BMW BLOG

Let’s start this review with a different approach and tell you from the start my conclusion after a full day spent behind the wheel of some of the most powerful BMWs out there at the M Performance Driving School: amazing, exciting and educational.

I have been hearing for years about the BMW’s Performance Center Driving Schools and many of my friends or acquaintances have been bragging about it and since I write about BMWs daily, it became obvious that I have to try this experience myself. Before we go further into this article, I would like to disclaim the fact that BMW has offered this one day M course at no-charge for myself and Andrew, but I assure you that this article is objective as it can get.

The BMW Performance Delivery Center in Spartanburg offers quite a few exciting driving courses, from the Driver’s Program to M Performance ones and the BMW Motorcycle Rider training. BMW’s facility in Spartanburg caterers to a variety of drivers, from the less experiences ones to the advanced highly skilled drivers and even a Teen School which focuses on safety and caution.

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Most of you have already seen the previews for the next season of Top Gear so you have probably caught a glimpse of a thrilling race between the legendary McLaren F1 and much discussed Bugatti Veyron.

As mentioned in one of our previous posts, the Top Gear crew has always had an obsession to test exotic and supercars, rather than mass market, affordable vehicles. When they finally got their hands on the hyped Bugatti Veyron, the whole crew was impressed by its stellar performance.
However, not all in the automotive world shared their enthusiasm.

When Volkswagen Group acquired the rights to the Bugatti name in 2000, then-chairman Ferdinand Piëch announced that Volkswagen will release a Bugatti branded supercar soon after. This attracted much attention as it was revealed that the car would be the fastest road car in history.

After initial stability problems the car now known as Bugatti Veyron was finally released in 2005, priced at €1 million. As of today, the Veyron is the most expensive and with 407 km/h (249 mph) top speed is also the fastest road car available. Its W16 engine employs four turbochargers for exactly 1001 hp and 1250 Nm of torque.

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This is a question that many of you have asked recently, so we decided to tackle it and tell you what we know so far. This past weekend, the half loved, half hated BMW X1 was unveiled to the media at the Leipzig Plant in Germany. The full press release will be available in the upcoming days and hopefully lots of photos.

The BMW 7 Series will be the most represented this year, with three variants being unveiled in July. First, the BMW 735d model which will be using the latest 3.0 liter diesel engine is matted to an 8-speed transmission which outputs 306 horsepower an engine speed of 4,400 rpm with peak torque of 600 Newton-meters/442 lb-ft at just 1,500 rpm.

Around the same time, the fans of the xDrive system will get their wished fulfilled: the first 7 Series sporting an all-wheel-drive system. Also, the 7 Series Hybrid press release will go live in July as well. Built under the 755ih name, the 7er Hybrid uses a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 petrol engine that delivers 407 horsepower and 442lb ft, working in combination with an AC electric motor that can add another 20 horsepower and 155 lb-ft of torque.

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Horatiu has been providing a lot of coverage of the X5 xDrive35d and how well it is performing on the drive from Chicago down to Spartanburg.

However, in addition, to providing a platform to for testing out BMW’s fantastic new diesel SAV, it’s also provided transportation all the way down to the BMW Mecca of the United States: The BMW Performance Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

What are we doing at the Performance Center? Well, we’re attending the one-day BMW M Driving Shool tomorrow. While we’re not 100% sure yet which M cars we’ll be driving, we do have the itinerary of what skills we’ll be working on:

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An investment in the future: the Aerodynamic Test Centre.

No other car maker is as committed as the BMW Group to making lasting and substantial investments in the enhanced efficiency of new models. Building the new Aerodynamic Test Centre, the BMW Group now has even greater competence and qualifications than before in the area of innovative technologies contributing in the medium and long term to the further improvement of all BMW and MINI models in their fundamental strengths and benefits.

For optimisation of the car’s aerodynamic qualities improves both its performance and efficiency, as well as the driving stability offered by the car on the road. Precisely this is why optimum aerodynamics is already a fundamental factor today in the development of new models.

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Formerly Road Test Editor at Autocar magazine, currently editor at Driver Republic and one of the most popular UK motoring journalists, has expressed some concerns in his latest column regarding the future of BMW’s M brand.

Chris believes that the recent developments within the BMW Motorsport division have shown a slight shift in focus, starting back in 2004 when according to him BMW stopped offering decent brakes on its M cars. In balance, Chris acknowledges that the current M3 and M5 are exceptional cars, the fastest, but maybe not the best Ms ever built.

“Please excuse the pedantry, but the first M-car was the 1978 M1, which was a pukka homologation exercise. This fits nicely with the designated ‘M’ meaning, but the lineage was broken almost immediately by the launch of the E12 M535i (complete with dog-leg ‘box, slippy diff and catastrophic wet-surface behaviour). This was a street car, and it also carried the ‘M’ badge. Homologation purity didn’t return until the 1986 E30 M3. And since then very little of what BMW M has produced has had anything to do with motorsport.”

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Anyone who has experienced the E30 Picnic will tell you it is like no other car show. Even if you don’t own an E30 you will feel the soul of the BMW perfection at this event. With its growth in 2009 bringing 243 different E30s to the XXX Drive-In in Issaquah, WA on Sunday, the event has not lost its “come as you are” attitude.

The first weekend in June is always on the calendar for any E30 owner in the Pacific Northwest (or those coming from SoCal, Clagary, Utah, and Iowa). Sunday is what this weekend is all about. Root beer floats, raffles, and, oh yeah… E30s! The show ‘n shine is a time to catch up with friends from out of town, check the status of an ongoing project, and enjoy floating in the sea of E30s. The day is capped with a cruise through local back roads to enjoy our E30s as what they are, the Ultimate Driving Machine.

2009 was an extra special year for the attendants of the E30 Picnic since Satch Carlson, Editor-In-Chief of Roundel, was in attendance with his 325ix, Bad Dog. Satch shared his stories and insights with anyone that asked. From thoughts on BMW’s future to stories of his recent participation Silver State Classic Challenge, Satch loved to pass on some of his extensive knowledge of BMWs.

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Mike, or Bunker, as some of you might know him by that name, has shared with us some photos from a Concours d’Elegance exhibition which took place in Cincinnati, Ohio, this past weekend. A large collection of vintage automobiles across the country took place in this special event and the automotive art work of many notable artists was displayed there.

As one would expect, BMW was well represented there through some of the classic models, from the BMW 327 Sports Cabriolet, 2000 tii Touring to BMW 507 and Z8 and many others. A great way to spend a quiet weekend while enjoying some of the most extraordinary cars ever built in the last century.

Considering that tickets were sold for $25 and free for children under 12, it makes the event even more valuable. We’re hoping to attend a Concours d’Elegance exhibition soon, but in the mean time, let’s enjoy these great photos!

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BMW Group has announced that is supporting the City of Munich in their attempt to win the  2018 Olympic Winter Games event. BMW will be offering  three to five million euros for the first application phase which will run between 2009 and 2011. This includes non-cash contributions such as the provision of vehicles, for example.

While we’re excited to see BMW stepping up for the Munich citizens and the entire Bavaria Land, we’re going to root first for our hometown Chicago which is still in the race for the 2016 Olympic Summer Games.

We would be thrilled to attend both events within a two year time period….

Full press release below

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BMWBLOG Directory

At the beginning of this year, in a conversation with several people from the auto industry, I announced my plans to turn BMWBLOG into one, if not, the most important blogs out there, of course, in regards to our dear bimmer cars. I’m not sure how many of them believed in my words, especially coming from a small blog started by a single person. But what they might have underestimated were my skills, knowledge and most important, PASSION.

So, three weeks ago, after months of planning, development and more usability planning, we released the BMWBLOG 2.0, the second generation of our blog design, more than a facelift as we initially called it. The positive responses were overwhelming and it made us very happy, mostly because this design was all about YOU, our readers and an increase in the overall experience.

But since I had even bigger plans for this year, I couldn’t just stop here, so decided to push the blog even further. So what could have been the best next step? Well, once again, turning the blog into a one-stop shop for all your BMW news, photos and now, RESOURCES.

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