Category: BMW

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Bathurst 12 Hour BMW

Vita4One Racing added to capacity Bathurst 12hr field

BMW at the 2012 Nurburgring 24 hour race

GT racing specialists Vita4One Racing will field two BMW Z3 GT3s in the 2014 Bathurst 12 hour (7–9 February). They will form part of the capacity 55 car field in what shapes as being one of the best 12 hours yet in the GT era.

The GT3-outright (Class A) field includes reigning Bathurst 12 Hour champions Erebus Motorsport (Mercedes Benz SLS AMG) and 2012 winners Phoenix Racing (Audi R8 LMS Ultra), Australian GT Champions VIP Petfoods Racing (Porsche GT3 Cup R), reigning Spa 24-hour champions HTP Motorsport (Mercedes Benz SLS AMG) a factory-entered Nissan GTR NISMO GT3 and also current-specification GT cars from Ferrari, Lamborghini and Chevrolet.

Vita4One racing, based in Olpe, Germany, won the FIA GT Championship every year between 2006 and 2009 and were world champions in 2010, then running the famous Maserati MC12. Following a brief stint with Ferrari the team switched to BMW Motorsport Z4M GT3s at the beginning of the 2012 season and continues to operate the cars to this day.

Read more, including the full field of entries, using the source link below.

[Source: Bathurst 12 hour]

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BMW

2014 BMW M3 Sedan and M4 Coupe revealed

2014 BMW M3 Sedan

BMW has now come good with info on its new M3 Sedan and M4 Coupe. We’re entering the fifth generation of this iconic model, but it’s the first in the “M4” era and also the first time the M3 has featured a turbocharged engine, although returning to a straight six configuration.

For the purposes of ease let’s just refer to the two models collectively as the M3, which is now around 80kg lighter than the outgoing V8 model. The standard 6-speed manual gearbox sheds 12kg and includes automatic throttle blipping for downshifts. While the 7-speed DCT, now 40% lighter, features a “Smokey Burnout” feature. No, that’s not a joke:

The Smokey Burnout function allows the driver to indulge in a degree of rear wheel spin while the car is moving at low speeds.

Sending power to the rear wheels is still a key feature of the M3 and BMW has helped control the car’s 317kW by including an Active M Differential. The system ties in with DSC to ensure wheel spin is reduced. In addition, the M Dynamic Mode allows a degree of hooliganism before DSC intervenes to restore order.

The drive for lower fuel consumption sees electromechanical steering make an appearance on the M3 and it features three settings: Comfort, Sport and Sport+. These settings are also complemented with the optional Adaptive M suspension.

BMW says the tailor-made engine provides “smooth and efficient power delivery, very sharp response and reduced fuel consumption and emissions.” Thanks largely to the design of its mono-scroll turbochargers, direct injection and BMW’s well developed Double-VANOS continuously variable camshaft timing.

Weight reduction has been aided by both the Sedan and Coupe having a carbon fibre reinforced plastic roof. A CFRP strut brace in the engine bay not only increases rigidity but also saves 1.5kg compared with the old M3.

Trivia buffs will take note in the fact that production will be split across two facilities. The M4 Coupe will be built at the company’s headquarters in Munich, while the M3 Sedan will be built 120kms to the north at Plant Regensburg.

Before you sink your teeth into the detailed info below, here’s the key stats:

2014 F80 M3 / F82 M4 key stats

  • Engine: 2979cc six cylinder with two mono-scroll turbochargers
  • Power: 317kW (431hp) @ 5500–7300rpm
  • Torque: 550Nm @ 1800–5500rpm
  • Weight (unladen): 1520kg sedan; 1497kg coupé (add 40kg for DCT)
  • Brakes (front): Four-piston fixed-calliper disc brakes / inner-vented, perforated
  • Brakes (rear): Twin-piston fixed-calliper disc brakes / inner-vented, perforated
  • Tyres: 255/40 ZR18 95Y (front); 275/40 ZR18 99Y (rear)
  • Wheels: 9.0J x 18 light-alloy (front); 10.0J x 18 light-alloy (rear)
  • 0-100km/h: 4.3s (manual); 4.1s (DCT)
  • 0-1000m: 22.2s (manual); 219.s (DCT)
  • Top speed: 250km/h (limited)
  • Fuel consumption (combined): 8.8l/100km (manual); 8.3l/100km (DCT)
  • CO2 emissions: 204g/km (manual); 194g/km (DCT)
  • Emission rating: EU6

UPDATE: BMW Australia tells us the M3/M4 is due to arrive early in Q3 next year. List pricing yet to be confirmed, but appears anyone fearing a journey beyond a $200K list price can rest easy.

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BMW

2014 BMW M3/M4 shown off in video

2014 BMW M4

Auto Bild has published a short video on the new BMW M3 and M4. The voiceover is in German, of course, but if you press the right buttons you can get some hamfisted English translations spat across your screen.

Official text and images are likely to appear from BMW in the next 24 hours and the car will make its public debut at the Detroit Auto Show next month.

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BMW

2014 BMW M3/M4 images leaked

2014 BMW M3

The reveal of a model as important as the all-new BMW M3 wouldn’t be complete without a decent set of leaked images surfacing prior to their official release. And here we have, in uninhibited pictorial form, the new M3 sedan and M4 coupé.

Technical details for the duo have been previewed by BMW and tell us the cars will have a 3.0 litre straight six cylinder engine enhanced by a pair of mono scroll turbochargers. Power will be around 320kW, maybe slightly more, and torque in excess of 500Nm.

For the last time, perhaps, you’ll have the luxury to choose between a proper 6-speed manual or a fancy pants 7-speed DCT to help you change gears. Weight has dropped by at least 80kg from the old model as well.

We’ll have the full press palaver for you once BMW hits the send button. For now, enjoy your first decent gander at the world’s very first BMW M4! You know what, and it’s sacrilege to say this, but on first impressions we reckon the four-door looks better.

[Source: GT Spirit]

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BMW

BMW to launch M3/M4 this week with GT6

BMW M3/M4

When Sony officially launches Gran Turismo 6 at the Ascari Race Resort on Thursday word is BMW will be there with the all-new M3 and M4. Not screen-based renders, but the real deal, in the metal that people can touch. And drive, perhaps.

There’s been reports of BMW’s most important M car putting in laps at Ascari in recent days. You may recall BMW held launch events for the F10 M5 at Ascari early last year. It’s certainly an ideal place to put the new 320kW/500Nm+ 3.0 litre turbocharged inline six cylinder engine though its paces.

For now, here’s the words from Sony whetting people’s appetites:

Present at Ronda and Ascari Race Resort for the launch of Gran Turismo 6 was a camouflaged version of the yet-to-be-launched BMW M4 Coupé. The stunning new car—shown publicly only as a concept until now—will go on sale in 2014. Thanks to an innovative collaboration with BMW “M” GmbH, Polyphony Digital enjoyed unprecedented early access to the car during its development phase in order to meticulously recreate the M4 Coupé for Gran Turismo 6.It will be made available through a free update shortly after the release of GT6, allowing car enthusiasts around the world to drive it before it arrives in BMW showrooms. More news on the unveiling is expected soon!

[Source: GT Planet]

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BMW Motorsports

VIDEO: BMW M235i Racing on track

BMW M235i Racing

If the thought of a BMW M235i Racing grabs your attention, then here’s a video just for you. It’s little more than teaser clip so don’t go in expecting lots of sideways action or even adrenaline fulled 10/10ths driving. The beauty about this customer racecar is you can buy your own and drive it in any manner you like!

BMW Motorsport says it already holds 30 advance orders for the factory-prepped racers. At €59,500 (plus taxes) it’s easy to see why.

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BMW Motorsports Video

VIDEO: At the wheel of a BMW M3 DTM

BMW M3 DTM

Last year BMW returned to DTM racing and did so in style by winning the drivers’ and constructors’ titles. This week Chris Harris takes us inside the carbon fibre shell of the BMW M3 DTM. It starts off as a fairly regulated affair full of briefings and instructions. Soon enough Harris is let out on the track and it’s worth watching to get a better appreciation of what these space age bespoke racecars are all about.

It’s also interesting to note Harris’ observation than V8 Supercars, in his eyes, are a better form of entertainment that the current generation DTM.

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BMW Green Machines Safety Issues

Stars fail to align for BMW i3

BMW i3 Euro NCAP crash test

As an all-electric city car the BMW i3 is going to have to deal with its fair share of naysayers and detractors. So word from Euro NCAP saying the i3 failed to achieve a maximum five-star safety rating will come as a blow.

Ever since the Renault Laguna was the first car to score a five-star rating for occupant protection in 2001 such results have become rich marketing fodder for car makers. BMW would have loved to follow Renault’s lead, but these days four stars doesn’t cut the mustard.

According to the Euro NCAP results the i3 rated quite well for occupant protection, scoring 86% and 81% for adult and child protection respectively. Where the electric city car was let down was in pedestrian and safety assist ratings, achieving scores of only 57% and 55%.

In contrast, other cars tested in the “Small family” segment, the Mazda3 and Peugeot 308 both recorded five-star results.

[Source: Euro NCAP]

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BMW Motorsports

BMW M235i Racing is already winning

BMW M235i Racing

We all love the new BMW M235i, right. Well, BMW has now given us more reason to love it with the announcement they will be making an M235i Racing customer racecar. Designed initially for use in the Nürburgring 24 hour race and its associated VLN endurance series it is priced from €59,500 (excluding taxes). That’s only around AU$89,000!

We like this bit from the BMW Motorsport text: “The car also comes with mechanical limited-slip differential, which is also available for the BMW M235i Coupé in the original BMW Parts range.”

The M235i Racing has had its electronic driver aids tuned for motorsport and the car also comes fitted with a roll cage and racing fuel tank. Power is up slightly from the production model—from 240kW to 245kW—and the pumped up body kit shown in the rendering above makes an already good looking car look even more aggressive. We can’t think of any good reason why these won’t sell like hot cakes.

Bravo BMW, bravo!

[Source: BMW Motorsport]

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BMW Green Machines

BMW i3 touring Australia

BMW i3

Early last month BMW Australia took delivery of a pre-production all-electric i3 city car. It’s been touring the country since and was in Canberra this week so I went along to take a look. Unfortunately there was no opportunity to drive the car, or be taken for a drive, so I had to make do with poking and prodding BMW’s first e-car.

The first thing you notice is that the i3 is much bigger than you might expect it to be. This is obvious when you’re alongside it, but also clear when parked in a showroom next to a 4 Series Coupe and an X6, with 3 Series models close by as well.

The i3 is quite tall, thanks mostly to its batteries sitting beneath the cabin floor. This also means the seating position is quite high and you need to step into the cabin with more thought than you would when climbing into a 1 Series or 3 Series, for example.

Inside the i3 you’re greeted at first by a light and pleasant cabin. There’s an immediate premium feel and the timber paneling actually works quite well. On closer inspection, though, there’s quite a lot of sub-premium plastic and felted paneling used (mostly around the doors and behind the dash). From a purely visual point of view these materials don’t stand out, but looking at the scuff marks on the driver’s door sill it doesn’t look as though they will wear well over long-term ownership.

Outside, the i3 does well to look like a BMW, while at the same time looking like nothing else in the model range. There’s a few oddities, like suicide rear doors and the boot is quite small. It is a city runabout, after all. The tyres are sure to be expensive to replace; I can’t imagine 175/60/19s to be very popular at your local tyre outlet.

We’re still around 12 months away from seeing the i3 offered for sale in Australia and you’ll need to be prepared for a price range that won’t be scared of giving $70K a nudge; or beyond if you’re keen with the options.

All in all, though, it’s great to see a company like BMW bringing all-electric vehicles to the premium segment. In real terms such models are still some way from making a significant market impact, but you have to start somewhere and on this inspection the i3 looks to be a pretty good starting point.

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BMW MINI

1959 Austin Seven is “reBorn”

1959 Austin Seven restoration

On the eve of the launch of the all-new F56 MINI we bring you this very cool story about a 1959 Austin Seven restoration project. The rebuild was undertaken by VDL Nedcar, the Dutch company contracted by BMW to supplement production for the new MINI starting from next year.

The 1959 Austin Seven had been stashed away in a barn for 25 years and is one of around 4000 models originally built in the Netherlands from 1959–66. A team of five VDL Nedcar workers at the company’s facility in Born set about restoring the car to its former glory.

The car’s rebuild was documented on Facebook and the faultless restoration project will be sure to boost morale of the 1500 workers who will start production of the new MINI around the middle of next year.

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BMW

BMW Australia to price M235i from $79,900

BMW M235i

EXCLUSIVE

BMW Australia is arming its dealers with pricing and specification details for the forthcoming 2 Series Coupe. Local allocations will begin production in January 2014, meaning you could start seeing them in showrooms by March, possibly late February.

Let’s get straight into it then, thanks to a reliable tip-off, we can reveal there’ll be three 2 Series models offered in Australia:

BMW 220i Coupe – $50,500*
BMW 220d Coupe – $52,500*
BMW M235i Coupe – $79,900*
*Manufacturer’s list pricing (includes GST & LCT), correct at time of publication.

We’ll focus on the M235i for now. Costing well over 80-grand driveaway, at full retail price, we’re seeing the reality of BMW’s aim of placing a higher premium on the 2 Series Coupe compared with the 1 Series hatch. The M135i currently has a list price of $64,900 and $15,000 buys a lot of options. On the other hand you get an extra 5kW and a pretty face in the M235i.

Like the F20 M135i, standard pricing for the F22 M235i includes the well received 8-speed auto transmission. Other base equipment includes Professional navigation, extended Bluetooth connectivity, Cruise Control with braking function and dual zone climate control.

Crucially, for performance-minded buyers, the M235i pricing will position it in between the Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG hatchback ($74,990) and four-door CLA 45 AMG ($86,900).

Further details for the Australian 2 Series range can be found after the break.

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