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2014 Dinan S1 BMW M5

The last time the Dinan name graced the pages of Autoblog, Michael Harley was waxing poetic about the S3-R BMW 1M Coupe, a car that still stands in his ranks as one of the best cars he's ever driven. And that wasn't just because it was, you know, amazing. It's because as far as tuners go, Dinan produces some seriously well-executed products. Harley said of the 1M, for example, "It was so fully formed and well-rounded that it felt like BMW itself had made it."
Eager to sample some of these wholly wonderful wares, I cleared a few hours in my Monterey Car Week schedule and booked a date with the S1 M5 you see here - the (current) daily driver of Mr. Steve Dinan, himself. But unlike the S3-R 1M the company tuned previously, the donor car in question here is vastly different and, if I'm honest, not as good. See, I adore the stock 1M in a way words cannot express, but the standard-issue M5... good as it is, there are indeed a few flaws.
But after driving the Dinan S1 M5 around the Monterey Peninsula, I can confirm two things. First, Harley's conclusion that Dinan builds products that feel 100 percent BMW-spec is absolutely true. And second, Steve and the gang haven't just created a tuned M5, they've built a better one.

BMW: i8 sold out, i3 records 10k orders

Just in case anyone was wondering how plug-in BMW cars would be received, the answer is apparently "quite well." After speaking with BMW's global sales chief last week at the LA Auto Show, Reuters has learned that the plug-in hybrid i8 sports coupe is already sold out for its first year on the market.
There is no word as to how many i8s BMW sold, but the first example was delivered to a customer last week in Germany. As for the all-electric/range-extended i3 hatchback, the automaker has received more than 10,000 orders for this model before it even goes on sale. Likewise, we don't know how many BMW plans to sell, but we do know they'll be showing up in the US before next summer.
We've already spent some time behind the wheel of both plug-in BMWs, and you can check out our first drive of the production i3 and our first drive of an i8 prototype.

BMW 2 Series Coupe priced from $33,025* ahead of Detroit debut

BMW is definitely going to have its hands full at next month's Detroit Auto Show. The big news might be the debut of the M3 and M4, which were previewed in our Deep Dive, but joining those performance cars under the bright lights will be the all-new 2015 BMW 2 Series Coupe.
While we already know most of the details about the 2 Series and its available M Performance parts, BMW has now announced that the Coupe will go on sale in the first quarter of next year with a starting price of $33,025 (*plus $925 for destination) for the base 228i. This price is about $1,500 more than the current 1 Series Coupe, which starts at $31,500, while the M235i's starting price of $44,025 is almost $500 more than the existing 135is Coupe. There is still no indication as to when we'll see 2 Series Convertible unveiled.
In addition to new M cars and the 2 Series, BMW's display will also reveal another new color-theme package for the Z4. Last year we saw the Hyper Orange package, and this year will give us the Ivory White Burnt Sienna Z4 available in an exclusive Sparkling Brown Metallic exterior paint color. Scroll down for the full press release of production vehicles BMW has planned to showcase at Detroit's Cobo Hall next month.