RECENT ARTICLES
COVID-19 Update For April 9, 2020
The BMW Car Club of America and the BMW Car Club of America Foundation are committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of our members, chapter leaders, boards, staff, and guests. Last month we published our first statement in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, we promised...
BMW Commits To Hydrogen, Previews X5 Drivetrain
BMW is forging ahead with the advancement of a hydrogen fuel-cell-powered electric vehicle concept. Since unveiling of the i Hydrogen Next at least year’s Frankfurt Auto Show (essentially an electric X5 with a hydrogen fuel cell used to generate power), development has continued, and BMW recently previewed what something resembling...
Social Distancing: Car-Guy Edition
After suffering from weeks of cabin fever and having self-quarantined from all of society in Southern California, we had to do something. Sara Pelly had just cancelled Mike Pelly’s massive 60th birthday celebration. Sara’s new idea was to do a drive around Orange County. As an elementary-school principal, Sara...
The Ultimate Pastime: BMW At Home
While we are in uncertain and difficult times, sometimes it is necessary for us to take a short respite from helping others and to look after ourselves. For car enthusiasts, this usually means blowing off some steam at the track or attending a local cars & coffee show with...
First-Quarter BMW NA Sales Plunge
BMW North America posted a 17.4% decline in sales during the first quarter, a figure that includes a 35% drop for MINI, and a 15.3% drop for the BMW brand. Those numbers are derived from BMW NA delivering just 64,692 vehicles during the first quarter of 2020, compared with...
BMW Brilliance Begins Construction Of New Tiexi, China Plant
Last week, it was reported that BMW would continue its investments in China in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. The largest national auto market in the world, China is already home to BMW Brilliance which has manufacturing operations concentrated around the city of Shenyang. In 2003, BMW Brilliance...
iRacing Momentum Builds: Eng Finishes Second On The Ring, IMSA Announces Series
BMW works driver Philipp Eng in the virtual #189 BS+COMPETITION Z4 GT3 that he shared with Alexander Voss and Laurin Heinrich finished second in round two of the Digital Nürburgring Endurance Series powered by VCO on Saturday, April 4. The #189 car was one of eight Z4 GT3s entered...
SRO Cancels May Lime Rock And CTMP Events
The SRO’s May 8–9 Lime Rock event and its May 15–17 Victoria Day Speedfest at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park have been canceled. SRO plans to reschedule both events. The series’ TC America and GT4 America SprintX series were scheduled to run at Lime Rock, while the CTMP event was...
The Water Pump Follies (Part III)
From the last few posts, you can tell that I have several garage projects proceeding in parallel. These include giving my E39 some love and replacing its crankcase-ventilation valve (CVV), and buttoning up the engine compartment in Hampton (the 48,000-mile ’73 2002 I bought last September)—and that’s not even...
BMW CCA Garage Goals Winner: Max Spangler!
Congratulations to this week’s BMW CCA Garage Goals winner, Nittany Bimmers Chapter member Max Spangler! Max has won a $25 Shop BMW CCA gift card and a $25 Griot’s Garage Gift Card thanks to this picture of his 2011 335d and E30. “My love for BMW started as a...
BMW CCA Member (And 1600) Highlighted In Petrolicious Video
There’s something about the simplicity of a vintage BMW. While the 2002 may have started it all—especially for us here at the BMW CCA—the story of that model traces directly back to the 1602. Introduced in 1966, the 1602 (initially 1600-2) took the winning formula of the M10 four-cylinder...
A Hartge Mercedes With A BMW Heart
BMW and Mercedes-Benz make different cars for different people. There’s a lot of overlap though, and we’re not just talking about both German automakers building great straight-six engines decades ago and now. While Mercedes has always seemed to lean a bit more towards luxury, and BMW a bit more...
Bubble Bimmer: Pristine 158-Mile 1998 740i Up For Auction
It’s every collector’s dream: an untouched example of the ultimate driving machine, perfectly preserved with an air-tight seal as if it were a mummified pharaoh entombed within an Egyptian pyramid. Such an example was recently listed on eBay Germany, and the community is enthralled. This 1998 740i, which currently...
The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, July 17–26
The Allegheny Chapter’s annual gathering at the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix (PVGP) is one of the most memorable events of the year. The PVGP is a week-long automotive festival featuring a spectacular vintage racing event and multiple car shows. There are several top-notch parties as well, including a jet-setter...
Throwback Tuesday: Ten Facts With Racing Driver John Edwards
The racing season may be on hiatus, save for some captivating sim racing events, but that doesn’t mean we can’t dive into some videos from last year. For instance, if you’ve ever wondered how racing drivers get to the track, or what they do when they’re not racing, BMW...
Sheer Cycling Pleasure: BMW’s New 3T Bicycle
I think we can all agree that the world is a little surreal at the moment, and while social distancing may be in full effect, that has not stopped BMW from bridging the gap and digitally debuting their latest lifestyle invention, the BMW 3T gravel bicycle. The 3T for...
BMW Signals End Of V12
It’s a sad day for BMW aficionados, as the company has signaled the end of the V12 engine in the model lineup. In a statement made by BMW CEO Oliver Zipse at the company’s recent annual accounts press conference, the executive said that the next generation of the 7...
Updated BMW CCA Coronavirus Statement
The BMW Car Club of America and the BMW Car Club of America Foundation are committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of our members, chapter leaders, boards, staff, and guests. Last week we published our first statement in reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic. At that time, we promised...
Post Using #BMWCCAGarageGoals And You Could Win A $25 Shop BMW CCA Gift Card!
The world is facing uncertain times now, but the BMW Car Club of America has always offered a fun escape from reality and everyday life, as a form of entertainment and a way to share our passion. The club can provide a bit of joy and happiness amongst the...
Dreaming Of Summer: Pazifik Eskapade In Palm Springs
We might be in isolation now, but it’s a great time to look back on some of the events from last year and those that will one day return to the schedule in 2020. Among those is the BMW CCA’s Pazifik Eskapades, held last September in Palm Springs, California...
Important Update From The BMW CCA And BMW CCA Foundation Regarding Upcoming Events
The BMW Car Club of America and the BMW Car Club of America Foundation are committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of our members, chapter leaders, boards, staff, and guests. We are carefully monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic and all communications from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...
Next-Gen M2 (G87) Will Use S58, Manual Transmission
As we approach the end of the current 2 Series production period, rumors are continuing to circulate regarding the next-generation M2. Last year, evidence surfaced that suggested the next generation 2 Series might be produced in BMW’s newest factory in Mexico, and it was at that time that we...
The Ultimate SAV Sleeper: S54-Swapped E83 X3
BMW purists, avert your eyes. Things are about to get…unconventional. Everyone has their own definition of what makes a car the ultimate sleeper. For some, it is a stock Mercedes station wagon that you wouldn’t have expected to be quick, let alone fast. For others, it’s a heavily modified...
BMW To Cut Up Half Of Drivetrain Choices Next Year
BMW recently published it’s fourth quarter earnings results, and buried in the press release was a brief note that read, “On the product side, up to 50% of traditional drivetrain variants will be eliminated from 2021 onwards in the transition to creating enhanced, intelligent vehicle architectures—in favor of additional...
Seven By Eight: Crossing The Continent In A 1979 733i
It was a gorgeous late September afternoon at San Diego’s La Jolla Independent BMW Service. Two new front brake calipers sat on a workbench, next to pads and rotors in boxes. My beautiful Rubinrot (Ruby Red) 7 Series sat on a lift behind me while I took off a glove...
The Water Pump Follies (Part III)
From the last few posts, you can tell that I have several garage projects proceeding in parallel. These include giving my E39 some love and replacing its crankcase-ventilation valve (CVV), and buttoning up the engine compartment in Hampton (the 48,000-mile ’73 2002 I bought last September)—and that’s not even...
Giving The E39 Some Love (Part II)
A few weeks ago, I talked about putting some time and some scratch into my 2003 E39 530i stick sport, the car I summarily abandoned when I bought the X5 last September. That was before the coronavirus hit; I was thinking about parking the gas-hungry X5 now that the...
The Water Pump Follies (Part II)
Like you, I’m astonished at the speed with which our lives have changed in response to the coronavirus. It was just last Friday, March 13, when I drove down to a rural part of coastal Connecticut (Deep River) to play a gig. This in itself was surprising, since I...
I Inadvertently Start Trashing The X5
I’d hoped to launch into Part II of last week’s “Giving The E39 Some Love,” but the parts I’ve ordered haven’t arrived yet, so it’s on to more trivial and embarrassing matters. I’d wager that we’ve all made stupid mistakes moving cars around at slow speeds—you know, backing them...
Giving The E39 Some Love (Part I)
It was mid-November, almost four months ago, when I saw the ad for the triple-unicorn 2004 X5 (six-speed, sport package, tow package), drove to see it, bought it on the spot, and basically abandoned what had been my daily driver: the 2003 E39 530i stick sport in my driveway....
The Excess Tax
I’ve been down or hobbled (well, first down, then hobbled) with the flu for two weeks, barely able to spend fifteen minutes in the garage without heading back upstairs to nap. This has caused me to turn to less-stressful activities like paying the bills. (Well, less physically stressful activities.)...
