BMW BLOG

As some automobile publications describe it, “the land of trends and all things cool when it comes to cars”, SEMA 2009 opened its door earlier this week. SEMA Show is held usually in late October or early November in Las Vegas and brings together aftermarket manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers, car dealers, specialty equipment distributors, installers, retailers and restoration specialists.

For less than a week, Las Vegas revolves around cars and when it comes to car modding or tuning, anything goes here at SEMA. Some of the cars are clearly “overdone” while others still maintain a bit of decency.

Our hometown fellas at JDM Chicago were present and managed to snap some photos for us. Let’s have a look.

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While BMW and other manufacturers are skipping the Tokyo Motor Show this year, the automobile manufacturing company based in Buchloe, Alpina, is present and shows off some of their latest models.

One of them is the Alpina B7 BiTurbo ….long wheelbase version, similar to the shorter B7 which debuted at Geneva Motor Show in March. Powered by a V8 4.4 liter twin-turbo engine, Alpina manages to squeeze out 507 horsepower and an impressive 516 lb-ft of torque. Official numbers show the Alpina B7 LWB running from 0 to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds.

The speed limit has also been raised to 173 mph (280km/h). The B7 uses the automatic “SwitchTronic” gearbox, of course, rear-wheel-drive transmission. All of these should keep the B7 owners entertained on the german Autobahn.

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Are you going to miss the Frankfurt Auto Show this year? Well, in case you answer yes, we might have a “fix” for you. For days now, we’ve been taking you with us, in our journey at the Frankfurt Auto Show, 2009 edition; we have shown you lots of photos, videos and we shared with you pretty much everything there was to share, of course, with the main focus on the BMW brand.

Our coverage has been very extensive and as large as any coverage one car blog could do. Was it tiring? Exhausting? No doubt, but well worth it in our opinion and we’re glad we managed to pull through and most important, we’re glad you stayed with us through the journey.

But we are not done yet, beside the few videos we have coming up and some exclusive interviews with the 5 Series GT and Vision Concept designers, today, courtesy of our friends over at IAAblog, we have something new: a 3D Panorama from the BMW stand in Hall 11.

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We, at BMWBLOG, are huge BMW fans – like that wasn’t obvious enough -  but at the same time, we love cars in general. At every auto show we attend, we spend most of our time around the BMW Group stand, but we make a point of visiting other automakers as well, to learn about their new products, innovations or concepts of the future.

We also spend a fair amount of time looking at some of the most exclusive auto brands, for example, Ferrari, Aston Martin and Lamborghini. Being one of the largest auto shows in the whole world, Frankfurt gathers around an impressive amount of carmakers that come to glamor us with their cars.

Ferrari has brought out their latest models, Ferrari 458 Italia. Powered by a new 4.5L V8 which revs to 9,000 rpm, and produces 562hp and 398 lb-ft of torque. Ferrari advertises the 458 Italia as one of the “greenest Ferrari” to date, with an impressive 13.7L/100km (17.1 mpg US) combined city/highway rating.

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One of our last few items on the coverage agenda at the Frankfurt Auto Show, is the BMW 135i model with Performance parts displayed in Hall 11. Same as the 320d we’ve have shown you a few days back, the BMW 135i Coupe takes advantage of the Performance Parts found in the official BMW catalog.

The 135i Coupe features both exterior and interior performance components; front and rear-end bumpers, carbon-fiber bootlid and side mirrors, upgraded exhaust system, wheels and brakes, Alcantara sport seats and steering wheels, carbon-fiber trim.

Along with the visual upgrades, the BMW 135i Coupe gets an increase in power output of 20 horsepower from 300 to 320 horsepower. Torque has also been increaed, 317ft-lbs (manual transmission) or 332ft-lbs (automatic transmission) available from just 1,500 rpm.

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Starting in the 2010 model year, BMW xDrive will be available for the first time also in the BMW 7 Series. In the BMW 750i xDrive and the BMW 750Li xDrive this permanent, electronically controlled all-wheel drive ensures appropriate distribution of the power of 300 kW/407 hp generated by the V8 with its BMW TwinPower Turbo Technology, thus catering for all demands in every situation.

Through a power divider with an electronically controlled multiple-plate clutch, xDrive feeds exactly the right amount of power in every situation to the axle which, through its wheels, has the best grip on the road. Precise and quick control of this power distribution gives BMW’s all-wheel-drive luxury saloons truly supreme and outstandingly safe driving behavior under all conditions.

Through its dynamic operation, xDrive also helps to give the new luxury performance models with this technology the neutral behavior in bends and supreme tracking stability so typical of an all-wheel-drive BMW. In bends more drive power is fed to the rear axle in order to make the car even more nimble and avoid any understeer.

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There is no secret anymore that at the Frankfurt Auto Show BMW displayed an impressive fleet of vehicles, from production cars, to upcoming models and concepts, so we weren’t surprised to see BMW’s new line-up of security vehicles.

While the 7 Series Security was off limits due to customers being offered a presentation behind closed doors, the X5 Security was accessible and we decided to take a closer look.

The windows are upgraded to laminated 22-mm thick security glass and the car makes use of high-performance steel molded components and panels. The body features sealed joints providing support between doors and frames as well as between side panels and pillars.

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HAMANN-Motorsport presented several of their models at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Earlier today, we saw their own version of the popular BMW 7 Series and now, we are going to take a look at the BMW X6 Tycoon EVO, the widebody Sports Activity Coupe.

The revolutionary difference to its predecessor is the newly designed fender extensions and the striking rear. The visual and sonorous highlights of the rear part are the earthy sports exhaust system with the remarkable center double end pipes.

The masculine appearance of the TYCOON EVO is mainly emphasized by its new front wings and back wing extensions made of light composite material. They broaden the body by striking 60 millimeters. The perfectly designed side skirts render the optical connection while the front apron is an outstanding eye-catcher with its large air inlets and the LED daytime running lights under the serial headlights. At the rear of the X6, HAMANN engineers replaced the original skirt with an own development. This makes place for the sporty and earthy exhaust system with the center double end pipes.

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The beauty of attending an European car show is the opportunity to see the work of many famous tuning companies. Companies like Hamann, Brabus and others have a constant presence at these auto shows displaying their latest models.

The German based tuner Hamann brought out a variety of vehicles, from a Ferrari California and BMW 7 or X6, to Fiat 500. The Hamann 7 Series was introduced earlier this year and followed through with several small upgrades.

The exterior has been obviously received the most upgrades, starting with a new front skirt and continued with a roof and rear spoiler. LED daytime running lights which are integrated in the new front skirt, render a sporty-dynamic look.

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BMW 7 ActiveHybrid made its debut also at the Frankfurt Auto Show. Along with the X6 Hybrid vehicle, the 7 ActiveHybrid plays an important role in BMW’s EfficientDynamics program. Despite the fact that the two hybrids share a common branding name, the ActiveHybrid 7 uses a different electric drive setup from the X6 Hybrid and it’s being considered a mild hybrid. The system was developed in collaboration with Mercedes Benz.

The upgraded V8 twin-turbo with High Precision Direct Injection runs together, at the same time, with a 3-phase synchronous electric motor which is positioned between the engine and the torque converter. The electric motor generates approximately 20 hp and peak torque of 155 lb-ft.

The “pumped up” V8 twin-turbo engine produces 40 horsepower more than the engine found in the 750i/Li models to a total of 400 horsepower. The overall combined output is being advertised at 455 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque. The BMW ActiveHybrid 7 accelerates to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds (preliminary), while delivering fuel economy approximately 15% better than the 750i.

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