to master rendering guy Theophilus Chin we can see how seriously awesome an M3 Touring could be. Fast, practical, and über cool.
Bad Frank says there would be no demand for such a car. Bad Frank doesn’t know what day it is!
You would buy an M3 estate if you could, right? You would, wouldn’t you?!
[Source: Theophilus Chin]