RECENT ARTICLES
VIDEO: Dinan High-Performance Suspension Added To First-Prize Raffle M2
If you’ve been following the build of the 1-of-1 Dinan Club Edition M2 Competition, you know that we’ve enhanced the sound, responsiveness, power, and efficiency of the twin-turbocharged, six-speed manual super coupe. But now, Dinan Engineering has given the car an even more aggressive stance thanks to the Dinan...
The Evolution Of BMW’s Captivating V8
The V8 is an interesting engine for BMW. It hasn’t always been part of the lineup, and in the past, often stood in the shadow of more attainable four- and six-cylinder designs. Nonetheless, a period lasting from roughly 1998 until 2013 saw two of the best units from any...
BMW North America Donates 100 EV Charging Stations To National Parks
In a combined effort with the National Park Foundation, National Park Service, and the U.S. Department of Energy, BMW North America has donated 100 electrical vehicle charging stations for use in America’s national parks. As of this writing, 90 of the charging stations are currently operational, with the final...
BMW Group Sales Grow In June
The BMW Group posted positive sales results for June, more specifically year-over-year growth of 0.7%, with 240,674 BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce vehicles delivered. For the first half of 2019, BMW Group vehicle deliveries were up 0.8% thanks to more than 1,250,000 (1,252,837 to be exact) vehicles meeting new homes,...
BMW Integrating Advanced AI Into Production Methods
BMW is continuing to develop new, innovative solutions to aid the manufacturing process, and the latest round of practices are using artificial intelligence to solve age-old production issues. From something as simple as verifying that a car is wearing the correct badge during final inspection, to detecting finite variances...
BMW Shifts U.K. Engine Production As Brexit Looms
BMW Group Plant Hams Hall, located in Birmingham, England produces engines, and in 2018, the facility had output of 377,055 units. Since the site came online in 2001, more than 3.5 engines have left its doors, and today, the modular units are found in BMW models like the i8...
Podium Finishes For BMW i Andretti In Brooklyn Formula E Finale
Alexander Sims in the #27 BMW iFE.18 took the pole for the Sunday ABB Formula E race in Brooklyn and went on to finish second. Both the pole and the podium finish were firsts for Sims, running the thirteenth race in his rookie season in the series. On Saturday...
BMW Racers Score Four Wins And A Championship In Portland
BMW racers took three overall wins and an additional class win when the SRO America GT4 SprintX and TC America Series ran at Portland International Raceway on July 13–14. Johan Schwartz in the #80 Rooster Hall Racing M240i Racing won both 40-minute sprints in the TCR America series, Greg...
The Coupe’s A/C Blows Warm (Part III)
When we last saw my E9’s air conditioning, I had removed the evaporator assembly from under the dash to deal with what I suspected was a clogged expansion valve. I took the assembly apart, replaced the expansion valve, and pressure-tested the valve and evaporator core, only to find that...
Shell Fill-Up Friday Winner: Ryan Schaffer!
Congratulations to this week’s Shell Fill-Up Friday winner, San Diego Chapter member Ryan Schaffer (IG @ryans_e36_m3), who won a $50 Shell gift card thanks to this picture of his E36 M3! “My car is a 1995 E36 M3 with Dinan upgrades,” said Ryan. “It has a Dinan cold air...
BMW Opens STEP Training Center In South Carolina
There’s operating an international automaker, and then there’s running an international luxury automaker. While we think of BMW as building, restoring, and racing cars, and the tens of thousands of people who work in BMW Manufacturing, there’s also an army of trained professionals that are masters at maintaining the...
VIDEO: Dinan Exhaust Added To First-Prize Raffle M2
The latest video in our six-part series documenting the Dinan Club Edition M2 build is perhaps one of the most anticipated—the addition of the Dinan free-flow stainless exhaust. The new exhaust not only provides a mildly aggressive tone for daily driving duties, but also a track-inspired grunt as you...
YouTuber Buys 400,000-Mile E39 M5
The E39 M5 has achieved modern classic status in the truest sense of the term. The youngest models are now sixteen years old, and although 2003 seems like yesterday for some, the E39 represents what is perhaps the pinnacle embodiment of the ultimate driving machine. Four doors, comfortable room...
Tarheel Chapter Member Transforms E34 Interior By Re-Dying
Back in March, we covered one of the most riveting BMW auctions in recent memory. Tarheel Chapter member Brian Marks put a meticulously well executed E39 M5 touring conversion—a model that BMW never officially sold—up for grabs to the highest bidder on Bring a Trailer. The car, which is a...
BMW CCA Trackside Corral At VIR, August 23–25
Now is the time to finalize your plans for the IMSA weekend at the Virginia International Raceway! The BMW CCA will have a fantastic trackside corral and hospitality area hosted by the National Capital and Tarheel Chapters on August 23–25. Make sure to sign up now to guarantee your...
VIDEO: Experience M1 Startup
This past weekend, during the DTM race at the Norisring street circuit in Nuremberg, Germany, BMW Motorsport put on an M1 Procar revival. Fourteen of the incredible race cars were on hand at the circuit, and all participated in running a couple of laps. A few of the men...
San Diego Chapter’s Clean-Car Contest Brings Out The Best
Weather is not usually a factor for the members of the San Diego Chapter and the various events we are treated to throughout the year. 2019 has been a different story, however, as an exceptionally wet winter dragged on; indeed, two solid months of May Gray and June Gloom...
VIDEO: Car Of Your Dreams Special Drawing Winner Announced
Boston Chapter member Joe Zucco has won the first special-drawing prize of the 2019 Car Of Your Dreams Raffle! Joe has won a brand-new set of tires for his BMW thanks to our friends at Michelin. Congratulations, Joe! Current Special Drawing Prize: $1,000 Amazon Gift Card Purchase a raffle...
BMW CCA National Office Closed July 4–5
The BMW CCA national office in Greer, South Carolina, will be closed for business on Thursday, July 4, and Friday, July 5, in observance of Independence Day. We will resume regular operations on Monday, July 8, at 8:30 a.m. We look forward to serving you then! As always, you...
BMW Previews Tesla-Challenging Electric 5 Series With M5 Performance
Recently demonstrated during BMW’s NextGen conference was a special 5 Series internally referred to as Lucy. It began life as an M550i xDrive, but has been specially built with motivation coming from no fewer than three of the fifth-generation eDrive units that will be used to power the upcoming...
Bug Out in Style: BMW 750iL Protection Package
Doomsday-prepper types love to talk about the concept of a bugout vehicle. In an end-of-the-world scenario, these folks want to have a tough, rugged vehicle they can depend on. Bugout vehicles are expected to handle all sorts of rough terrain and extreme duty. Bombed-out cities, desert wastelands, and thick forests...
Raffle Update: Special Drawing For Michelin Tires Ends Friday!
For every Car Of Your Dreams Raffle ticket you purchase by this Friday, June 28, at 11:59 p.m. EDT, you’ll receive one entry into the special drawing for a brand new set of Michelin tires! We will hold the drawing for the tire certificate on Tuesday, July 2, at...
M Considering Models Not Based On Series Production
For as long as the entity has existed, with just one notable exception, all BMW M cars have been based upon volume production models, like the 3 Series or 5 Series. The M1 breaks the trend, with its tubular steel space-frame and Giugiaro-designed exterior, but in the 40 years...
VIDEO: Turner Motorsport Sets Out To Build Ultimate E46 M3
The E46 3 Series, and more specifically the E46 M3, are experiencing a renaissance right now. In previous decades, the Three from a few generations back was considered old news not worthy of much attention beyond the sales pitch at a second-hand lot, while today, clean E46 M3 coupes...
Tackling BMW Brake Dust With Griot’s Garage Products
BMW light-alloy wheels have a certain radiant presence to me when they are clean. Unfortunately, if you’re using the factory brake-pad compound, or one of the many comparable alternatives out there, the only time the wheels are clean is immediately after a wash. Once you’ve cut through the dealer’s...
The Coupe’s A/C Blows Warm (Part III)
When we last saw my E9’s air conditioning, I had removed the evaporator assembly from under the dash to deal with what I suspected was a clogged expansion valve. I took the assembly apart, replaced the expansion valve, and pressure-tested the valve and evaporator core, only to find that...
The Sad Tale Of 2002 Number Three
Over the years I’ve devoted a fair amount of ink in Roundel—and electrons here online—to my first and second 2002s. Both were purchased during our brief stint in Austin, which lasted from 1982 through mid-1984. The first was the Inka ’71 on which my very first BMW repair was...
A Drive Down Memory Lane
We own our cars for a number of reasons. Those might be passion, performance, status, comfort, fuel economy, cargo space, or a well-reasoned compromise of all of the above. But hopefully, somewhere in there, we actually enjoy driving them. I thought I’d take a moment and enumerate the drives...
Where To Look For Rust On An E9 Coupe
For a number of reasons, the a/c repair in my E9 coupe is stalled, but while I have the car at home and on the lift, I thought I’d do something I’ve wanted to do for a while and walk through an explanation of where to look for rust...
The Coupe’s A/C Blows Warm (Part II)
Last week I told you about ripping apart the air-conditioning in my precious ’73 3.0CSi, including removing and dismantling the evaporator assembly, an operation I relish about as much as removing my own appendix. But the action seemed necessary, as the symptoms of the non-existent cooling implied a plugged...
The Coupe’s A/C Blows Warm
The piece I wrote last week in which I compared and contrasted the tii, the Bavaria, and the 3.0CSi was a natural outgrowth of circumstance; I’d just successfully returned home from 2,000-mile trip to the Vintage with Bertha, my heavily patinaed 2002, taken it to the storage space I...
