RECENT ARTICLES
BMW M Reminds Us That It Once Built an M5 CSL Prototype
BMW M has quite the secret dungeon. In it are countless weirdly awesome prototypes that the bigwigs in Munich never had the courage to sell. Cars like an E34 M5 Convertible, an E39 M5 Touring, and an E46 M3 CSL with a V-8 all lurk in the underbelly of...
BMW iX5 60 Will Reportedly Have a Massive 147.8 kWh Battery
BMW is prepping its next-generation of electric vehicles, and it just sent specs of its upcoming 2027 lineup to the EPA. Unearthed by a Bimmerpost user, the spec sheet claims that an upcoming BMW iX5 60 is going to have a massive 147.8 kWh battery back. That will make...
Beyond the Racing at the Long Beach Grand Prix
The only time the entire weekend there was a pause was when they asked, “What’s your favorite part?” Long pause. Pensive expression. Furrowed brow. Then the reply: “Yes.” All of it? Yes, all of Long Beach Grand Prix weekend. Ok, maybe the $18 curly fries were a bit on...
Letting Bertha Go
I’ve told the story of Bertha multiple times—how I bought it in Austin in 1984 because I wanted to bring a big-bumpered 2002 to Boston to survive its demolition derby of traffic and parking, how Maire Anne and I drove off from our wedding in it, how I transmogrified...
The F32 435i Is Set to Become the Next Spec Racing Hero
BMW News, Featured, Motorsport
In this year’s BMW CCA Club Racing season opener at Virginia International Raceway (VIR), there were 38 entries in SpecE46. As the name suggests, spec classes feature cars that are built to a precise specification defined by the rules, with limited modifications allowed with the engine, chassis, and suspension....
Random Vandals Wins Overall in GT4 America in Texas, BimmerWorld Wins Am Class
The SRO GT4 America series held the second race of the season at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, with the Lone Star Enduro. The COTA race is one of the most important on the schedule. It’s the longest race of the season at three hours,...
Turner Motorsport Second in GT World Challenge America at COTA
The second round of the SRO GT World Challenge America season was held at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Texas, with a three-hour race in hazy and humid conditions. Turner Motorsport finished on the Pro class podium in second, while the two other BMWs showed good pace...
Join the BMW CCA at VIR’s Michelin GT Challenge
Come join your fellow BMW enthusiasts for our BMW CCA Car Corral for the Michelin GT Challenge at Virginia International Raceway (VIR). Located only a few hours away on the VA/NC border, VIR is one of the best race tracks in the world. This is the exclusive BMW VIP...
Tech Talk | Dead Batteries, Alarm Issues, and Oil Loss
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. Question on E82 I bought a 135i coupe in June, and really enjoy driving it. I...
German Tuner Boosts BMW M5 to 999 HP With Just Bolts-Ons and a Tune
Some car enthusiasts pine for the good old days. Others appreciate the higher-than-ever performance and technology of today. One thing is certain, though, we are living in the golden age of easy horsepower. Never before have owners been able to tune their cars to absolutely wacky power figures with...
Former Alpina Boss’ New Car Is a $433,000 Hand-Built M4
Before BMW fully acquired Alpina as its own entity (that it hopefully doesn’t just turn into a trim package for the 7 Series), it was its own manufacturer. Alpina would take BMWs, strip much of them down, and replace many of the parts with its own. Now that BMW...
Tech Talk | Dead Batteries, Alarm Issues, and Oil Loss
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. Question on E82 I bought a 135i coupe in June, and really enjoy driving it. I...
German Tuner Boosts BMW M5 to 999 HP With Just Bolts-Ons and a Tune
Some car enthusiasts pine for the good old days. Others appreciate the higher-than-ever performance and technology of today. One thing is certain, though, we are living in the golden age of easy horsepower. Never before have owners been able to tune their cars to absolutely wacky power figures with...
Former Alpina Boss’ New Car Is a $433,000 Hand-Built M4
Before BMW fully acquired Alpina as its own entity (that it hopefully doesn’t just turn into a trim package for the 7 Series), it was its own manufacturer. Alpina would take BMWs, strip much of them down, and replace many of the parts with its own. Now that BMW...
2027 BMW 7 Series LCI: It’s the Neue-ish Klasse
BMW’s Neue Klasse is all the rage in Munich right now, with the recent reveals of the new i3 and iX3. With those two cars in the “middle of the brand” being the biggest stars, BMW couldn’t leave its flagship luxury car feeling old hat. So it gave the...
I Wasn’t At The Vintage, But My Cars Were
As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, I missed The Vintage this year, something I’ve only done twice before since 2010 (in 2012 I had a kidney stone, and in 2023 Maire Anne had a cardiac appointment as part of the on-ramp to major surgery). This time, it...
2026 540i Update: The Good and the Less Good
About a month ago, BMW dropped off a 2026 540i to sample for an extended loan into the spring. Typically, auto journalists get to spend a week or less with a car for a review. That’s a fine amount of time to get an overview of a car, but...
Register Today for the 2026 Boston Concours
Join us for the BMW CCA Boston Chapter’s 2026 Concours d’Elegance at Prowse Farm in Canton, MA, on Sunday, June 28. For over 21 years, BMW CCA Boston Chapter has hosted this competition of some truly amazing BMWs. Whether you have a car to show or just love BMWs,...
Tom Tang vs. The Mountain | The Car
Tom Tang began his racing adventures with a Honda S2000, but switched to BMW after the Honda met its demise in an accident at Sonoma Raceway. “The class at that point had become highly competitive, and a lot of the front runners were S54-powered BMWs, either E36 cars with...
Tech Talk | Codes, Sensors, and Brake Squeal
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. Fault Codes I have a 2010 BMW X5 3.0 with the N52. Codes p0012 and p0015...
The BMW i4 Could Be Discontinued By the End of 2026
Like that old Toy Story 2 meme, BMW is dropping its current crop of electrified cars, so it can play with its Neue Klasse toys. Along with news that the BMW iX has officially been discontinued in the United States market, there’s also a report that says the i4...
Jump Back In Time to 1990 With This Basically Brand-New BMW Z1
The 1987 Frankfurt Motor Show was unique in history because it had something no other auto show had before—the debut of the first-ever BMW Z car. The BMW Z1 made its worldwide debut at the show, marking the first time the Bavarians used the “Z” nameplate. It went on...
The BMW iX Is Officially Dead in the US
BMW is ending United States allocations of the iX. After five years on sale, the funky looking electric SUV has officially reached the end of the line here in America. Here’s what a BMW North America representative told BMWBlog: We are proud of what we have accomplished with the...
BMW CCA Dream Car Raffle – Meet the 2026 BMW M2 CS
The 2026 BMW CCA Dream Car Raffle has begun, and the grand prize is one of the most exciting M cars in recent memory: the highly exclusive 2026 BMW M2 CS. Built with a singular focus on performance, the M2 CS takes everything enthusiasts love about BMW’s compact M...
BMW Will Make New Sports Cars, But Only After Focusing On Core Models
You don’t build a football team from the outside in, you build from the inside out. Once you’ve solidified the trenches, then you can spring for the pricey star-power wide receivers. That’s how BMW is going to build its portfolio moving forward, too—focus on the middle of the brand,...
BMW Files Trademark for “XB6”, Signaling a First for the Alpina Brand
Despite having made its own version of just about every BMW variant you can think of, Alpina never made its own version of the X6. Now that BMW owns Alpina, rather than it existing as its own manufacturer that just partnered wtih BMW, that’s about to change. A recent...
Letting Bertha Go
I’ve told the story of Bertha multiple times—how I bought it in Austin in 1984 because I wanted to bring a big-bumpered 2002 to Boston to survive its demolition derby of traffic and parking, how Maire Anne and I drove off from our wedding in it, how I transmogrified...
I Wasn’t At The Vintage, But My Cars Were
As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, I missed The Vintage this year, something I’ve only done twice before since 2010 (in 2012 I had a kidney stone, and in 2023 Maire Anne had a cardiac appointment as part of the on-ramp to major surgery). This time, it...
The Fuel Delivery Checklist
A friend messaged me this week with a fuel delivery issue on his ’76 2002. The car had the original-style mechanical fuel pump installed, and a fuel filter before the pump. As I wrote about here, I don’t believe that any carbureted 2002 ever had a fuel filter installed...
The Alfa Valve Shim Trick
Well, Bertha and I aren’t going to The Vintage after all. I have a dear 84-year-old cousin with whom Maire Anne and I have done some travel. She has slow-moving lung cancer, but right now she feels fine and wants to enjoy life. She called us last week and...
An Unusual Use of a Flashing Power Supply
I haven’t had a lot of flashing in my past. Not that kind—I mean updating the software in a control module. (Well, didn’t really have the other kind in my past either). I believe that there was just one time I needed to contact BMW coding guy Sam Aleksanyan...
Spring (finally!), with The Vintage Around the Corner
Back in November, I brought Bertha (my transmogrified ’75 2002 that I turned into a track car in the Eighties, sold to my friend Alex in 1988, bought back 30 years later after it was stored and allowed to self-demolish, and resurrected) back from storage in Monson. The car...
