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Forget about greenlighting it, BMW is already testing the M2

One week ago, we reported, with some skepticism, that BMW had greenlit a car we've been waiting for since the 1 Series M Coupe was discontinued - the M2. Now, we have the first images of that new hotshot underoing testing in Germany.
What's our reasoning here? After all, this just looks like an M235i. Well, that camo is disguising swollen fenders designed to conceal wider tires. Now, these aren't production changes, and it's very likely that the eventual M2's fenders will look quite a bit different. According to our spy, the front fenders have been borrowed from the M235i Racing, while the rears are from an unknown source.
Our spies are also quick to point out a few other high-performance items on this mule. The cross-drilled brakes and blue M calipers are one such item, although we aren't sure how much they differ from the optional stoppers on the production M235i. The black wheels are borrowed from the M3 and M4, and are shod in what look like a sticky set of Michelin tires.

Orlando Bloom gets custom BMW S 1000 R by Deus Ex Machina

Gearheads can meet in the most unlikely of places. Take Orlando Bloom and Michael "Woolie" Woolaway. One was starring in a film where the other was working as a gaffer – we'll let you figure out which was which – and a friendship was kindled over their love for motorcycles. As it turns out, Bloom is a bit of a BMW bike enthusiast, and Woolie is the head of the famous Deus Ex Machina custom shop in Venice. The pair teamed up to create a custom four-cylinder Bimmer bike for Bloom based on the S 1000 R, and took it into the Malibu Hills for its first shakedown. Considering the Hollywood setting where they met, it should come as little surprise that they brought a film crew along to artfully document the experience, which you can watch in the four-minute clip above. BMW Motorrad and Orlando Bloom present the BMW S 1000 R Custom. Michael "Woolie" Woolaway from Deus Ex Machina turns Orlando Bloom's vision of a custom bike into reality. Munich/Los Angeles. Everyone knows Orlando Bloom as a successful actor, but not everyone knows about his passion for motorbikes. As a long-standing fan of BMW motorcycles, Orlando Bloom owns and rides a number of BMW models, including old classics. For his own custom bike project he specifically chose the BMW S 1000 R. He asked his good friend, Michael "Woolie" Woolaway, head of the Deus Ex Machina custom shop in Venice, CA, USA, to work with him to bring his custom S 1000 R vision into reality. The result of the cooperation, is a stunning one-off 4 cylinder bike. The S 1000 R Custom and Orlando Bloom had their first test ride in the Malibu Hills while shooting "4CYL", a production by Arthur de Kersauson and Clement Beauvais in cooperation with BMW Motorrad.

2014 BMW X5 configurator goes live

BMW won't begin selling the 2014 X5 for another few months, but the German manufacturer has brought the third-generation SAV's configurator online, allowing interested customers to poke around and look at the X5's optional goodies.
Like the 3 Series, the X5 is available in a number of lines that load up extras automatically. There's also a do-it-yourself truck that allows owners to pick and choose if they're not enamored with the styling or trim of one of the dedicated packages. As usual, the options list is quite vast, regardless of which line is chosen. We were able to easily take the new, rear-drive X5 sDrive35i, which started at $52,800, and bring the total price up past $80,000.
The new X5 carries over its 4.4-liter, twin-turbo V8 from the current model, as well as BMW's excellent 3.0-liter, turbocharged inline-six. The X5 xDrive35d, with the 3.0-liter turbodiesel will also be available on the third-generation SUV, but won't hit dealers until early 2014. BMW is stepping outside of the X5's usual bounds, offering a dedicated rear-drive model, available with all the same trimmings as the xDrive vehicles. Head over to BMW's US consumer page and have a go.