RECENT ARTICLES
Daytona Weekend Wrap-Up
The dust and flying rubber bits have finally settled, and the teams and crews are homeward-bound. The Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona was one for the books—literally the record books. The fans in attendance would agree that the weather was the best in years for this IMSA kick-off event,...
Avoiding The $80 Recaro Seat Knob
A few weeks ago, I wrote about driving to Connecticut to score a very well-priced Recaro office chair (if you don’t know, that’s a Recaro car seat on a rolling office-chair base) that was upholstered in the same orange spectrum fabric as the two Recaros in Bertha, my ratty...
Upcoming M Chapter Events: The M Market, M Intensive, Club Day
2023 State of the Market: BMW M Join us for our annual update of the BMW M market, presented by Hagerty. This national webinar will discuss current market trends and helpful advice on picking up and/or maintaining your dream Ultimate Driving Machine. Hagerty market expert James Hewitt will lead...
Daytona Weekend: Twelve Hours Into The Rolex 24
It is strange to have the clock reaffirm that the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona has already been underway for twelve hours! The race began at 1:45 p.m. (Daytona time) on Saturday and will end at—you guessed it math whizzes—1:45 p.m. on Sunday. As the evening continues, we’re only...
Daytona Weekend Under Way: Friday Recap
There has already been plenty of action early on during this long Daytona weekend (you can stay up to date by following our live blog here). While there is plenty of racing, the weekend at Daytona International Speedway is certainly more of a festival environment, replete with race fans,...
BimmerLife’s Live Blog From Daytona!
Hello BMW racing fans! We hope you’re as excited as we are for the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway. For this epic weekend of Racing and Revelations, Kyle van Hoften will be live-blogging right here on BimmerLife! So stay tuned to this story for continuing updates on Friday,...
2024 M3 CS: Weaponized For Street And Track
BMW has just dropped the details for the 2024 M3 Competition Sport (CS), and they’ve teased us with the words “lighter, faster, stronger.” For enthusiasts, these words are certainly attention-grabbers. Regardless of whether I’m battling for my sanity in rush-hour traffic or for tenths of a second off my...
Racing And Revelations Coming At Daytona
‘Tis the season—or ’tis the start of the season—for IMSA racing teams. In fact, the IMSA racing season just kicked off this past weekend with the aptly named Roar Before the 24 at Daytona International Speedway. And right on its heels is the Rolex 24, the highlight of a...
Calling All Kugelfischers: New Product Debut
The mighty Kugelfischer—a mechanical fuel injection pump that was factory-installed on a variety of performance-oriented vehicles of the late 1960s and early 1970s. This included the BMW 2002tii, various Porsches, and even the BMW M1, which carried Kugelfischer production into the early 1980s. It has been over 40 years...
BMW Teams Set For Rolex 24 At Daytona This Weekend
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will open a new era this weekend as the season kicks off with the Rolex 24 at Daytona. It will be the first race for the new hybrid GTP prototypes, which has generated a lot of anticipation from fans. It’s also the first time...
Calling All Kugelfischers: New Product Debut
The mighty Kugelfischer—a mechanical fuel injection pump that was factory-installed on a variety of performance-oriented vehicles of the late 1960s and early 1970s. This included the BMW 2002tii, various Porsches, and even the BMW M1, which carried Kugelfischer production into the early 1980s. It has been over 40 years...
The Mutant Distributor
The distributor in the photo below looks normal, but don’t let it fool you. It is evil. It is a mutant. It is an abomination. Okay, let me back up. One of the most common 2002 questions—after “What’s this car worth?” and “I changed X, Y, and Z ,and...
Recognition Program Committee: Last Call!
The Recognition Program Committee (RPC) would like to thank everyone who has submitted an award nomination for 2022. The accolades and stories about fellow Club members, BMW centers, and independent businesses that went over and above to support the members of the BMW CCA are inspirational. It is not...
Collector Chassis Showcase: 1981 Alpina B6 2.8 (E21)
In November of last year, we introduced Collector Chassis, a new online platform for enthusiasts, hobbyists, and collectors to showcase, spectate, buy, and sell vintage, classic and special-interest vehicles. Through our partnership with Collector Chassis, BMW CCA members may list vehicles for free, and benefit from reduced selling fees,...
Waging War On Water Spots
Water spots aren’t a big deal, right? Those hard-water mineral deposits of magnesium, calcium, or something similar should just wipe off with some window cleaner and a cloth. Or, in a worst-case scenario, you may have to wash your vehicle again and then quickly dry the windows before any...
The Collected Fake Book Covers (And Other Silliness)
My four-hour drive last weekend to pick up the orange spectrum Recaro office chair and the replacement front bumper cover and fender liners for Zelda the Z3 angered up the back injury I’ve been nursing since August. So, no wrenching for this guy this week—just a lot of sitting,...
Recognition Program Committee Reminder
January is the last month to submit your nominations for the year 2022. All nominations must be received by January 31, 2023, midnight EST, and must be submitted through the BMW CCA website. You can access the Recognition Nomination Form here. Again, the Award Categories are: Friend of the BMW...
Recognition Program Committee: Gratitude
Sooner or later all, of us experience unexpected challenges with our vehicles and we’re thankful when there is someone to help. These people often portray the ideals of the BMW CCA. If they are your follow club members, BMW centers, or independent businesses, take time now to recognize them...
What Was Your Automotive Highlight Of 2022?
When you look back at 2022, what was your automotive highlight of the year? What made that particular experience special and memorable? Was it a road trip, a unique opportunity with special access, or something else? When I look back at my 2022 calendar, aside from the semi-weekly Cars...
Collector Chassis Showcase: 1975 BMW 2002 Turbo
In November, we introduced Collector Chassis, a new online platform for enthusiasts, hobbyists, and collectors to showcase, spectate, buy, and sell vintage, classic and special-interest vehicles. Through our partnership with Collector Chassis, BMW CCA members may list vehicles for free, and benefit from reduced selling fees, in addition to...
Recognition Program Committee: 2022 In The Rearview
As we begin 2023 and look forward to the year ahead, we look back at the year that was 2022 and those that have gone above and beyond in supporting the members of the BMW CCA. This includes your fellow members and BMW Centers who championed, advocated, and promoted...
Sim Racing With National Capital Chapter Starts January 5th
For the third year running, National Capital Chapter is hosting a nation-wide, broadcasted sim racing league for BMW CCA members. The winter season kicks off January 5th and there will be nine non-stop weeks of racing. The automotive weapon of choice? All GT3 cars this season. The race format?...
Member Benefit: Collector Chassis Connections
Most enthusiasts are familiar with car-selling sites, from AutoTrader to Bring a Trailer, a site which has morphed from a collection of interesting references to other sites into a significant auction venue itself. But there are also other ways to display your car—or cars, plural—on the Interwebs, sharing your...
2023 i4 Makes Car And Driver 10Best List
It seems like Car and Driver has saved a spot for BMW in its 10Best list for as long as I can remember. For the 2023 10Best list, Dan Edmunds of Car and Driver writes, “During our EV of the Year testing, the BMW i4 M50 was a standout...
Alpina Classic Twenty-Spoke E30 Wheels Are Back!
BMW News, Community, Lifestyle
I’ll admit it: I’m kind of a wheel geek. I get especially excited for original hard-to-find wheels for classic cars, like the set of three-piece BBS wheels I have on my 1991 318iS—a wheel that enthusiasts would have put on their E30 3 Series BMWs thirty years ago. Sure,...
Avoiding The $80 Recaro Seat Knob
A few weeks ago, I wrote about driving to Connecticut to score a very well-priced Recaro office chair (if you don’t know, that’s a Recaro car seat on a rolling office-chair base) that was upholstered in the same orange spectrum fabric as the two Recaros in Bertha, my ratty...
The Mutant Distributor
The distributor in the photo below looks normal, but don’t let it fool you. It is evil. It is a mutant. It is an abomination. Okay, let me back up. One of the most common 2002 questions—after “What’s this car worth?” and “I changed X, Y, and Z ,and...
The Collected Fake Book Covers (And Other Silliness)
My four-hour drive last weekend to pick up the orange spectrum Recaro office chair and the replacement front bumper cover and fender liners for Zelda the Z3 angered up the back injury I’ve been nursing since August. So, no wrenching for this guy this week—just a lot of sitting,...
I DID Buy Myself a Christmas Present, After All!
Thanks for all the comments about the needy six-speed X3, and for not egging me on to do something that didn’t make a lot of sense. As it happens, I did buy myself a Christmas present. It’s just smaller. My ’75 2002, Bertha—the car that I bought in Austin in...
Searching For My Christmas Present (Part III—Did I Or Didn’t I?)
Last week, I left you with a cliffhanger: Was I really going to pull the trigger on a thousand-dollar 2005 six-speed X3 for which I had zero lust, whose mismatched front body panels severely capped its value, and whose main value in my dystopian Hack Mechanic world was that...
Searching For My Christmas Present (Part II: The $1,000 Six-Speed X3)
Last week I wrote about wondering whether I could thread the needle and buy an inexpensive project before the snow falls and makes everything a lot more complicated. I focused mostly on cheap E91 wagons requiring some TLC, but at the end of the piece teased that “I’m currently trying...
