RECENT ARTICLES
Updated M Hybrid V8 Tops Night Timesheets at Daytona IMSA Test
The updated M Hybrid V8 GTP cars made their first appearance in the US in official IMSA-sanctioned testing at Daytona this weekend. It was also the first event where BMW M Team WRT is running the show in GTP after years of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing (RLL) campaigning the...
Running on Empty | The Ones That Got Away—Or That I Threw Away
Just about the time I thought I had experienced another Brilliant Epiphany—in my case these are so rare that they deserve capitalization—I discovered that I was wrong again. It’s not that my memory is becoming more faulty; it’s always been this way. I’m blaming the electric Mini. Oh, not...
My Final Roundel Magazine Column
When I first began writing online content for BMW CCA, it was hosted behind the bmwcca.org paywall, but at some point it was recast under the publicly-available BimmerLife.com banner. As such, I don’t know how many folks who read my pieces here are BMW CCA members and also read...
A Visit to BMW Group’s Designworks Sheds Light on the iX3
If you’re on this site, that means you’re a BMW fan. And it’s likely the comments below will sound familiar: For long-time enthusiasts, the new direction feels like a loss of ‘soul’ and a departure from the driver-first engineering and distinctive look that initially attracted them to the brand....
Want To Show Off Your Garage? Submit Yours to Our Winter Garage Tour
Attention all CCA members: Do you have a cool garage you want to share with your fellow members? We are on season six of our annual Winter Garage Tour where we showcase garages from all across the country, and we want to see where you keep your cars. Cool...
How to Support the BMW CCA Foundation’s Future on Giving Tuesday
This Giving Tuesday, a global celebration of kindness and generosity, we invite you to join the BMW CCA Foundation in a journey that honors our history and looks to the future. Founded by philanthropists passionate about the BMW brand and giving back, the BMW CCA Foundation is committed to...
Act Fast! Win a 1998 BMW E36 M3 Refreshed by BimmerWorld! Reveal Video!!
Enter to Win a 1998 BMW E36 M3 Sedan. The Ultimate Mid-’90s Dream Drive. Boot up your memories. This isn’t a throwback… it’s a time warp. We’re taking you straight back to the garage menu of Gran Turismo 2, the car-select screen of Need for Speed II, and the...
The Newest BMW Special Edition Celebrates 3 Series Greats
This year, in BMW land, has been all about the 3 Series. Now that we’re 50 years on from its debut, it’s clear the impact that its had on car culture, the auto industry, and beyond. The 3 was the original, and other models popped up to compete with...
BMW’s Macau GP Weekend Saw a Podium Finish
The Macau Grand Prix is one of the world’s most iconic street races. Located on the south coast of China, it’s been labeled the “Las Vegas of Asia,” though Monaco might be a more apt comparison. The Guia street circuit that plays host to the grand prix is tight,...
Tech Talk | Shock Talk, Pro Help, and Bundling Repairs
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. OEM OR AFTERMARKET SHOCKS Background: South-East Florida-housed 2000 BMW Z3 roadster, owned for four years....
A Brief Look at the National Capital Chapter’s Summit Point Time Trial
By Mike Saul Sixteen National Capital Chapter instructors and advanced students participated in a Time Trial event at Summit Point Main Circuit on Halloween weekend. Time Trials is a race against the clock where drivers compete to set the fastest lap time in their class over the course of...
Act Fast! Win a 1998 BMW E36 M3 Refreshed by BimmerWorld! Reveal Video!!
Enter to Win a 1998 BMW E36 M3 Sedan. The Ultimate Mid-’90s Dream Drive. Boot up your memories. This isn’t a throwback… it’s a time warp. We’re taking you straight back to the garage menu of Gran Turismo 2, the car-select screen of Need for Speed II, and the...
Tech Talk | Shock Talk, Pro Help, and Bundling Repairs
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. OEM OR AFTERMARKET SHOCKS Background: South-East Florida-housed 2000 BMW Z3 roadster, owned for four years....
A Brief Look at the National Capital Chapter’s Summit Point Time Trial
By Mike Saul Sixteen National Capital Chapter instructors and advanced students participated in a Time Trial event at Summit Point Main Circuit on Halloween weekend. Time Trials is a race against the clock where drivers compete to set the fastest lap time in their class over the course of...
Street Survival | Braking Is the Most Important Skill for New Drivers to Master
You might think that the first time you get behind the wheel, the most important thing is making that car move. And while that is an important part or learning how to drive, learning all about braking is undoubtedly the most important part of learning how to drive. While...
The BMW Road Trip That Wasn’t (Part II)
Last week, I wrote about nearly taking my 40-year-owned 1973 3.0CSi for a weekend in Vermont with my wife until a cursory pre-flight check revealed that it was surprisingly low on brake fluid. Even though the car likely won’t see much asphalt until spring, I didn’t want to leave...
Lime Rock Park’s Historic Concours Is a BMW Goldmine
Lime Rock Park is the picturesque ideal of a race track, nestled in a beautiful valley in the northwest Connecticut hills. Lush green hills and lawnchairs replace grandstands, while elegant, thoughtful structures designed by former BMW racer, broadcaster, artist, and now track co-owner Sam Posey dot the grounds. It...
This M4 Has a 2.6-Liter Single-Turbo S55 That Revs to 9000 RPM. It’s Amazing
I tend to be rather curated about who I follow on social media. I don’t want my apps flooded with slop, and I’d much rather hear about people I know than every brand known to man. But, sometimes, I just have to follow something if I can’t get enough...
Plug-In Hybrids Need Very Thin Oil. Here’s Why
Since my return to technician life at BMW of Murrieta, I have noticed that there are a lot of different models coming in and out of the shop—especially hybrids, which probably account for a quarter or even a third of the BMWs I work on. About a month or...
Anyone? Anyone? | A New Definition for Good Trouble
So: I thought TWUBBL and I may have had a little trouble with the local constabulary—except TWUBBL was there, and I wasn’t. Neither were they, as it turned out. But that’s the end of the story, and this is only the first paragraph.1 Allow me to provide some context....
Racing Lines | Spec Class Racers Swarm at Carolina Motorsports Park
The annual late-October Sandlapper Chapter event at Carolina Motorsports Park brought out 38 racers, with 18 running in Spec E46 and another 12 in Spec E36. The entire pack ran an enduro and two sprints. Spec E46 ran one sprint race on its own, and Spec E36 teamed with...
Racing Lines | Returning to Road Atlanta, a BMW CCA Club Racing Fixture
As club racers return to Road Atlanta in November for the penultimate event of the 2025 season, it is important to note that the Peachtree Chapter event has been a mainstay of the Club Racing series since its earliest days. The first race there in 1995 happened before Racing...
The BMW Road Trip That Wasn’t
To give context to this piece, I need to summarize events in the Lotus end of the world. The one-year anniversary of my buying the ’69 Elan +2 was on Halloween. Well, actually, that was the day I trailered it home. I drove up to southern NH in Hampton...
Like, Totally, RADwood Is Tubular!
When the event DJ can play Ozzy, Debbie Deb, and The Psychedelic Furs back to back to back and everyone loves every bit of it, and when a Chevy S10 and a Lamborghini Countach both win prizes in front of the real Batmobile, yep, that’s rad. So rad, in...
Join the X Chapter for an Inside Look at the Rebelle Rally
BMW News, Community, Events, Motorsport
By Valerie Caprigno The BMW Car Club of America X Chapter enjoyed exclusive access to the dramatic conclusion of the 10th-edition of the Rebelle Rally, including the finish-line spectacle and the celebratory “Rebellation” gala. The privilege offered a front-row seat to one of the most distinctive and empowering motorsport...
Tech Talk | Disappearing Coolant, Diff Issues, and Soft-Top Troubles
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. THAT WAYWARD COOLANT I have a 2004 325Ci with 139,250 miles. I have owned the...
My Final Roundel Magazine Column
When I first began writing online content for BMW CCA, it was hosted behind the bmwcca.org paywall, but at some point it was recast under the publicly-available BimmerLife.com banner. As such, I don’t know how many folks who read my pieces here are BMW CCA members and also read...
The BMW Road Trip That Wasn’t (Part II)
Last week, I wrote about nearly taking my 40-year-owned 1973 3.0CSi for a weekend in Vermont with my wife until a cursory pre-flight check revealed that it was surprisingly low on brake fluid. Even though the car likely won’t see much asphalt until spring, I didn’t want to leave...
The BMW Road Trip That Wasn’t
To give context to this piece, I need to summarize events in the Lotus end of the world. The one-year anniversary of my buying the ’69 Elan +2 was on Halloween. Well, actually, that was the day I trailered it home. I drove up to southern NH in Hampton...
The Annual Used Wheel and Snow Tire Search
Well, okay, maybe it’s not annual, but it feels that way. Actually, what it feels like is somewhere between having a colonoscopy and wearing a hair shirt. My 2003 E39 530i has been my daily for nearly ten years. I love it. But like most rear-wheel drive BMWs, there’s...
Sharkie Passes, But Does Not Go Gently
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the in-process sale of my 1979 Euro 635CSi. On the first day of fall, I’d pulled the car out of storage in the Monson warehouse, brought it home, floated it for sale on my Facebook page for the third time, and this...
The Current Clamp
Community, Lifestyle, Resto & Mod
Last month, I wrote about installing electric air conditioning (a/c driven by an electric compressor) in my 1969 Lotus Elan +2. As part of that, I needed to take some careful measurements of the current drawn by the compressor, the evaporator assembly, and the condenser fans. I own three...
