RECENT ARTICLES
An Interesting E21 320i For Sale
I was going to write about driving the FrankenThirty up to Vermont with Maire Anne last weekend, but just before we left, I looked at a car that I thought I might be able to do a service to the community by alerting them to its presence. If you’re...
Here’s How You Make an E39 M5 Better Than New
Brian Marks’s E39 Touring project set the internet and BMW CCA community on fire in 2019, with its record-setting Bring-a-Trailer auction. Brian took his 2003 540i Touring and, in several steps, converted it into what became a manual transmission, supercharged S62-powered rocketship that sold for $72,000. That’s more than...
Turner Motorsport Wins GT World Challenge America Championship
The final race of the SRO GT World Challenge America championship (GTWCA) took place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the Indy 8 Hour race, which was also the final round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge championship (IGTC). Turner Motorsport came in trailing the leaders in championship points but...
Bumper Crop of BMWs In Club Racing at Watkins Glen
The Tire Rack BMW CCA Club Racing series visited legendary Watkins Glen International in New York on the weekend of September 25th-27th, which was the series second event there this year. The first took place in May. The September race at “The Glen” was a national event and had...
Tech Talk | Dash Squeaks and A/C Issues
Welcome to Tech Talk, where our resident BMW tech Nick Owen answers all your pressing BMW technical questions, frustrations, and issues. Have a question for Nick? Email him at techtalk@roundel.org. Let’s get into it. Squeaky Dashboard I own a 2011, 335i E93 with the M Sport Package. At 15 years...
Self Propelled | More Imported Automotively-Appropriate Terms
I have fun with words. I guess that’s the writer in me, wanting to learn new words both to increase my own vocabulary, and to make my writing more interesting. Periodically I slip in a slightly obscure word or two into my column—sometimes as a tool for a better...
BMW Will Share More Generic Parts With Other Automakers to Keep Costs Low, Quality High
Parts sharing is a commonplace in the automotive world, always has been. Why develop unique window switches for each model, when you can just create one kind and have every car you make use it? However, what’s less common — but still very much done — is having multiple...
Check Out the Impressive Engineering Under the Skin of a BMW M4 DTM Racer
I’ve always been fascinated by DTM cars, and touring cars in general. I love the idea of making race cars out of road cars, even if they’re far more bespoke nowadays than they used to be. In this case, we get to check out the the F82 BMW M4...
The 2027 BMW iX4 Packs 428-Mile Range, iX3 and iX4 Get 603-HP M60 Version
BMW launching a new SUV coupe is as inevitable as the sunrise. And this is the latest, the BMW iX4. As expected, it’s very much a coupe version of the iX3; it’s built on the same Neue Klasse chassis, uses the same battery pack, and is powered by the...
E30 Horn Repair (Part II)
Last week, prior to getting the FrankenThirty inspected, I found that the horn didn’t work. I stepped through the necessary electrical troubleshooting to rule out the relay and its wiring to find that the horn contact behind the steering wheel itself was broken. I kluged it into functionality by...
We’re Taking a Final Drive in the G80 M3. What Do You Want to Know?
The 2027 model year marks the end of the line for the G8X generation M3 and M4. These models have been, without question, the most popular M3 and M4 models ever made, but now they’re leaving to make way for the next generation M3s, one electric and one gas....
The Navigator | A Collector’s Conundrum
The paradox of restoration was rattling around my brain the other day. This neuronal ricocheting of appreciation and curiosity was triggered by an event that has become a May ritual for me, the first non-avian sign of spring, the Alfa Romeo Club Hill Climb in the quirky Wisconsin town...
Check Out the Impressive Engineering Under the Skin of a BMW M4 DTM Racer
I’ve always been fascinated by DTM cars, and touring cars in general. I love the idea of making race cars out of road cars, even if they’re far more bespoke nowadays than they used to be. In this case, we get to check out the the F82 BMW M4...
The 2027 BMW iX4 Packs 428-Mile Range, iX3 and iX4 Get 603-HP M60 Version
BMW launching a new SUV coupe is as inevitable as the sunrise. And this is the latest, the BMW iX4. As expected, it’s very much a coupe version of the iX3; it’s built on the same Neue Klasse chassis, uses the same battery pack, and is powered by the...
E30 Horn Repair (Part II)
Last week, prior to getting the FrankenThirty inspected, I found that the horn didn’t work. I stepped through the necessary electrical troubleshooting to rule out the relay and its wiring to find that the horn contact behind the steering wheel itself was broken. I kluged it into functionality by...
We’re Taking a Final Drive in the G80 M3. What Do You Want to Know?
The 2027 model year marks the end of the line for the G8X generation M3 and M4. These models have been, without question, the most popular M3 and M4 models ever made, but now they’re leaving to make way for the next generation M3s, one electric and one gas....
The Navigator | A Collector’s Conundrum
The paradox of restoration was rattling around my brain the other day. This neuronal ricocheting of appreciation and curiosity was triggered by an event that has become a May ritual for me, the first non-avian sign of spring, the Alfa Romeo Club Hill Climb in the quirky Wisconsin town...
Chris Harris Proves Why the Z8 is One of the Most Underrated Bimmers Ever
The BMW Z8 is one of the more polarizing Bimmers of the modern era. I don’t think anyone will argue its looks; it’s a gorgeous car that’s somehow both a nod to vintage sports cars of the 1950s and still looks modern today. What people will argue about is...
This Awesome E30 M3 Built For the Road and Track Could Be Yours
We hear the term “race car for the road” a lot. Its a moniker for cars like the Porsche 911 GT3 RS, which are technically road cars but built for track use. This E30 M3 build that’s for sale on Cars and Bids, though, is genuinely a race car...
Famous BMW Tuner AC Schnitzer Survives Thanks to a Last Second Lifeline
In March, famous BMW tuner AC Schnitzer announced that it’d be closing its doors. After decades of developing some of the most iconic aftermarket parts for BMWs, and countless race cars, it seemed like the end of the line. Now, though, in what would feel like a dues ex...
You Can Win an E30 M3 in the BMW CCA Classic Dream Car Raffle
Many modern cars have a tech problem. There are too many screens, menus upon menus hiding functions, and they’ve become far too complex, more computers on wheels than cars. If you feel the same, we’ve got a treat for you. This year’s BMW CCA Classic Dream Car Raffle vehicle...
E30 Horn Repair (Part I)
September announced itself with a few things. Cool air. The trees beginning to change color. And Zelda the Z3 and the FrankenThirty needing inspection stickers. I checked the Z3’s lights, wipers, and horn, and all worked, so down to the inspection station it went. To my surprise, they failed...
2027 BMW 3 Series: Neue Klasse Looks and Up To 437 HP
We’ve been in BMW’s Neue Klasse era for a little while now, and its headliner is the all-electric i3. That doesn’t mean there isn’t room for the good old fashioned 3 Series, though. The 3 Series has always been BMW’s bread and butter, and while the i3 is essentially...
Tech Talk | A 340,000-Mile E30, E90 Headlight Frustrations, and TPMS Conversion
Welcome to Tech Talk, where our resident BMW tech Nick Owen answers all your pressing BMW technical questions, frustrations, and issues. Have a question for Nick? Email him at techtalk@roundel.org. Let’s get into it. 340,000-mile 1985 E30 Eta with Puzzling Engine Issue I’m an owner of a 1985 325e E30...
VW Secretly Tested Its W-10 Engine in an E39 M5, and Now You Can Buy It
If you’re a genuine car nerd, this might be most fascinating car headed to auction this year. It’s a unique piece of automotive history, owned by one of the most important automotive figures of the modern era, and a mashup of two giant German brands. Broad Arrow will auction...
How Cool Is This Nissan Engine-Swapped BMW 2002?
The 2002 is one of BMW’s most iconic models. It’s the car that cemented BMW’s place in the automotive world, as a builder of simple, lightweight, fun sport sedans. It’s the precursor to the 3 Series, the brand’s bread and butter, and it’s the car that received a such...
French Golfer Wins a BMW iX5 With a 163-Yard Hole-in-One
I don’t watch golf, nor know much about it. But hitting a hole-in-one seems like one of the most impressive, if lucky, achievements in sports achievements. The odds seem impossible to me. The hole is barely bigger than the ball, and it’s often almost two entire football fields away...
An Interesting E21 320i For Sale
I was going to write about driving the FrankenThirty up to Vermont with Maire Anne last weekend, but just before we left, I looked at a car that I thought I might be able to do a service to the community by alerting them to its presence. If you’re...
E30 Horn Repair (Part II)
Last week, prior to getting the FrankenThirty inspected, I found that the horn didn’t work. I stepped through the necessary electrical troubleshooting to rule out the relay and its wiring to find that the horn contact behind the steering wheel itself was broken. I kluged it into functionality by...
E30 Horn Repair (Part I)
September announced itself with a few things. Cool air. The trees beginning to change color. And Zelda the Z3 and the FrankenThirty needing inspection stickers. I checked the Z3’s lights, wipers, and horn, and all worked, so down to the inspection station it went. To my surprise, they failed...
Lessons Learned on a Brake Job
Okay. You got me. This was on my wife’s 2013 Honda Fit. But if you’re like me and turn wrenches yourself to avoid paying $1500 for something that you can do with $100 worth of parts and a morning of your time, the lessons are pretty universal. Last week,...
Parting, Sweet Sorrow, and All That
Okay, you’re thinking “A third column about selling the M Coupe? Is Siegel just running on fumes these days?” Maybe. But hey, I owned the car for 20 years. It deserves it. Last week I mentioned that, despite my general feeling that endings should be sharp, clear, and memorable, I wasn’t...
My Favorite Memory of the Clown Shoe
In last week’s piece where I described taking a deposit on my 20-year-owned 1999 M Coupe, I said that “road trips are the crucible in which relationships with cars are formed,” and since I never had one with the M Coupe, I said (or strongly implied) that this was...
