1986 Bmw 528e Base Sedan 4-door 2.7l on 2040-cars

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BMW celebrates 30 years of M5 with 600-hp super sedan

It's been 30 years since BMW rolled out the first M5, and while displacement and cylinder count may have fluctuated over those past three decades, output has only increased. The first-generation E28 M5 packed a 3.5-liter inline-six with 252 horsepower and 243 lb-ft of torque. The second-gen E34 model that followed added an extra 100 cc (and later 200 more) to produce 310 hp and 266 lb-ft. The E39 followed with a 4.9-liter V8 churning out 394 hp and 369 lb-ft, replaced by the award-winning 5.0-liter V10 in the E60 with its 500 hp and 380 lb-ft before BMW rolled out the latest model with a 4.4-liter V8, its twin turbos making up for the two dropped cylinders and 600 cc of displacement to produce 560 hp and 502 lb-ft of torque. But even that's being left in the dust by the new special edition you see here.
The 30th Anniversary Edition BMW M5 packs that same 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8, but cranks the output up to a nice, round 600 horsepower and a solid 516 lb-ft of torque to go with it. That makes it more powerful, not only than any M5 that's come before it, but also any of its rivals. The Jaguar XFR-S and Audi RS6 Avant (the latter only available as a wagon and not in North America) both lag behind this ultimate of Ultimate Driving Machines; only the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG trumps it on torque (but not on power), with 531 lb-ft in stock form and 590 in the S-Model.
As a result, the 0-60 time drops from a quoted 4.2 seconds in the stock M5 to a scant 3.7 in the 30th Anniversary edition (just one tick behind that twistier E63 S). The special M5 also comes with the Competition Package as standard, as well as a dedicated control module for the Active M Differential, a special Frozen Dark Silver matte finish, 20-inch alloys and black chrome badges. Special badges abound inside as well, where you'll also find black leather and Alcantara upholstery and aluminum trim. There'll even be a dedicated one-day course offered to owners at The Thermal Club in Palm Springs, CA, to further sweeten the deal.

BMW i8 with 500+ horsepower in the cards?

While BMW makes plenty of machinery to keep enthusiasts interested, its most enticing models are often based on more ordinary ones. That's what made the arrival of the i8 so captivating, emerging as the first stand-alone BMW sports coupe since the M1. But if its dual purpose - trying its best to both embrace the earth and traverse it rapidly - somehow left you disappointed, the next development could prove to fix that.
According to Automobile, BMW is working on a more potent i8S model. The hardcore version of the hybrid sports car would offer more power and a stiffened chassis to make it that much more aggressive. The Bavarian automaker is reportedly still evaluating two potential powertrain options: The first would pair a 2.0-liter twin-turbo four-cylinder good for 320 horsepower to an electric motor with another 204 hp. The second would use a 3.0-liter straight six with 480 hp and an electric motor with 109 hp. Both would be mated to a nine-speed dual-clutch transmission and an integrated starter motor packing an extra 27 hp.
Either way, we'd be looking at a combined output well in excess of 500 horsepower - far more than the existing i8's 228-hp turbo three and 129-hp electric motor - dropping the 0-62 time down from 4.1 seconds to an estimated 3.5. Couple that to a more advanced carbon chassis, wider tires and other goodies, and the i8 would be transformed into a far more capable performance machine than it already is.

BMW X4 Concept is no Shanghai surprise

"One in four new BMW cars is now a BMW SAV." If you're new to BMW parlance, SAV stands for Sports Activity Vehicle, a vehicle type most of us more commonly refer to as a crossover, and that statistic, which comes straight from the automaker itself, tells you all you need to know about why the X4 Concept you see above exists.
Like its larger X6 sibling, the BMW X4 Concept tries to shove a crossover in a mold shaped vaguely like a fastback coupe. Put another way, the X4 is likely to be a polarizing design, though perhaps not to the extent that the X6 divided opinions. As for us, we definitely prefer the styling of this X4 Concept, with its strong character lines and impressive wheel-to-bodyside ratio, over that of its bigger brother. That said, we're sure the AMC Eagle comparisons will begin in earnest starting right about... now.
Dimensionally, it seems the most obvious machine with which to compare this X4 Concept is the 3 Series Wagon - we're not sure if it will be as spacious inside as the 3 Series Gran Turismo. A two-inch stretch in the wheelbase ought to bring a commensurate improvement in legroom, and a body that's nearly five inches longer should be a boon for cargo capacity. Of course, that fastback roofline will surely cut down on the car's roominess inside, but we'll have to wait for the final production model to judge its true capabilities.