1997 Bmw Z3 Roadster Convertible 2-door 2.8l on 2040-cars

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Someone's willing to pay $16,000 for a hollow, non-working BMW i8

There is an unusual BMW i8 for sale on eBay right now. Unlike your average – and by that we mean "working" – i8, this one pretty much just sits there, looking pretty. See, the i8 in question is just a promotional body shell. It's fullsize and being sold (we think) by a legit BMW dealer (Laurel BMW of Westmont), so it's got strong ties to the real thing, but there's nothing inside. In fact, you can't open the doors or windows and the wheels don't move, unless you count the tiny rolling castors that are a part of the prop. There is no fancy plug-in hybrid powertrain – no powertrain of any sort, in fact – and it was "professionally crafted just for BMW dealers." The headlights do turn on, though, so that's something. What's most impressive, though, is that there are 50 bids for this non-working BMW. In fact, the bidding has climbed up to $16,000. For a car that can't fulfill its mission as a car, that's pretty impressive. Oh, and those bids have not yet hit the reserve price, so the dealer is obviously hoping it can get more money for this hollow BMW. The official base MSRP for a working i8 is $135,700. The first i8 delivered in the US, a special edition for Pebble Beach, just sold for $825,000.

Recharge Wrap-up: Renault ZOE wins Zenn Monte-Carlo Rally, BC revives EV rebates

Renault ZOE EVs took the top four places in the 2015 ZENN Monte-Carlo Rally. Renault's cars finished first in consumption, regularity and overall standings. ZOEs took the top four spots overall and in the regularity tests, and the top five places for consumption. Renault entered four teams - two with professional drivers (finishing first and second), one piloted by journalists (placing third) and another by bloggers (taking seventh place). Another individual team entered the race with their own ZOE and finished fourth overall. The electric vehicle race took place over 130 miles and seven and a half hours. Read more in the press release from Renault below. British Columbia has reinstated its Clean Energy Vehicle Incentive Program. Phase two of the program, which starts April 1, is expected to put another 1,700 plug-in cars on BC roads. It's funded by the province's Innovative Clean Energy Fund, which gets its money from carbon taxes. Customers can receive rebates of up to C$5,000 for EVs, while fuel cell vehicle customers could get back up to C$6,000. Drivers can also get up to $C3,250 for scrapping cars built before 2000. BC is also investing in more charging infrastructure, EV fleets and outreach. See the video above, and read more from British Columbia government website and at Green Car Reports. BMW is noticing increased sales of its i3 EV tied to government incentives for electric cars. "We can see a clear connection between sales figures and political initiatives," says BMW Group CEO Norbert Reithofer. "Wherever governments offer tangible incentives for e-mobility, the registration figures for the BMW i3 soar." Last year, BMW sold about 2,000 i3s in Norway and 3,000 in California. In Germany, where BMW only sold about 2,100 i3s, Riethofer suggests the government needs to do more to support clean cars. "The German carmakers have delivered their part of the bargain. The ball is in now in the court of policymakers," he says. Read more at Automotive News Europe. Renault ZOE takes the top four places in the 6th ZENN Monte-Carlo Rally Following a sparkling victory last year, Renault ZOE has put in yet another remarkable performance at the 2015 ZENN Monte-Carlo Rally with four ZOE models taking the top four spots.

BMW M4 vs. Lexus RC F in Head 2 Head sports coupe showdown

It's the showdown everyone's been looking forward to, the East versus West grudge match of the year. We're talking, of course, about the BMW M4 versus the Lexus RC F.
Although BMW uses a twin-turbo straight-six and the Lexus uses a free-breathing V8, the two are pretty closely matched on paper: a luxury coupe with over 400 horsepower channeled to the rear wheels.
The BMW has been doing these cars for longer, and the M4 boasts a higher power-to-weight ratio. But then the RC F has more power - and without forced induction to break up the rev range. So which is the better luxury muscle coupe? Watch the latest episode of Motor Trend Head 2 Head to find out.