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BMW celebrates its awesome '80s M535i

BMW recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of the M5 with a very limited, special edition of the super sedan. And even before the original version was transporting German executives at ludicrous speeds down the Autobahn, the folks in the M department tried their hand at improving the 5 Series with the M535i. Only offered in 1980 and 1981, the company made just 1,650 of these top-spec models, but they sowed the seeds for the future. In this video looking back at the M535i, you really see the automaker from a completely different era. As an outgrowth of the company's touring car racing efforts, the special model packs a 3.5-liter inline-six rated at 218 horsepower, a powertrain capable of accelerating the M535i to 62 miles per hour in 7.5 seconds via a dogleg five-speed gearbox. This take on the 5 Series is also a visual treat because it mixes the standard version's skinny A-pillar and thick C-pillar styling with some era-specific upgrades. The corduroy-covered Recaro seats and groovy multicolor stripes down the side, on the air dam and at the rear are especially fun touches. While the video's announcer is a bit dull, there's nothing boring about this rare, vintage BMW. Take a trip back in time with this clip, it's a nice bookend to the Petrolicious E28 5 Series family video we showed you yesterday. News Source: BMW via YouTube BMW Automotive History Performance Classics Videos Sedan

Bunny couldn't out hop a BMW M3 on-track

Driving a car is a dangerous hobby, and not just because of other drivers or poor roads. Sometimes, it seems like even the wildlife is out to get you, as evidenced here, here, here, here and here. Now, we can add one more unfortunate car-versus-animal encounter to the tally.
Perhaps believing that this bright orange BMW M3 GTS was a very fast, very loud carrot, an unfortunate bunny leaped into its windshield in a brutal accident at a Polish racetrack. Considering the M3's speed at the time, 89 miles per hour, the passengers are lucky to be okay. Obviously, Bugs didn't make it.
The BMW isn't in such great shape, though. The windshield is in a bit of a state, with safety glass sprayed all over the passenger side of the cabin. There doesn't appear to be any sheetmetal damage, at least from what we can tell from the video. Although there isn't any blood, the hit is really hard. The initial point of impact is at 0:57. Check out the video below.

Official pics of BMW M235i surface ahead of coupe's debut

BMW isn't supposed to debut the 2 Series until tomorrow, according to Carscoops, but that hasn't stopped these photos of the 1 Series Coupe replacement from leaking onto the web. First picked up by a BMW 2 Series enthusiast site, the photos eventually found their way around the web, and complement the spy images we showed you of the uncovered 2 Series from almost six months ago.
This particular car is the M235i, and will serve as the range-topping 2 Series. As the number "35" is affixed to this car's tail, there's no question that the engine powering this example is BMW's turbocharged, 3.0-liter six-cylinder. As we reported earlier this month, power for the M235i should sit around 320 horsepower, blessing the 3,240-pound coupe with a 4.8-second sprint to 60 miles per hour when equipped with an eight-speed automatic (a six-speed manual is also available, but drops the time down to an even five seconds).
While this isn't a full-bore M car like the 1 Series M Coupe, it has been touched by the company's in-house tuning division, which means it sports a racier body kit, blacked out grilles and M-labeled interior items, like the steering wheel.