According to the fellows at WindingRoad, sources close to BMW revealed that a stripped-out lightweight setup using the twin-turbo six installed on a 135i, is currently being tested. While, I really don't think BMW will actually going to make the tii a production car, I am still going to relate to you what the inside sources have told our colleagues.

A German source with direct knowledge of the goings-on tells us that what is currently in testing is a stripped-out lightweight setup using the twin-turbo six installed in the 135i (as well as in the 335i and 535i). The engine will be set lower within the body work as well to bring the slight top-heaviness of the 3.0-liter twin turbo motor closer to earth, thereby immediately improving cornering abilities. No word on power output upgrades yet, but the acceleration number to 60mph is, according to our source, “pleasantly under 4.5 seconds.” 

Back in February at the Chicago Auto Show, we had a chance to chit-chat with one of the top BMW executives, and among other things, we have asked if the tii will become a production car. The answer was: Absolutely NOT! All that BMW will do is to provide the performance parts to all the 1-series enthusiasts that would like to "transform" their car into a lighter, faster version, such as the tii. 

Sorry guys, but I don't think there will be an M1 or a tii. 

We're continuing our BMW 1-series coverage and reviews, with some video footage of the all new BMW 135i. Alex Valentine, a member of 1addicts.com and the owner of alexvalentine.org,
has posted some videos with his new Sparkling Graphite 135i. One thing that I totally loved about his video, was the demonstration of the iPhone integrating with the 1-series.

Good job Alex!

 Also, wonderful job on the second video, where he used a cruise-camera to capture the test drive.

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As far as we know, this is the first customer that takes delivery of his new BMW 1-seriess, in this case, the 135i. Ringmeister is a member of 1addicts.com and he is the lucky guy that will get to drive his new BMW 135i around NJ. We have already announced yesterday that most of the U.S dealerships are getting their first 1-series but , despite being a few days away from the official release, JMK BMW in Springfield, NJ, has already delivered the first 1'er.  

This is absolutely great news for the 1 series fans and I am pretty sure most of you will be calling your local dealers today to schedule a test drive.

The 135i delivered to Ringmeister, is a beautiful Alpine White with black leather interior. In my opinion, the Alpine White will become the most popular choice when it comes to exterior colors for the 1 series. 

Anyway, enjoy the photos and I am sure there will be more to come the next few days.

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Word came down today, that many U.S BMW dealerships have received their first demo car. Also, the same source told us that every dealer will get a BMW 135i in Black Sapphire with Coral Red Leather. If you would like to be the first one that drives the car, I suggest giving a call to your local dealers and maybe you will get lucky. 

Two weeks ago at the Geneva Auto Show, BMW has released their Performance Parts catalog and yesterday, the BMW tuner Hartage, gives us a new tuning kit program for the BMW 1-Series.

Hartage decided to focus mostly on the handling, performance and exterior design, rather than trying to improve the already amazing twin-turbo engine found in the 135i coupe. Exterior wise, Hartge gives the 1-Series carbon casings for the sideview mirrors, an adjustable sports suspension and a large choices of wheels and tires: HARTGE Classic 2 or the HARTGE Classic 2, with a wide range of Pirelli and Continental tires including a 9×19" 255/30ZR 19/8 x19" 225/35ZR rear/front setup.

We're pretty confident that in the following weeks, the other major BMW tuners will follow with their own modifications.

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Last summer when the first BMW 1-series photos came out, we decided to do a comparison between the BMW 135i and the BMW E46 3-series. It was one of our most read articles and of course, it has received some criticism. Many of our readers did not see the resemblance between these two models and believed that the E46 chassis is actually more similar to the E9x models. 

Back then, I have definitely disagreed with this statement and I felt that new 135i resembles in many ways the 330ci, for example. So yesterday, while surfing the 1addicts.com forums, I came across of some really cool photos showing an Alpine White BMW 135i parked right next to a 330ci E46. Once again, I was convinced that the two cars are similar in some ways and they are definitely a closer match than an E46-E90 pair.

Of course, there are also many differences between the two models, but I won't get into those right now and I will just let you see the photos and tell me your opinion.

P.S Disagreeing with me is encouraged since this is just my personal opinion

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The BMW 1-series reviews continue to fly in and today we have a great review done by the colleagues at Left Lane News. Let's do something different and not go the conventional route this time, so I will post their conclusion first:

This won’t be just an entry point for budget-conscious admirers of the blue-and-white Roundel. We think it's going to appeal to enthusiasts who still prefer to do their own driving in an appropriate machine rather than relying on high-tech wizardry to master a car too heavy or powerful for their capabilities.

We can’t wait to see how the 135i coupe does on the track. It may be the vehicle of choice for a whole new group of drivers to improve their driving skills and satisfy their need for speed within the growing track-day motorsports hobby.

 Surprised? Probably not, most of the 1-series reviews have been positive and it certainly helped the marketing of this car. Some of older reviews can be found here, here and here.

Leftlanenews article

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Yesterday I received a call advising me that the BMWNA Headquarters in Schaumburg, IL, has a few 1-series models sitting in their lot. Since I know that all of you true 1-series addicts are dying to see new photos, the first thing I did this morning was to grab my camera and swing by their parking lot. I went inside to ask permission from the BMW staff and a few minutes later, I was walking around the cars snapping photos.

There were about a half dozen 1-series cars there, majority of them 135i's, a couple debadged ones and an 128i convertible. No need to say, the car looks great even though they were frosty. I hope you enjoy the photos and hopefully we will have more soon.

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Continuing the coverage from the Geneva Motor Show with the new 2009 BMW 1-series Convertible. The subject has been covered before, so we won't get into the technical details, but if you would like to catch up or refresh your memory, you can always read our post from the Detroit Show back in January.

The 1-series cabriolets that were reveiled in Geneva are the European versions, more specifically, the 125i and 120i.

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The moment we were all waiting for. At the Geneva Motor Show 2008, BMW has unveiled an 1-series car that has been modded with all the goodies found in the BMW Performance Parts Catalog. According to our friends at Autoblog, BMW will keep carbon weavers in business for some time and the only sizable component not made out of carbon was the silencer, and no one will see that after it's installed. If nothing else, it could be the best and most agreeable way to raise your carbon footprint. 

Btw, the BMW 123d in display it's similar to the tii concept that was shown at the Chicago Auto Show.

Now, let the games begin and see how many true 1-series fans will mod their cars.

P.S We can't wait to see a 1-series diesel in the U.S 

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BMW is in the midst of letting loose a barrage of 1-Series marketing to current MINI owners and prospects… but is it just about moving consumers up-market, or is there more to this strategy than meets the eye?

The fact that Jack Pitney (the Marketing VP behind the MINI launch in ’02) is now running BMW’s Marketing arm says a lot about the 1-Series’ potential as a booster shot for the entire Bimmer brand. What Pitney found when he took over duties at BMW in 2005 was that, according to their internal research, the brand’s identity had begun to slip back into that old 1980’s Wall Street yuppie stigma in the minds of luxury car buyers. A 2006 BusinessWeek article cites:

Pitney was distressed to find when he took over the brand last year after a successful run managing MINI USA. BMW's research shows that despite record sales in the U.S. last year, a shocking 75% of luxury buyers aren't even considering a Bimmer.

BusinessWeek

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With the E82 1-Series debuting to such great reviews and speedy track times we tend to not remember or forget that it was the small coupe style car that made BMW what it is today. The new 128i and 135i are amazing cars, especially with Car and Driver reporting on the 135’s blistering 4.7s 0-60 performance and Fifth Gear’s video of the 135i battling the Porsche Cayman (link here: www.bmwblog.com), but it was cars like the 1966 BMW 1602 that provided the first small coupe driving pleasure that BMW still offers in all of its models.

BMW first started with small coupes in 1959 with the 700 and quickly moved up to the cult classic 2002 in 1968. With the 2002 BMW was making cars that no one else was trying to make at that time, small, reasonably quick 4-cylinder cars. The 2002 came stock with 100hp, 120hp with the 2002ti and 130hp with the tii version. These figures from a car with a 4-speed manual and low weight meant a quick and a relaxed sporty feel to the car.

The 2002 was also a favored car in different touring car series’. Then the 2002 Turbo in 1973 with 170hp came out and drove circles around the world. The price of admission was high, but you got a car that showed what BMW could do with its future.

The 2002 sells for a relatively cheap price as a used car today, and has various classic car issues, but, it’s a car that you buy as an enthusiast and slowly put back together to make it an enthusiast car.

This will undoubtedly happen to the 1-Series further on down the road. While many people are looking at the price to obtain a 128 or 135 we tend to forget that this is a car that we can hold onto and have forever and hand down. While it is geared more towards a younger audience, it is a mature audience that appreciates it more.

Article by Josh from Rawautos.com

Jalopnik had an interesting article posted yesterday about BMW going in a different direction with their 1-series marketing campaign. It seems like BMW is moving away from their typical  advertising and rather than shovel another recycled "look at the amazing precision of this new car" advertising campaign at us, they are going in a different direction with the 1-series  advertisement.

The campaign starts with the video below, which has been filmed and edited by Jeff Schultz, an american videographer. 

Kinda weird the video, isn't it? The movie focuses on this 454 meter tall ramp that Jeff happened to find in the a Bavarian hamlet named "Oberpfaffelbachen." Honestly, the guys at Jalopnik seem to be as confused as we are and we can only guess what BMW is trying to do here. I won't get into many details and I will let you read the theory that our colleagues came up with.

Full Story on Jalopnik 

You have seen the BMW 1-series Aero Kit photo gallery yesterday and now it's time to see some official video footage.

Yesterday, in a press release, BMW announced the release of their Performance Parts Catalog at the Geneva Motor Show. At that time, we didn't have any official photos, other than the 1-series tii that was displayed in Chicago. 

Since yesterday, we were able to find the official BMW photos that go along with the Performance Catalog.

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