RECENT ARTICLES
Shell Fill-Up Friday Winner: Michael Posey!
Congratulations to Pine Tree Chapter member Michael Posey, our latest Shell Fill-Up Friday winner! Michael’s post features his brand-new M2 Competition filling up at Shell during its maiden voyage. “I just joined the club this summer prior to my (now annual) trip to the Performance Driving Center in Spartanburg,” says...
Golden Gate Chapter Highlights Members With Video Series
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Around the country, all of the BMW CCA’s 68 chapters have members with interesting stories and interesting cars. The Golden Gate Chapter, in California’s San Francisco Bay Area, has started a video series to discuss in candid fashion how members got started in the BMW CCA, and what keeps...
“Access By BMW” Subscription Service Sees Lower Prices, New Models
, , BMW News
We first looked at BMW’s subscription service, Access By BMW, back in April, but BMW has been developing the program further over the last few months, including some recent deals on all three tiers of subscriptions. For those who don’t live in the Nashville, Tennessee, area (the only testbed so...
Low-Class Yuppie: Falling In Love With A 318ti
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I’ve fallen in love—hard. You probably remember the week or so I spent with my boss’ 318ti, but let me refresh your memory. In a week’s time, I managed to dramatically improve the car’s appearance and fix a few mechanical issues while I was at it. I enjoyed the...
BMWs Finish In DTM Points At Brands Hatch
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Augusto Farfus finished second in Race One and Marco Wittmann finished fifth in Race Two when the German Touring Car championship series (DTM) visited Brands Hatch in the UK on August 11–12. It was the series’ first visit to the circuit since 2013. Farfus, driving the #15 M4 DTM,...
BMWs Take Three Utah Podium Places
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BMW racers finished on the podium in the Touring Car, GTS SprintX, and GT SprintX classes on the Pirelli World Challenge race weekend at the Utah Motorsports Campus in August. The marque’s best finish was an Am class win by Toby Grahovec and Chris Ohmacht in the #92 Classic...
Lake Tahoe To Sonoma: Celebrate BMW Tour Presented By Michelin
This month, during the run-up to Monterey Car Week, we’ll be reliving one of BimmerLife’s most epic adventures: the Celebrate BMW Tour Presented by Michelin. The tour, made possibly by support from the BMW CCA, Shell, Sony, IHG Rewards Club, and of course Michelin, was a mammoth road trip...
A Rare Trip Inside A BMW Vehicle Distribution Center
It’s not uncommon for future BMW owners to track their special order from inception to delivery, and the marque is among the best when it comes to keeping customers informed of developments involved with the process. It’s not a new feature, either, as the tracking has been offered for...
Resurrecting Bertha: Inspection Woes, Part I
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Two weeks ago, I described sorting Bertha, my reclaimed 2002, to the point where around-the-block runs were sufficiently uneventful that I wanted to sail her farther from shore. I got the car registered, and had, as Jon Stewart used to say, my moment of Zen when I took her...
Shell Fill-Up Friday Winner: Lisa Goehring!
Congratulations to San Diego Chapter president Lisa Goehring, our latest Shell Fill-Up Friday winner! Lisa’s “Shellfie” taken on the final leg home from BMW CCA O’fest 2018 has earned her a $25 gift card! “I learned about the CCA when I got my first BMW, a 2005 335i sedan...
Oklahoma City To Albuquerque: Celebrate BMW Tour Presented By Michelin
This month, during the run-up to Monterey Car Week, we’ll be reliving one of BimmerLife’s most epic adventures: the Celebrate BMW Tour Presented by Michelin. The Tour, made possibly by support from the BMW CCA, Shell, Sony, IHG Rewards Club, and of course Michelin, was a mammoth road trip...
BMW CCA Corral Set For VIR’s Michelin GT Challenge
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Later this month, August 17–19, race fans will descend on Virginia International Raceway (VIR) for a weekend of sports-car racing at the Michelin GT Challenge. BMW Team RLL will be leading the factory effort in two M8 GTEs in the GT Le Mans class, and Turner Motorsport will put...
The Low-Class Yuppie: Now Weekly!
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The powers that be here at BimmerLife decided that you need to be exposed to even more of my nonsensical ramblings, so I’m starting a new weekly column. In addition to my usual long-form monthly articles, each week you’ll be treated to a smattering of boring facts, cool finds,...
BMW Highlights New 8 Series V8 Engine
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While the new 8 Series is being produced at BMW Group Plant Dingolfing, the heart of the current range-topping M850i xDrive is being manufacturing alongside other specialized power plants in Munich. This latest version of the marques twin-turbo V8 is dubbed N63B44T3, and represents the latest evolution of an...
8 Series Gran Coupé Seen Wearing Camouflage
While everyone is preparing for the upcoming debut of the new Z4 in Monterey and the eventual release of the M8 which is expected in coupe, and potentially convertible form at some point, new photos of what looks like an M850i Gran Coupé have surfaced. Slated to replace the...
Car Of Your Dreams Raffle Special Drawing: $1,000 Amazon Gift Card
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Delaware Chapter member Robert Williams has won the second special-drawing prize of the 2018 Car Of Your Dreams Raffle—a $1,000 Amazon Gift Card. Congratulations, Robert! Current Special Drawing Prize: Yokohama Tire Certificate Purchase a raffle ticket between July 28 and August 31 at 11:59 p.m. EDT and you’ll be...
Classifieds Challenge: E36 Versus E36 (Because Race Car!)
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Welcome back to Classifieds Challenge, where we pit two listings from the BMW CCA Classifieds head to head. This week we’ll be looking at two interpretations on the E36 chassis—and we want you to tell us which one you would choose. For about a decade now, the E36 has...
V10-Powered Hartge H50 Emerges At EAG
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Enthusiast Auto Group has done it again: The high-end, Ohio-based collector-BMW dealer has brought back a one-of-ten super sedan once owned by Turner Motorsports. If you’ve ever wanted a 500-horsepower, V10-powered, pre-LCI E90 3 Series, now might be your chance. The Hartge H50 arrived in the BMW world at an...
Second Quarter, Monthly Membership-Drive Winners Announced
The 2018 Membership Drive features more prizes and more ways to win than ever before! As a result, we’ve seen members really step up their referral game, especially in the second quarter. Right now we are excited to announce the most recent quarterly and monthly winners! We actually had a...
States Of Decay: E39 M5
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The modern automobile is something to marvel at, isn’t it? All of those parts, systems and pieces of technology working together not only to move you from here to there, but also to create a certain driving experience. You might not think of it when you’re being transported like...
Video: Register Now For Legends Of The Autobahn!
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It might feel like the middle of the summer, but Monterey Car Week is barely a month away! And what better way to commit to an unforgettable Monterey experience than to register for Legends Of The Autobahn, presented by Michelin, the premiere all-German concours and display show on the...
Video: BMW CCA Member Profile Series
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While we at BimmerLife know that enthusiast stories are everywhere, we always like to take a moment to bring some of them to light—and to display the wide-ranging passions and interests that bring the BMW community together. This new video series provided by the BMW Car Club of America...
Club Racing’s Larry Fletcher Receives Friend-Of-The-BMW CCA Award
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“Friend Of The BMW CCA” is the highest award that can be conferred by the club. Some members may not recognize the name of one of the awardees who was so recognized earlier this month, but for members who participate in the BMW CCA program he supports, his name...
Laser-Equipped M2 Competition Continues Legacy Of BMW Stunts
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BMW is no stranger to showing off the precision-driving capabilities of their cars and professional drivers, but this week BMW M is set to reveal the first in a series of promotional stunts focused on the new S55-powered M2 Competition. The subject? Popping balloons—with laser beams! The promotion—which looks...
The 10 Best Naturally Aspirated BMWs (Post-1990)
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Before the days of turbocharged, direct-injected engines becoming the standard, ushered in by ever-stringent emissions standards and then proven by their ability to provide near lag-less, linear power, BMW created some of the most razor-sharp atmospheric engines ever fitted to production road cars. It’s safe to say that this...
Resurrecting Bertha: Inspection Woes, Part I
, , Aftermarket
Two weeks ago, I described sorting Bertha, my reclaimed 2002, to the point where around-the-block runs were sufficiently uneventful that I wanted to sail her farther from shore. I got the car registered, and had, as Jon Stewart used to say, my moment of Zen when I took her...
A Tale Of Two Starters
, , Aftermarket
It seems like back in the day, I replaced a lot of starters in 2002s and other vintage BMWs. Either they’d gradually get worse, cranking slower and becoming hot to the touch, or they’d suddenly die. Then, for nearly 30 years, nary a single starter was removed in the Siegel...
Resurrecting Bertha: If You’re Ever Gonna Stand On It…
, , Aftermarket
Two weeks ago, I described the work I did on Bertha during the feverish weekend just before Oktoberfest. I’d gotten Bertha’s head back from the machine shop, assembled and installed it, and, like some automotive Don Quixote, madly attempted to fight my way through a myriad of issues to...
Oktoberfest 2018: There And Back Again
, , Aftermarket
Last week I talked about my attempt to resurrect Bertha sufficiently to drive her to Oktoberfest, and taking it right down to the wire. When the attempt failed, I had essentially zero recovery time—and thus I found myself hastily packing Kugel, my Chamonix ’72 tii, the night before my...
Resurrecting Bertha: A Swing And A Miss
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Last week, BMW CCA member Jonathan Selig saved the day by producing the valve guide I needed out of thin air. This enabled me to get the guide to the machinist who had Bertha’s head, who in turn got me the head back the morning of Friday, July 6—just...
Resurrecting Bertha: So Close
, , Aftermarket
As I write this on the Friday evening before Oktoberfest, I stand on the precipice of either achieving jaw-dropping success in getting Bertha running well enough to drive to Pittsburgh on Tuesday and ensuring the continuation of my Hack Mechanic legend, or tucking my tail between my legs and...
