1988 Bmw M5 on 2040-cars

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Petrolicious reconnects with the BMW M coupe

With the look of a clown shoe on wheels, the BMW M Coupe was a product of using what was around to create something great. Starting with the Z3 convertible, BMW's engineering team added a bulbous roof to improve rigidity, and for the M version, it dropped in the inline six from the contemporary M3. While the result wasn't a beauty queen, the car more than made up for any aesthetic complaints in driving pleasure. Petrolicious talks to owner Alex McCulloch about just what makes the tiny three-door so special in its latest video. With a fairly short wheelbase, plenty of power, and a rear suspension from the E30-chassis BMW 3 Series, the M Coupe can be a quite handful at the limit. "I used to say it wanted to kill me, but now we've reached an agreement where it's not quite as murderous," McCulloch says. He's eventually found that the only real way to exploit the coupe to its fullest is on the track, where he competes in time trials. To get lap times as low as possible, the BMW now wears quite a few mods, but McCulloch says that it's all reversible. Figure out what competitive hang gliding has to do with driving in this clip from Petrolicious. Related Video:

AWD BMW M5 is headed our way

Remember the rumor about the BMW M5 going all-wheel drive? Well, there's definitely some truth there because these spy shots show BMW testing the Autobahn-storming sedan with the ability to spin the front and rear wheels. Our spy shooters grew suspicious when they saw this seemingly normal-looking M5 appearing to turn all four wheels during ice testing. They checked it out and snapped these shots underneath clearly showing power routed to the front axle. While this shows that the tech is at least being tested on a current-gen M5, all-wheel drive is probably not coming until the next 5 Series model, which is already being evaluated. The idea of power going to the front and rear axles for this sport sedan might polarize some hardcore brand fans as a break with tradition. However, the head of the M division thinks the change is a priority to actually put torque down effectively. The future vehicle is slated to get at least 600 horsepower and pack it into a lighter platform. Rear-drive M5 purists can take heart, though. The all-wheel-drive system would reportedly be an option, and it would be rear-biased to still let drivers hang the tail out, if the desire arises.

GRAND-AM, IMSA announce deal to bring DTM racing to US

It won't be until 2015 at the earliest, but the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), Grand-Am and the Internationale Tourenwagen-Rennen have agreed to a licensing and cooperation deal that could bring a version of Germany's DTM series to the US.
When the American Le Mans Series and Grand-Am are officially combined next year, the resulting body will be called United SportsCar Racing (USCR). IMSA will be the sanctioning body for that series, and DTM races could be run as support events. It was also suggested by an ALMS chief that DTM races could be standalone or join NASCAR and IndyCar weekends.
With the so-called DTM America finally agreed to, there is now a way for manufacturers to run the same DTM-type cars in Europe, the US and Japan - last year Japan's Super GT series agreed to adopt "the basic technical regulations" of DTM for the GT500 class, the top class in the series. That already puts six manufacturers in play: Mercedes-Benz, Audi and BMW that run in Germany's DTM and Honda, Nissan and Lexus that run in Super GT. The DTM oversight body has invited American brands to Germany for the opening round of the 2013 season, and will begin actively courting their participation in the US series. Check out the press release from Audi with comments on the deal below.