RECENT ARTICLES
Exercising the Smaller Hoard
Last July, instead of going alone to the warehouse in Monson where I store five cars like I usually do, my wife Maire Anne drove me and a friend there because I wanted to bring back the M Coupe and the FrankenThirty. The intent was three-fold—I wanted to bring...
BMW Signs Off On the Electric M3 In The Latest M Electrified Episode
BMW M has been hard at work getting the first-ever electric M3 ready. It’s a huge moment for the brand, and the industry as a whole, as it will be the first all-electric M3. Hell, it’s the first all-electric M car of any kind. And since the BMW M3...
A Mad Genius Created an E90 M3-Powered 1 Series M Convertible and It’s For Sale
Some mad genius in the UK created what might be the most hilariously fun Frankenstein BMW. It started out life as a pretty pedestrian little cruiser, a UK-market 2009 BMW 120i M Sport Convertible. So it looked cool and handled well, but had a tiny engine and uninspiring performance....
Marco Wittmann Third in DTM Championship
The DTM championship wrapped up the 2026 season with a pair of races at the Hockenheimring on the weekend of October 9th-11th. When all was said and done, Marco Wittmann came away as the highest placed BMW driver at third in the championship. Wittmann had a shot at the...
Jens Klingmann Wins Italian GT Sprint Championship
Jens Klingmann and Italian race tracks go really well together. The German BMW works driver clinched his third Italian GT Pro class drivers’ championship in the last four years behind the wheel of a BMW Italia Ceccato Racing M4 GT3 EVO. He did it with a trio of fellow...
Tech Talk | Reliability and Accidental Wiper Operation
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. BMW Reliability Despite the thousands of engineering feats and beautiful design, handling and braking, why aren’t...
Quick Thoughts After Driving the New i7
For 2027, the 7 Series got one of the most comprehensive mid-cycle refreshes (life-cycle impulse in BMW-speak) in BMW history. The LCI 7 doesn’t just have a new and vastly improved front and rear end, but the interior is also almost entirely new, adopting the screens, steering wheel, and...
2027 BMW X5 and iX5: First Drive
I’ve never thought so much about door handles. The 2027 BMW X5 and iX5 have a new door handle concept, dubbed winglets, that appear near the base of the windows. They are elegant and keep the lines of the doors extremely clean, which gives design new freedom. They’re clever,...
BMW iX5 Range Gets Bumped to 450 Miles Ahead of Its Official Release
The BMW iX5 isn’t even on sale yet and it’s already getting a bump in range. When BMW first announced the iX5, it was quoted as having 435 miles of range, which was an official EPA rating. However, BMW is now claiming that it will have 450 miles of...
The FrankenThirty Gets a Mini Road Trip
Two weekends ago was Indigenous Peoples Weekend here in Massachusetts and in Vermont, and that allowed Maire Anne and I to engage in one of our most treasured activities—an annual visit to Manchester, Vermont to see our dear friends Jon and Eileen. I worked with Jon for over 20...
550e xDrive: Clinical Capability
There are several different models in the BMW 5 Series lineup, ranging from four and six-cylinder gas-powered models up through all-electric and hybrid models. Power outputs range from 255 to 717hp and prices go from just over $60,000 to over $120,000. There’s a lot of choices depending on your...
The Mini Column | Does Not Compute
During my hour-long commute in my 2021 F54 John Cooper Works Clubman, I use the infotainment screen for GPS through Apple Car Play. The screen would stop the app and reload the main infotainment screen, so I had to manually load the navigation app again. This force stop happened...
BMW iX5 Range Gets Bumped to 450 Miles Ahead of Its Official Release
The BMW iX5 isn’t even on sale yet and it’s already getting a bump in range. When BMW first announced the iX5, it was quoted as having 435 miles of range, which was an official EPA rating. However, BMW is now claiming that it will have 450 miles of...
The FrankenThirty Gets a Mini Road Trip
Two weekends ago was Indigenous Peoples Weekend here in Massachusetts and in Vermont, and that allowed Maire Anne and I to engage in one of our most treasured activities—an annual visit to Manchester, Vermont to see our dear friends Jon and Eileen. I worked with Jon for over 20...
Tech Talk | Comfort Access and a 1 Series Brake Conundrum
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. Comfort Access Issues I have a 2021 BMW 430i (G22) VIN WBA53AP01MCG74655 with comfort access option...
Watch This Cheap Z4 M Roadster Get Fully Brought Back to Life
One of the more forgotten M cars is the Z4 M Roadster. There was only ever one generation of the Z4 M, and it came in both coupe and convertible form. But despite its uniqueness, it never garnered the same praise or enthusiasm as other M cars of its...
BMW M Wants to Keep the Manual For As Long as Possible
BMW is one of the last car companies offering manual transmissions. And the folks at BMW M want to continue offering manual transmissions for as long as possible, but it does admit that it’s getting harder and harder to do. At the moment, you can get a manual in...
The BMW Concept 7 Protection Is the Latest Armored Luxury Car for People Who Live Dangerously
BMW is no stranger to armored cars. Many of its more expensive models, like the 7 Series, X5, and X7 are often bought by people who regularly need security details. Whether it’s important heads of state, big-time businesspeople who are susceptible to robbery, or perhaps folks with less savory...
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...
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....
Exercising the Smaller Hoard
Last July, instead of going alone to the warehouse in Monson where I store five cars like I usually do, my wife Maire Anne drove me and a friend there because I wanted to bring back the M Coupe and the FrankenThirty. The intent was three-fold—I wanted to bring...
The FrankenThirty Gets a Mini Road Trip
Two weekends ago was Indigenous Peoples Weekend here in Massachusetts and in Vermont, and that allowed Maire Anne and I to engage in one of our most treasured activities—an annual visit to Manchester, Vermont to see our dear friends Jon and Eileen. I worked with Jon for over 20...
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,...
