2003 Bmw M3 E46 Convertible Florida Car Clean Carfax 6spd 3.2l M Sport on 2040-cars

Auto blog

BMW 8 Series turns 25 [w/video]

From the very beginning, the BMW 8 Series was a head turner. It was hardly a common sight in the first place, and the angular lines and low, pointed nose made the GT look like something special on the road. It's been 25 years since the Bavarian brand's flagship coupe of the '90s debuted, and owners celebrated the anniversary in style in Germany.
The 8 Series still looks great today, but its popup headlights give away its age a little. You just don't see them anymore. It was introduced at the 1989 Frankfurt Motor Show as the 850i with a 5.0-liter V12 under the hood capable of 295 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. Later, even bigger V12s would find their way in there. Production lasted until 1999, but they were rather exclusive with 30,621 built in its lifetime.
To celebrate the anniversary, several BMW clubs organized 120 examples for display at the company's headquarters in Munich. The brand took advantage of the display to show off the ultimate 8 prototype as well. The one-off special packed a 550-horsepower V12 and a body with optimized aero. That engine eventually became the basis for the one in the McLaren F1.

BMW Motorrad celebrates 90 years with new R nineT roadster [w/video]

90 years is a heck of a long time by any standard, and as good a cause for celebration as we've ever seen. That's how long BMW has been making motorcycles for, and it's celebrating with the retro cafe racer you see here - as promised and previewed.
Dubbed the R nineT (for 90 years), the latest product from BMW Motorrad traces its roots back to the original 1923 BMW R 32. And like the original, it's powered by a boxer twin - in this case, a 1,170cc air- and oil-cooled unit delivering 110 horsepower and 88 pound-feet of torque. All that muscle is packed into a classically-styled roadster that looks ready to line up next to a Moto Guzzi Griso, Triumph Thruxton or Ducati SportClassic.
The neo-retro styling drapes a unique tubular steel spaceframe chassis that uses the engine as a stressed member. The inverted telescopic front fork is borrowed from the S 1000 RR superbike and a paralever swingarm with spring strut suspends the rear. That's where you'll find a removable rear pillion for an extra passenger and dual tailpipes mounted on the left side, swappable for a titanium Akrapovic exhaust - just one of many customization options BMW Motorrad is offering for the R nineT.

BMW mulled ten, eight, and six-cylinder engines for i8 before going hybrid

There's little doubt that the 2015 BMW i8 is one of the most radical and groundbreaking performance cars this industry has seen in a long time. From its unique carbon-intensive construction to its 1.5-liter, three-cylinder and electric motor plug-in powertrain to its concept-car appearance, the flagbearer for BMW's new i venture challenges the very notion of what it takes to be a supercar.
Yet apparently the i8 almost didn't do that at all. Yes, it probably still would've had innovative assembly techniques, serious performance and come-hither bodywork, but according to a new report in the Telegraaf, it was very nearly a much more conventional beast, drawing its power from a V10 engine. According to the report, that line of development never got much beyond the drawing board, but BMW engineers then shifted their focus to both V8 and six-cylinder motivation, going so far as to build prototype cars. The higher cylinder-count engines were eventually dropped altogether after BMW decided to turn the i8 into a hybrid, with the six-cylinder reportedly nixed due to heat management and weight issues. In the end, of course, BMW went with the PHEV powertrain that offers a total system output of 362 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque - plenty of thrust for this lightweight, all-wheel drive coupe while still enabling an incredible 94 miles to the gallon on the EU cycle. Regardless of how it turned out, it's still fascinating to think that BMW didn't have a much firmer conceptual idea of what it was after when it started the i8's development.
Here at Autoblog, we're genuinely thrilled about this new generation of greener hybrid super- and hypercars, a movement spearheaded by the i8, Porsche 918 Spyder, Ferrari LaFerrari and McLaren P1. But even so, our inner-gearheads can't help but wonder what might have been had BMW pursued a more conventional i8, either in place of, or in addition to, the car they did build. What do you think? Have your say in Comments.