2011 BMW M3

Not too much new on the 2011 BMW M3; the taillights have been reworked, the front facia is a little bit different and both manual and DCT versions receive an Auto Start Stop Function, said to reduce fuel consumption and emission levels by as much as 8%. Yawn.

The real news is the Competition package available for 2011, which includes a 10mm drop in the suspension, lighter 19×9” wheels and a traction control (EDC) sport mode developed specifically for Competition Package M3s.

As soon as I hit the lottery, I’ll be in to put mine on order. Save one in blue for me, OK?

Source: Jalopnik

Taking another stab at truly entry-level luxury, BMW has confirmed their rumored intention to introduce the 135i M Series in 2011. Aside from the official announcement, little information is known about BMW’s new M other than that it will be a significant break from Motosport nomenclature tradition thanks largely to the M1 due out in 2012.

Apparently, despite the fact that M vehicles sales took quite a beating this year thanks the miserable economy, BMW has apparently judged the market ripe for the mini M’s invasion. We will have more on this story as the information is released.

Just when you thought your reputation at the track was safely ensconced within the custom leather interior of your M3, BMW releases the M3 GTS. Outfitted with a rollcage and a six-point racing harness, the M3 GTS is designed to separate the truly discerning motorsport enthusiasts from the wealthy housewives/heiresses/frat boys and – the audacity! – doesn’t even come with an automatic transmission offering. As a matter of fact, the M3 GTS is a death sentence on 19″ M light-alloy Competition rims for the hardcore poseur, which could be the primary reason BMW as no plans to introduce it to the North American market.

What’s there to say? Make the jump to view a video of the next-generation of BMW’s legendary M5 sedans careening through the Nurburgring Nordschelife. Of course, you’ll need to crank your speakers in order to fully appreciate the new Beemer’s V8 as it sucks air through twin-turbochargers, a radical departure from the current model’s V10. Anyways, I’ll shut up and let you just click through to watch the vid.

Yet another example of the changing industry climate, BMW has confirmed speculation that they will be ditching the M5’s 5.0L V10 in favor of a turbocharged V8. Set to arrive in tandem with a total model redesign, the new 4.8L V8 is expected to debut under the hood of the 2012 BMW M5 and will likely be unveiled in some form or another during the height of auto show season in 2010. Although we’re still awaiting official word from the Bavarians, sources tentatively expect the direct-inject 4.8L V8 to crank out upwards of 600-horsepower and featured a watered-down version of Kinetic Engine Recovery System (KERS) used in BMW’s F1 racers.

To avoid the crushing heartbreak that inevitably follows the announcement that a beautiful car will not be making a North American debut, we usually try to discredit Euro-specs the instant they hit our desk. Some, like the Twizy Z.E., do the work for us but others, like the Wiesmann Roadster MF5, make it marginally more difficult. Actually, the MF5 makes it damn near impossible.

True, we don’t particularly like the 500 Abarth paint scheme on anything except, well, the 500 Abarth, and the only car allowed to have a red-on-red interior is an Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera with a sagging headliner and a pack of Kools tucked behind the visor – but we’re still hopelessly enraptured by the MF5.

There’s no car more perfect than the BMW E30 M3, in my Germanic eyes. It is perfection. Lightweight, boxy, RWD, powerful and agile. For some people, though perfection just isn’t enough: The Mona Lisa could use one extra brush stroke (a moustache), the Steak N’ Shake steakburger could be grilled a little less crispy; Scarlett Johansson could have a better singing voice. If everyday Jack American approached the Mona Lisa very casually with a paint brush and box of water colors he would be publically bounced and trounced. If everyday Jack American returned his steakburger for one in ‘medium rare’ his replacement would be spit on, or worse. And if everyday Jack American asked Scarlett Jo to please take singing lessons before recording another album she probably would not have sex with him.

But there is a loophole. How much money do you got, son?

In a few short weeks, the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept will join the production-ready BMW ActiveHybrid X6 and BMW ActiveHybrid 7 at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show for the inaugural debut of BMW’s new ActiveHybrid technology. Initially conceived as an electric plug-in hybrid and designed in part by Bimmer’s famed Motorsports division, the 2+2 Vision EfficientDynamics combines the use of a 1.5L turbodiesel, two electric motors, and a lithium-polymer battery pack. The set-up itself is not entirely unlike similar plug-in hybrids already in various stages of development, but the Vision EfficientDynamics immediately distinguishes itself from the pack by flexing some serious specs.

It was only a matter of time before one of those nutso German tuners decided to cram the biggest motor they could find into the most unlikely chassis. To be honest, what choice did they have? Virtually every other engine combination has tried, like the Hartge V8-powered 1-Series. You can’t just copy the other guy, you gotta stand out. And let me tell ya, this Z4M that’s been implanted with an M5-derived V10 stands out, for sure … as Manhart puts it, “now the fire of a 5.0 litre V10 engine with an impressive output of 550 HP blazes above the front axle of the Z4.” Would you be willing to be seen in a Z4 to drive this?

We would normally be pretty reluctant to highlight a company that so audaciously self-proclaims themselves the “freaks” of anything. Unless it is getting your “freak on.” We tend to cover that subject pretty extensively. Nevertheless, sometimes a product comes along that makes even the most skeptical among us bow our heads in solemn recognition of its greatness. Such is the very reliable, very potent, E46 M3 turbo kit from Horsepowerfreaks.