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BMW takes 30th Anniversary Edition M5 out to drift

If you only look at the videos from BMW, it appears that the best way to celebrate the 30th birthday of the M5 is some smoky drifting, and it sure looks like a great way to mark the occasion to us. Now that the Bavarian brand's new 30th anniversary special edition is all set to hit the road, the most powerful M5 ever is getting it own chance to roast its tires on video, as well.
The M5 30th Anniversary Edition shouldn't have any problem hanging its rear end out, really. Under the hood, its twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 is turned up to 600 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque and can allegedly sprint to 60 miles per hour in a scant 3.7 seconds. That's pretty impressive for any sports car but especially for a sedan that can still carry four passengers comfortably cosseted in leather and Alcantara upholstery.
BMW is making just 300 of these celebratory models worldwide, and appropriately for the anniversary, only 30 of them are going to be available in the US. If the special M5 doesn't make your heart race, the video basks in a little nostalgia, as well, by showing off the original model for some historical context.

BMW 328d confirmed for New York debut

Late last year, some of BMW's future diesel plans for the US market were leaked, and we learned that a diesel-powered version of the 3 Series sedan (pictured above in 335i guise) would be coming in the first quarter of 2013. That report appears to be holding true, as BMW has just confirmed the debut of the oil-burning 328d sedan as part of the company's New York Auto Show plans.
The 328d will be powered by a turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine good for 180 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. The rear-wheel-drive sedan will hit 60 miles per hour in 7.2 seconds and fuel economy numbers could "well exceed" 40 miles per gallon. (Official EPA numbers will be released closer to the car's launch.)
Elsewhere on BMW's New York stand, the company will show off the 3 Series Gran Turismo that debuted at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month, as well as the Concept Active Tourer that we first saw in Paris last fall. Scroll down for the official press blast.

BMW's Quandt family in hot water over Merkel campaign contributions

The mysterious and elusive Quandt family is in hot water again, nearly two years after its Nazi connections during World War II were exposed. The German family's patriarch, Herbert Quandt, nearly single-handedly saved BMW from being bought out by Daimler-Benz in 1959. Now, three living family members own nearly half of the German brand, and stand accused of buying votes with donations to the party of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, mere days ahead of a European Union vote that would cap vehicle emissions.
Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union accepted three donations, one from each shareholding member of the Quandt family.
Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union accepted three donations, one from each shareholding member of the Quandt family, totaling 690,000 euros ($935,000), on October 9. The CDU, for what it's worth, claim the donations weren't related to any political decisions and that the family have been donors for years. A Quandt family spokesperson, meanwhile, said that the family had been waiting for Germany's September 22 elections to pass before making a large contribution to the CDU.