RECENT ARTICLES
What’s the Charging Experience Like on a BMW EV Road Trip?
At first, the i4 xDrive40 was not in the plan. The lease on my i4 eDrive35 was set to run out in March. There was no way I could wait until next year for an i3, but I definitely wanted another electric. I was high on the i4 from...
Safety Third | Sales Woes Meet Facebook Marketplace
One of the few constants in this world is change. The first car I searched for and purchased myself was a 1973 Volkswagen bus (a Type II transporter, if you speak air-cooled VW). I loved the cartoonish character of the bubble-window bus, and being able to camp in the...
BMW’s IMSA Weekend at Road America Was Disappointing
The BMW teams in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IWSC) and Michelin Pilot Challenge series headed to the Road America circuit in Wisconsin this past weekend, and while the BMWs showed good pace and were running up front at times, it was ultimately a disappointing weekend for most of...
Team WRT Wins in Two Classes in GT World Challenge Europe at Magny-Cours
The GT World Challenge Europe (GTWCE) series visited the Magny-Cours circuit in France for a pair of Sprint Cup races this past weekend. The race saw mixed results for Team WRT as the team strengthened its championship lead in one class but lost it in another. The WRT pairing...
Tech Talk | Dipstick Frustrations, 335is Service, and Headlamp Vibrations
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. Dipstick Delete Can you tell me why BMW and some other manufacturers are removing the dipstick?...
This S62 V8-Swapped E36 Touring Looks Like a Riot
The E36 will always have a soft spot in my heart. As my first car, one that I kept for 10 years and that reached 248,000 miles, the E36 will always make me happy. But to see one with an S62 V-8 from an E39 M5 makes my brain...
Some BMW iX3 Owners Will Get to Beta Test New iDrive and Cockpit Tech Before Everyone Else
Tesla isn’t the only brand in town letting users beta-test new EV software. BMW is letting some of its owners beta-test new software, too, except BMW’s new tech will be much lower stakes than Tesla’s beta-tests for self-driving systems. According to BMWBlog, the Bavarians partnered with Munich-based IT company...
This One-Off McLaren F1 GTR Road Car Is Headed to Auction With an Eye-Watering Price Tag
Woah boy, this is gonna be a doozy. Sotheby’s is no stranger to selling cars for people so rich they probably daydream of wearing monocles and twirling their villainous mustaches, while Bond is strapped to a barbaric torture devices. Especially at Monterey Car Week. But this one is going...
Hood Struts For My E9 (Part II)
Back in early June, I posted a piece about looking at fitting pneumatic hood struts to my E9. In it, I talked about the original somewhat Byzantine hood raising mechanism on vintage BMWs like the 2002, E9, and E3, how mine wasn’t reinstalled when the car was repainted 38...
We Want To Know What Makes the M3 So Special to You
It might not feel like it, but 2026 marks the 40th anniversary of the BMW M3. Over those 40 years, the car has evolved and changed in nearly every single way, moving from an aggressive homologation special to a car that can truly do everything. What hasn’t changed, though,...
Street Survival Can’t Continue Saving Lives Without You
Volunteerism is the most important aspect that makes the Tire Rack Street Survival program the outstanding community service we, as car people, can provide. It’s only because of our in-car coaches, event staff and, most importantly, our school organizers that we can save so many teen lives each year....
This One-Off McLaren F1 GTR Road Car Is Headed to Auction With an Eye-Watering Price Tag
Woah boy, this is gonna be a doozy. Sotheby’s is no stranger to selling cars for people so rich they probably daydream of wearing monocles and twirling their villainous mustaches, while Bond is strapped to a barbaric torture devices. Especially at Monterey Car Week. But this one is going...
Hood Struts For My E9 (Part II)
Back in early June, I posted a piece about looking at fitting pneumatic hood struts to my E9. In it, I talked about the original somewhat Byzantine hood raising mechanism on vintage BMWs like the 2002, E9, and E3, how mine wasn’t reinstalled when the car was repainted 38...
We Want To Know What Makes the M3 So Special to You
It might not feel like it, but 2026 marks the 40th anniversary of the BMW M3. Over those 40 years, the car has evolved and changed in nearly every single way, moving from an aggressive homologation special to a car that can truly do everything. What hasn’t changed, though,...
Street Survival Can’t Continue Saving Lives Without You
Volunteerism is the most important aspect that makes the Tire Rack Street Survival program the outstanding community service we, as car people, can provide. It’s only because of our in-car coaches, event staff and, most importantly, our school organizers that we can save so many teen lives each year....
Tech Talk | The Ultimate E30 Saga
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. My Original E30 – Trouble That Is About to Whip Me You might recall I was...
What’s a Tachymeter, Anyway?
Got a chronograph watch? You know, with a bezel around the outside with numerals running from 60 maybe up to 700? One that says “Tachymeter” on it somewhere? One you paid real money for because of how cool it looks? One that you either have no clue how to...
This Gorgeous Dinan-Tuned E46 M3 Was Previously Owned By an IndyCar Driver
Dan Wheldon was more than just an excellent driver, he apparently had outstanding taste in cars. The IndyCar racer tragically died in a crash in 2011, but bought an E46 M3 new back in 2006, and it’s a stunning spec. Carbon Black Metallic has been around for a while...
Sport Auto Broke BMW’s Own M2 CS Nurburgring Record
Last year, BMW broke the compact production car record at the Nurburgring with an M2 CS. Behind the wheel during that record-setting lap was BMW’s in-house hot-shoe Jörg Weidinger, with a time 7:25.53. And while that record still technically stands, Weidinger’s lap was just beaten by German magazine Sport...
E39 Sway Bar Link Bracket Failure
A few days after scoring a nice set of Style 82 wheels with fresh rubber on them and having my son Ethan mount them, I was driving the E39 over a patch of uneven road surface, and heard a metallic “thunk” from the left front corner. As I’d just...
BMW 3 Series Touring Could Come Back to America In the Next Generation
BMW skipped the current G21 3 Series Touring for America. After the F31 3 Series Touring did only OK, sales-wise, BMW didn’t see enough value in bringing the G21 here. However, the American enthusiasm surrounding the M5 Touring might have convinced BMW that there’s enough of a market to...
Tech Talk | Spare Tire Conundrum and Brake Booster Questions
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. Not the tasty kind of donut! The car in question is my 2004 330i Performance Package,...
Join Us at Bimmer Invasion Los Angeles
Join BMW CCA and M Chapter at one of the largest BMW gatherings in the world! The Invasion of Los Angeles returns to Pomona Fairplex for a day filled with BMW culture, curated exhibits, premium show cars, and all your favorite vendors all in one place! The show has...
You Can Thank American Customers for the BMW M2 xDrive Existing
The United States is one of BMW’s most important markets. China might do more sales, and Germany is home turf, but America is right there with them in terms of importance. Hell, the majority of BMW SUVs sold worldwide are made here. And yet, America typically doesn’t drive BMW’s...
Check Out How the BMW M3 Touring 24H Race Car Went From an April Fool’s Joke to a Reality
BMW News, Community, Motorsport
BMW recently caught a bit of viral internet fire with its M3 Touring 24H race car. Ahead of the 24 Hours of Spa, BMW drove its race car through the streets, with a lucky raffle-winning passenger on board and a roof box mounted on top. It was funny to...
New Shoes for the E39
As the old joke goes, time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana. (BOOM-tish. I’ll be here all night. Tip your bartenders and waitresses.) I’ve owned the 2003 E39 530i stick sport for a decade, but certain things seem like they happened just yesterday. When I bought...
Hood Struts For My E9 (Part II)
Back in early June, I posted a piece about looking at fitting pneumatic hood struts to my E9. In it, I talked about the original somewhat Byzantine hood raising mechanism on vintage BMWs like the 2002, E9, and E3, how mine wasn’t reinstalled when the car was repainted 38...
E39 Sway Bar Link Bracket Failure
A few days after scoring a nice set of Style 82 wheels with fresh rubber on them and having my son Ethan mount them, I was driving the E39 over a patch of uneven road surface, and heard a metallic “thunk” from the left front corner. As I’d just...
New Shoes for the E39
As the old joke goes, time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana. (BOOM-tish. I’ll be here all night. Tip your bartenders and waitresses.) I’ve owned the 2003 E39 530i stick sport for a decade, but certain things seem like they happened just yesterday. When I bought...
E39 Cabin Air Duct Replacement
Ever since I’ve owned it, the 2003 E39 530i sport that I’ve been daily-driving for a decade has had an issue where, when idling in traffic, there’s an acrid oily smell inside the cabin. During the first of several coil pack replacements to cure misfires, I discovered the cause—the...
Check Your Car’s Ball Joints!
I’ve nearly made a career writing about what I call “The Big Seven”—the primary reasons other than a flat tire that a car winds up in the breakdown lane. It began as the three main issues that befall vintage cars on road trips (fuel delivery, ignition, and cooling system)....
Exercising the Not-a-Collection
One of the issues with storing five cars 70 miles away in a warehouse in Monson, MA is that it’s pretty easy for the hypothetical three-month winter storage to creep up to six. The cars that need to over-winter there are typically down for their nap around Thanksgiving (if...
