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The BMW 507 Elvis drove in the Army has been restored

Two years ago, BMW Classic Group started work on a 507 roadster once owned by Elvis Presley, the King of Rock 'n' Roll. The car's restoration is now complete, and it is scheduled to make its debut at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance on August 21. BMW Classic gives a look into what it took too get the car back in shape. Elvis's 507 was found by Jackie Jouret from Bimmer magazine in the barn of Jack Castor. Castor purchased the car in 1968 and held onto it since. The pair was able to confirm the car was owned by Elvis, who acquired it when stationed in Germany with the US Army. As you can see from the photo above, the car was not in good shape. Aside from the tired looking paint and body, there was a lot that needed to be repaired, replaced, or reconstructed. At some point, someone saw fit to drop in a Chevy V8, which meant the restorers had to not only build a new BMW V8 for it, but also had to repair the subframe where it had been modified. The interior was in bad shape as well, with seats that needed their own ground-up restoration, and a dashboard that was just completely missing. The restoration group also had to remove eight paint jobs the car received over its lifetime. One of those resprays was commissioned by Elvis himself. The car was originally white when it was raced by Hans Stuck, but after Elvis purchased it he reportedly painted it red to help hide lipstick and messages left by fans. BMW Classic Group restored this car back to its original condition, which also means it's back to its original white paint. The car will be on display at this year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance alongside a number of other vintage BMWs celebrating the company's centennial. If you want more information and photos of the restoration, be sure to check out BMW Classic Group's website. Related Video: Related Gallery Elvis Presley's 1957 BMW 507 View 59 Photos News Source: Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, BMW Classic GroupImage Credit: BMW Classic Group Auto News Celebrities BMW Convertible Classics bmw 507

2014 BMW 328d ready to burn oil in just four cylinders

Despite showing off the new 328d sedan in New Jersey yesterday, BMW though it only fair to bring the first four-cylinder diesel it will ever sell in the US to the New York Auto Show today as well. Unfortunately, the company remains vague about pertinent details like fuel economy and price, but we did hear again that the oil-burner will be capable of getting 45 miles per gallon on the highway. BMW's Oliver Ganser told AutoblogGreen, "We do not want to give out" the city or combined mpg ratings quite yet, but The New York Times got someone to estimate a fuel economy of mid-30s in the city.
The two-liter TwinPower turbocharged and direct injected engine and eight-speed automatic transmission (sorry, no manual will be available) put out 180 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque and should get the 328d up to 60 miles per hour in just over seven seconds. As we noted earlier, the 328d will be available with every option and trim level - like all-wheel drive - that other 3 Series models have in the US (transmission excepted) and should start at under $40,000 when it goes on sale this fall.
Officially, the 328b will be able to accept biodiesel blends up to B5 (or, just maybe B7), which is standard diesel with five (seven) percent biofuel. Read more about that and other aspects of the 328d here.

Germany is finally getting serious about self-driving cars

Germany cleared the way for its giant automotive industry to develop and test self-driving cars, when the upper house of its parliament approved on Friday a law setting out the conditions under which they could take to German roads. Under the law, first mooted by Chancellor Angela Merkel last year, a driver must be sitting behind the wheel at all times ready to take back control if prompted to do so by the autonomous vehicle. Germany is home to some of the world's largest car companies, including Volkswagen, Daimler and BMW, all of which are investing heavily in a technology seen by transport minister Alexander Dobrindt as the "greatest mobility revolution since the invention of the car." That's not to say that German automakers have been standing still in the face of autonomous technology. VW recently outlined its vision for autonomous vehicles. BMW has already demonstrated self-driving vehicles in the United States, and Mercedes-Benz has partnered up with German auto supplier Bosch on autonomous technology. The new legislation allows German car companies to road-test vehicles in which drivers will be allowed to take their hands off the wheel and their eyes off the road to browse the web or check e-mails while the vehicle handles steering or braking autonomously. The legislation requires that a black box record the journey underway, logging whether the human driver or the car's self-piloting system was in charge at all moments of the ride. This will be crucial for apportioning blame in accidents. The driver will bear responsibility for accidents that take place under his or her watch, under the legislation, but if the self-driving system is in charge and a system failure is to blame, the manufacturer will be responsible. The law will be revised in two years' time in the light of technological developments, with data protection and the use of the data collected during rides a key point that has yet to be fully addressed. Companies around the globe are working on prototypes for self-driving vehicles, but such cars are not expected to be available for the mass market before 2020. (Reporting By Markus Wacket; Writing by Thomas Escritt; Editing by Toby Davis) Related Video: Image Credit: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Government/Legal Audi BMW Mercedes-Benz Volkswagen Technology Autonomous Vehicles