RECENT ARTICLES
Check Out the Millionth M Car and Take a Quick Look at the Electric M3
On September 18th, at 4:35 pm local time in Munich, BMW hit a pretty wild milestone: the one millionth M car was built. And this is real M cars, not M Performance or any other off-shoot of M with a badge but not the numbers to back it up....
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...
BMW M Team WRT on Hypercar Podium in Japan, Wins in LMGT3
The sixth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) season took place at Fuji Speedway in Japan this past weekend. BMW M Team WRT came away with a podium finish in Hypercar and a win in LMGT3 but ultimately lost the lead in the Hypercar championship to...
Turner Motorsport Stays in GT World Challenge Hunt, Random Vandals Extends GT4 America Lead
The SRO GT World Challenge America (GTWCA) and GT4 America championships are winding down. BMW teams are in position to win and fight for championships in the two series after the penultimate race weekend of the year at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama. Turner Motorsport is still in the...
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...
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...
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,...
Meet the BMW CCA’s New Executive Director
Dear Fellow BMW Enthusiasts, On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am pleased to introduce Tina Leone as the new executive director of the BMW Car Club of America. The Board undertook a deliberate and thorough search for the right person to lead BMW CCA at this stage...
Tech Talk | Diesel Wagon Alignment, New Keys, and Rear-End Noise
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. 328d Touring Issues I turned in my 2007 525xi Touring at BMW El Cajon in 2016...
This ‘Safari’ Style E23 7 Series Looks Like the Most Fun Luxury Rally Car Ever
Alex Kersten, host of the AutoAlex YouTube channel, recently flew from the UK to the U.S. to take a road trip in a very old, very tired Mercedes G-Class. The trip was meant to go from Las Vegas to Houston, Texas, which isn’t the easiest trip in a truck...
One of This Century’s Coolest Bimmers Just Sold For Less Than Every New Car in America
I’d argue that the best looking modern BMWs was the 6 Series Gran Coupe. Its overall shape, profile, body lines, kidney grilles, and just about everything else are just about perfect. It’s also one of the best driving BMWs of its time, has a cool interior, and seating for...
The Bovensiepen Spider Is an Upgraded BMW Z4 With Frank Stephenson Design Tweaks
The Bovensiepen family is back with a third new model of its post-Alpina era. Like the previous 05 GT and Zagato, the Bovensiepen Spider is based on a BMW and makes no attempt to disguise it. The Spider is based on the BMW Z4, and while it has some...
Tech Talk | Clunk Solution, Convertible Problems, and X5 Reliability
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. WD-40 To the Rescue You may recall my email about my 2009 335i concerning a clunking...
Watch How Tom Tang Tackled Pikes Peak In His E46 M3 Race Car ‘Ursula’
“It’s not that you’re fearless, it’s that you carry the right amount of fear,” said Tom Tang in his new video about tackling the legendary Pikes Peak in his E46 M3 racer. “How much risk do you want to take?” Pikes Peak is easily one of the most dangerous...
This BMW Isetta Pedal Car Sold For More Than an E90 3 Series
A few years ago, I sold an E90 3 Series. It was a 2006 BMW 325i sedan, in Monaco Blue with tan leather and 164,000-ish miles, for those wondering. And I sold it for $4000. That might seem like a low number for a 3 Series, but it was...
The New BMW 3 Series Comes With 443 HP and a Drift Mode
The new G50-generation 3 Series is the most powerful one yet. Well, it is if you don’t count M cars. Which I’m not. When the G50 hits U.S. dealerships, it’ll come with either four or six cylinders, but right now BMW is more concerned with the latter. The top-of-the-range...
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...
Putting the Clown Shoe on the Block
Incredibly, come January, I will have owned my 1999 M Coupe for 20 years. That’s an astonishingly long time for it to be swimming in my automotive waters where the churn tends to be high. Only the 40-year-owned 3.0CSi, the car they’ll bury me in, has been around longer....
Hood Struts For My E9 (Part III: Success!)
You wouldn’t think that replacing the hood support mechanism in my 1973 E9 3.0CSi would necessitate a three-part series. I certainly didn’t expect it. But hey, sometimes these little projects that we expect to be trivial turn out to be anything but. When last we left this a few...
