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2014 BMW R NineT

BMW is taking a page from the Harley-Davidson playbook with its groundbreaking R NineT. A retro cafe racer with an urban hooligan twist, the bike is fully customizable from fork to exhaust. Of course, any motorcycle can be customized, but the fact that BMW has built its newest bike to encourage modification using parts that can be swapped with simple tools is a radical move for a motorcycle maker best known for its plug-and-play touring bikes.
To underscore exactly how radical, BMW has even partnered with custom heavy-hitter Roland Sands Design, which developed the initial concept for the bike and is now manufacturing a full line of parts and accessories for the R NineT, including radial valve covers ($950), retro racing saddles ($400-$420), radial gauge housing ($400) and a radial headlight bezel ($250), among other things, all of which can be swapped with a socket wrench or screwdriver instead of a hacksaw, wire cutters and TIG welder.
Alas, the bike I tested for two weeks was stock, so consider it a blank canvas.

BMW i3 officially gets EPA-rated 81-mile range, delivered to first US customer

It's official. The first U.S. BMW i3 customer is now happily zipping along somewhere in his new car. Or possibly staring lovingly at it in his garage – we're not sure which. That man, Tufts University professor and electric vehicle aficionado Charles Rabie, was handed the keys at the BMW of Boston dealership earlier today, thus beginning a flood of upcoming deliveries from the pool of hundreds currently awaiting for their owners at the Port Jersey Vehicle Distribution Center in Jersey City, NJ. And now, when Mr. Rabie sets off in his spiffy electric Bimmer, he'll know exactly how far the EPA thinks he can go on a full charge of its 22-kWh battery. Speaking with Dave Buchko from BMW Corporate Communications, we learned the government agency has given the i3 an official range rating of 81 miles. Efficiency-wise, that breaks down to 138 MPGe city, 111 hwy, and 124 combined for the city car. Of course, we don't expect the good professor to experience any difficulties dealing with the sub-100 mile range. As a former BMW ActiveE driver, he's had plenty of opportunity to become accustomed to the foibles (and advantages) of piloting a battery-powered vehicle. You can read our First Drive impression of the BMW i3 here. Scroll down for the official press release. BMW Delivers First All-Electric i3 in the U.S. Tufts University professor of practice Charles Rabie to receive the first U.S. BMW i3. Woodcliff Lake, NJ – May 2, 2014... Today, BMW delivered the first all-electric BMW i3 in the U.S. to Boston resident and Tufts University professor of practice Charles Rabie at the BMW of Boston dealership. Hundreds of BMW i3 vehicles are currently at U.S. facilities and ready to be delivered to customers nationwide, ushering in a new era of electromobility. Rabie is an electric vehicle advocate and has been driving the BMW ActiveE since 2012. Also among this first group set to receive a BMW i3 is Los Angeles-based former E! Entertainment leading correspondent Ashlan Gorse Cousteau, married to renowned documentary filmmaker and environmentalist Philippe Cousteau, grandson of Jacques Cousteau. "Today marks a big day at BMW of North America - What started out as a dream for an innovative sustainable vehicle under the BMW i brand can now be found on streets across the U.S.," said Ludwig Willisch, President & CEO, BMW of North America. The BMW i3 is the first of the BMW i vehicles constructed from the ground up primarily of carbon fiber to enter the U.S. market.

Two rare Alpina BMWs given the Petrolicious treatment

Alpina is getting more and more ink because of because of that rolling cannonade known as the B7 and its closer ties with BMW. The company's tuning business dates to 1962 when Burkard Bovensiepen began fiddling with Weber carburetors, then his company began racing in 1968 and was eventually certified as an automaker in 1983.
Two of its rarer specimens from those early years have gotten a glance from the folks at Petrolicious: the E24 B10 and E24 B7S. Based on the BMW 6 Series, the Alpina versions made one of the most special coupes from the Eighties even more so. According to the video, there were only 44 B10s made, and the turbocharged, 333-horsepower B7S - this was in a luxury coupe in 1982, mind you - saw only 33 examples produced.
You won't be sorry to find out more about them - and see how they run - in the Petrolicious video below.